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Local couple donates to Kimberley Bike Park and Skate Park
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On May 26, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Sue Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Diana Fox, Woody Maguire, Jason McBain and Sandra Roberts were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.
An archive of the meeting can be viewed on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.
Curb-side recycling incentives
Council proceeded to amend the Solid Waste Regulations and Fees Bylaw to reflect recent changes made by RecycleBC to its incentives.
Senior manager of operations Nik Morrisette told council that RecycleBC pays for a “majority” of the curbside recycling program through its incentive program.
Incentives are going up by about 10%. RecycleBC will now pay the city a total of $46 per household per year which works out to $3.83 per household per month.
GFL Environmental has the collection contract. Their cost of $164,462 is offset by the incentive fee of $149,040. This leaves the city paying $15,422 per year, which works out to $4.76 per household per year, or about $0.40 per month.
The city’s cost is recovered from residents through a user fee which is set at $4.80 per year per household. The fee will be in place for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.
City staff are looking at establishing a “cart reserve” fund that will assist with keeping cart replacement costs low in the future.
Forest fuel funds
Fire Chief Will Booth informed council that the Forest Management Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) awarded the city a grant of $311,369 to undertake fuel management west of Kimberley in the Wildland Urban interface.
“Nice piece of work, Chief,“ said Mayor McCormick on learning of the successful grant.
Booth told council the funding will be used over the next two years through 2027 to “thin, pile and burn fuels” from a 39.4 ha on the city’s western flank. The result of this work will “reduce crown fire potential and surface fire intensity, and increase wildfire resilience.”
Booth also informed council the city has received another grant of $200,000 from the Community Resiliency Investment Program (CRIP) that become part of the city’s Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP).
The funds will be used to enhance the city’s FireSmart program that seeks to “empower homeowners and municipalities to become more resilient to wildfires.”
Booth added the CWRP is “a strategic, collaborative, and practical tool to guide the city in reducing wildfire risk, enhancing preparedness, and building resilience.”
Private donors pony up
Chief financial officer Krista Waite presented council with the good news that local residents Rick and Daphne Hammond, through Gift Funds Canada, have made a $100,000 donation that is to be used for “improvements to the Kimberley Bike Park and Skate Park.”
Bike and skate park volunteer Athena Knibbs along with Kimberley Trail Society have been working with the city to “determine how the funds can best be utilized.”
Waite noted the projects being considered are dirt jump improvements, landscaping, build-up of staging areas, fencing, signage and the installation of picnic tables, benches and a gazebo.
All of this work will “contribute to a better user experience and also enhance user safety.”
Most of the funds will be spent through the rest of this year.
Coun. McBain said, “It’s really cool that folks out there are providing significant funding to help some of the amenities around town.”
Wrapping up, Mayor McCormick said, “It’s a game changer for kids in town. A huge, huge thank you to Rick and Daphne for their generous donation.”
More donations roll in
The Kimberley Rotary Club has increased its donation to the Rotary Park Upgrade Project. Through their fundraising efforts, the club has added $52,306 to the project which increases the total donation to $363,306.
The city will provide a $20,000 in-kind donation to be used on removing the old pea gravel and install a new compact gravel base. The Rotary funds will be used to install a rubber surface and new play structures.
Coun. Maguire noted that Columbia Basin Trust contributed $75,000 as part of the Rotary funds.
Mayor McCormick said the city owns the park and if the Rotary Club had not raised these funds, the total project cost would have been the city’s responsibility.
Kimberley City Council assembles twice monthly starting at 7 p.m.
The next regular council meeting: June 9.
Lead image: The Kimberley Bike Park and Skate Park. City of Kimberley photo
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