Below are three agenda items under discussion during council’s June 25 regular public meeting. The information has been taken from the municipal website.
Report in regard to changing Ice in Date for 2019
The District of Fort St. James received a request from an arena ice user group requesting consideration of an earlier ice-in-date of September 9, 2019 instead of the planned ice date of October 7, 2019.
The reason for the same, as per council documents is due to the loss of ice time during the 2018/19 winter season.
District staff investigated the request and learned that both the arena manager and public works employee who assists him have vacation time booked off, approved and planned out early September. As a result, the earliest achievable ice date is September 16, 2019. This date would still allow ice users an additional three weeks of ice time.
There would be service impacts to Parks and Recreation and Public Works planned activities during the month of September to accommodate an earlier ice in date. The estimated increase to operating costs for the arena of opening September 16th is approximately $22,000.
A partial offset to the operating costs would be increased revenue from user groups and savings in expenses for the Parks and Recreation and Public Works areas where the two employees would have otherwise planned to work in September.
Stones Bay Road Water and Sewer Extension
District staff is recommending to council to authorize the acceptance of the proposal from Stantec Consulting Ltd. in relation to a feasibility study, conceptual design and public meeting for a water and sewer system extension being considered on Stones Bay Road, Resort Hill Road, and Lakeshore Drive in Fort St. James, BC.
The Province has just completed a project extending municipal water along Stones Bay Road to the Ministry of Forestry, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development’s (FLNRORD) offices. The District has directed staff to find out what costs would be involved in an initial project feasibility to determine costs associated with extending this line and the previously constructed sewer line to the same offices.
In addition, the District has expressed an interest in holding a public meeting informing residents of the recently completed sewer extension project, the water project that was just turned on and is nearing conclusion, the latecomer agreements in relation to those two service extensions, and possible extensions of both services to other residents in the area.
The total proposed fees plus disbursement cost is $14,016. Council is yet to deliberate on this topic.
Signage Regulations
Council adopted Signage Regulation Bylaw No.963, 2017 to regulate the construction, placement and maintenance of signage in The District of Fort St. James. All signs erected or in place before the adoption of the Signage Regulation Bylaw are exempt from the current regulations.
Prior to the implementation of this Bylaw several unregulated signs were placed in Fort St. James including the sign placed at the intersection of Highway 27, Douglas Avenue, Stuart Drive East, and Stuart Drive West owned by the Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce has requested a sign permit to move this currently exempt sign to the Visitor Information Centre at 115 Douglas Avenue. Moving this sign would remove the sign’s exempt status and require it comply with current bylaws.
The sign does not comply with the regulations of a Portable Sign because it exceeds the maximum allowable display surface. The sign has an area of 3.94m2 while portable signs must not exceed a display area of 3.5m2 meaning the permit would be denied. Council may choose to evaluate the current bylaw and either modify the bylaws or maintain the current regulations.
Administration is aware of several signs in the community which are inconsistent with the current Sign Regulation Bylaw; however, the current system is complaint driven and no complaints have been received to date. Council may direct administration to review the Signage Regulation Bylaw and make amendments to bring the bylaw in line with Councils goals and priorities.
More to come.
Aman Parhar
Editor, Vanderhoof Omineca Express
aman.parhar@ominecaexpress.com
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