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Sparwood Council Facts
The following is a break down as to what occurred during the March 16 District of Sparwood council meeting.
DVP – Spardell Mobile Home Park
An informal hearing was held to receive submissions from the public for Development Variance Permit No. 2014-005 for 100 Industrial Road #1 (Spardell Mobile Home Park) which proposes to vary road widths, street lighting standards, and curb and gutter requirements. The proponent, Mr. Rick Pater, made a presentation to council on his plans for expansion of the mobile home park.
After hearing submissions from the public Mayor Cal McDougall adjourned the hearing to April 7 at 1 p.m. to provide staff with the time to investigate alternate options the owner can undertake to improve the private water distribution system before reconvening the hearing at that time.
Lilac Terrace
The kitchen at Lilac Terrace will be undergoing a major renovation in late April and will be closed for approximately four to six weeks. Council authorized a subsidized kitchen rental rate up to $2,911.02 as an additional donation to the Lilac Terrace expansion project so that they could continue to provide meals for the residents and the community meals on wheels program.
Skateboard Park Project
Council granted the Sparwood Futures Society’s request for the district to undertake payment of future expenditures related to the Skateboard Park Project on the condition that equivalent funds are made available from the Society’s fundraising efforts. Payment of expenditures related to the project was approved up to $40,000 in 2015, upon receipt of funds from the Futures Society.
Leisure Centre Pool Closure
The Leisure Centre pool closure for regular maintenance from September 4 through 17 was approved. This closure occurs every two years to allow for complete maintenance of the swimming pool and hot tub. During the closure the fitness centre, hall, preschool, and arena will remain open for public use.
East Kootenay Organization for Human Dignity and Equality
Council authorized a member to attend the East Kootenay Organization for Human Dignity and Equality round table discussions on March 30, in Cranbrook. The organization promotes social development principles and actions that will deepen the implementation of the concept of welcoming and inclusive communities in the East Kootenay.
Trans Canada Trail
Council resolved to invite representatives of the Trans Canada Trail Society to meet with them to discuss a proposal to develop a valley bottom trail as part of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) that would link the communities of Elko, Fernie, Hosmer, Sparwood, and Elkford. Currently the TCT ends west of Elko and north of the Elk Lakes Provincial Park. This proposal would complete the TCT in the Elk Valley.
The Trans Canada Trail is one of the longest networks of trails in the world, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Oceans, linking close to 1,000 Canadian communities. Construction began in 1992 and when completed, it will stretch close to 24,000 km. Today there is over 17,000 km of trail, the initiative by the federal government is planned to be completed by 2017 for Canada’s 150th birthday celebration. The trail is intended for the enjoyment of hikers, walkers, cyclists, horseback riders, canoeists and kayakers in summer, and cross country skiers, snowshoers and in some sections snowmobilers in winter.
Jemi Fibre Corporation
Council resolved to invite Andrew McCuaig from Jemi Fibre to present at a future meeting. Jemi Fibre is an emerging forestry company engaged in the ownership of private timberlands, harvesting operations and manufacturing specialty wood products. Their main operations are focused in the Kootenay Region with a value-added sawmill near Radium and a wood preserving operation in Cranbrook.
Bylaws
Council adopted Zoning Bylaw Amendment 1150. This amendment rezoned the property located at 1052 Highway 3 (Fiorentino Holdings Ltd.), across Highway 3 from the Sparwood Transfer Station, from Agricultural Land to Light Industrial to permit the property owner to erect a temporary storage and maintenance shop. A permanent facility is intended to be constructed in the future.
Public hearing scheduled
Official Community Plan Bylaw 1168 received first and second readings, and was referred to a public hearing. The hearing is scheduled for April 20 at 7 p.m. in council chambers. The Official Community Plan Advisory Committee began preparing the new Official Community Plan (OCP) for Sparwood over two years ago. The OCP helps guide the future decisions of Council and Administation to achieve the long-term vision and goals for the residents of Sparwood.
Council meeting times changing
Council Procedure Bylaw Amendment 1167 received first three readings. This bylaw amendment proposes to change the start times for the regular council meetings scheduled for the first week of each month from 7 p.m. to 1 p.m. As the Community Charter requires that start times for regular council meetings be established by bylaw, any permanent changes to the times set by Council Procedure Bylaw must be done by bylaw.
In addition to the bylaw amendment, council approved time changes to the April 7 regular council meeting and the remaining 2015 Committee of the Whole (COTW) meetings from 7 p.m. to 1 p.m. The Council Procedure Bylaw does not set the dates and times for COTW meetings, they are set and amended by resolution of council.
Employment Opportunities
1) Summer Student Employment Opportunities Recruiting for the following summer student positions:
– Parks and Greenbelt Workers
– Parks and Greenbelt Worker – RDEK
– Administrative Assistant Deadline to submit an application is 4 p.m. on March 27.
2) Finance Office Clerk – Full Time Opportunity Finance Department is seeking an Accounts Payable Clerk. This is a bargaining position and the deadline to apply is 3 p.m. April 7.
3) Casual Clerk The Public Works and Engineering Departments have an opening for a casual clerk to cover employee absences on an on-call basis. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on March 27.
Sparwood Playground Survey
The District of Sparwood is working on updating public playgrounds and we are looking for your feedback on our existing playgrounds and what is important to residents for future playgrounds.
Please take the time to complete our online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/2FV95GY. It should take between five and 10 minutes to complete.
Earth Hour 2015
Saturday, March 28 – 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Take a Stand. Sit in the Dark.
Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet, and is organized by World Wildlife Federation. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7,000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.
Street Sweeping
Weather permitting, the district will continue with their street sweeping schedule. To assist the Public Works Department, watch for their street sweeper and ensure that your vehicles are removed from the street.
Public Notice fallen trees south of Sparwood Heights Drive
The contract for mitigation of the blow down trees in the hatched area on the map has been awarded. Work in this area will begin as soon as ground conditions allow. With the unusual winter conditions we have had this year the ground in the affected area is wet and soft. Work will not be able to commence until there is more solid ground to work on. Residents along the bank to the west of the affected area have been voicing concerns about the trees behind their property being removed. These trees will be removed on a safety basis only. This means that any tree in this area that is deemed to be a danger tree (one that is not stable and could fall due to wind or heavy snow) will be removed. All other trees will be left in place.
A second area that was also affected during the same storm is the park area between Cypress Place, Birchwood Place, and Briarwood Place. Some trees in this park have been blown down and a few unstable trees are still left standing. The contractor will be falling the unstable trees and cutting them into six to eight foot sections and leaving them on the ground. Residents may take these for their own use. The root balls that have been pulled up during the storm will be removed by the contractor.
All residents are reminded that these areas are not safe and must not enter the area until the work has completed.
Upcoming meetings (In council chambers)
Monday, March 30 – Committee of the Whole – Meeting at 1 p.m. – Note time change
Tuesday, April 7 – Regular Meeting at 1 p.m. – Note time change
District of Sparwood
