City seeks reimbursement for additional pool costs
Administration provided Council with an update on progress being made on the construction of the new downtown pool as the work reaches its midway point. Additional project costs are resulting from the unpredicted removal of unstable soils in the area of the pool tanks and the remediation of a deficient primer on the structural steel components. After the delivery of those structural components this past winter, it was determined that the primer was specified in error and would need to be replaced. Importantly, the City is pursuing reimbursement of the approximate $1 million extra cost of the primer remediation.
Even with the recent setbacks, the new pool continues to be scheduled for completion in fall of 2022. The project will deliver a number of community benefits such as universal accessibility for various ages and abilities.
Council permits temporary expanded service area for liquor establishments
The streamlined process enabling “liquor primary” establishments to expand outside in order to provide for increased physical distancing between patrons is being extended to next year. Earlier this year, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) temporarily allowed licensed service areas to expand into outdoor areas in accordance with recommendations from the Provincial Health Officer.
On Monday, Council voted to permit the LCRB to allow for these temporary expansions until June 1, 2022. In effect, this means that businesses that wish to expand or maintain the expansion of patio service may continue to do so via a more streamlined process, provided they apply by the end of October. An applicant may still need to seek local government approval should the expanded space involve City land (i.e. sidewalks, streets, etc.) or involve a structural alteration.
Delegation of Authority Bylaw
During Monday’s Council Meeting, Council passed first three readings of a new bylaw that limits the City Manager’s capital project budget amendment authority to 5% of each capital project budget, or $100,000 per project – whichever is lower. This was one of the action items outlined by Council to address capital project budget overruns, such as the downtown parkade project. While the new practice has been in place since November 2020, enshrining this authority into a bylaw is considered to be a more effective and transparent way of addressing budget amendments. Administration will continue to provide reports to Council, on a quarterly basis, itemizing the City Manager's use of the delegated authority for budget amendments.
Trucked waste volume charge update
During discussion of a staff report this past December that recommended new fees for depositing sewage at the City’s Shelley Lagoon, Council requested additional information on the operations and maintenance of the service. This information was presented on Monday and included the cost for site maintenance and proposed future site remediation, and how fees paid by users of the service could provide the funds to offset the operating, maintenance and closure costs. Currently, haulers pay a yearly access fee for the site, but no volume charge for material being deposited at the site.
Staff will proceed with public communication and consultation on the fees associated with trucked waste over the next several months. The intention is to provide adequate funding to complete required site remediation as well as plan for the eventual closing of the site.
The full agenda for the Council meeting with links to all of the reports is available on the City website.