Sparwood Council Facts

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Posted: March 5, 2021

The following is a synopsis of what occurred during the March 2 District of Sparwood council meeting and Committee-of-the-Whole meeting.

BUSINESS

Committee-of-the-Whole Items

At the Committee-of-the-Whole portion of the meeting council engaged in discussions on the following projects:

Multi-Purpose Facility.

Council approved funding in the 2021 operational budget to advance the development of a new multi-purpose facility as recommended within the 2030 Recreation Master Plan. To engage a consultant through a request for proposals process, basic guidelines were needed to be set. Council directed staff to include an indoor multi-sport surface, an elevated walking track, community hall with capacity of 600-800 people, kitchen area, and a $30,000,000 maximum build in the initial concept planning.

Website Redevelopment

One of the items that council had identified as a strategic priority was the redevelopment of the district’s website. The goal of the project is to revise the existing website to ensure it is user-friendly, professional, and interactive. Fresh Inc, a web design company, presented a preliminary draft refresh of the district’s website. Final revisions will be made to content prior to going live with the new site which is projected for late March.

Benches and Washrooms

The district received $1.282 million in funding from the provincial government to mitigate past and future costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a previous meeting council had directed staff to investigate the possibility of using some of this funding to increase access to outdoor public washrooms and install additional benches at the skatepark. After reviewing current locations of portable and permanent outdoor public washrooms and the number of benches at the Skatepark, council directed staff to install a bench at the south end of the skatepark and place one portable toilet at the Elk River Pedestrian Bridge (pictured above) by Matevic Road and one by the disc golf course.

Aerial Crossing Agreement

Council authorized an agreement between the district and Teck Coal Ltd. for an aerial crossing for communication lines above Michel Creek Road, which will expire November 1, 2040. The communication lines (Fibre Optics) have been in place since 2000 without any issues.

Cherrywood R3 Parcel

At the February 16 meeting, council approved sending a letter of support to the owner of 1353 Cherrywood for an affordable housing grant application intended to support R3 development. As a result of that decision, and the general description of the affordable housing project, several residents brought forward concerns and questions ranging from suitability of the multi-family residential development, traffic impact, design suitability, increased noise, and increased maintenance.

The letter of support provided by council was specifically related to the owner’s application to the CMHC Construction Incentive Program for an affordable housing development. The letter does not preclude the need for the owner to follow the regular approval processes, including compliance with the Zoning Bylaw and Official Community Plan Bylaw. Any development would require an applicant to go through the process of applying for a development or building permit, or both. The letter of support does not waive regular development approval process requirements.

Elk River Bridge Stabilization Project

The District of Sparwood was successful in receiving funding in the amount of $703,000 through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund for the Elk River Pedestrian Bridge Stabilization Project.

UPCOMING DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETINGS

The following meetings will take place in Council Chambers (136 Spruce Avenue) at 6 p.m.