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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-05-01 Adopted Committee of the Whole Minutes.pdfMay 1, 2000 12:30 p.m. Council Chamber PRESENT: Elected Officials Mayor A. Hogarth Councillor C. Gordon Councillor F. Isaac Councillor L. King Councillor K. Morse Excused Councillor J. Harris Councillor C. Speirs Corporation of the District of Maple Ridge COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES Appointed Staff R. W. Robertson, Chief Administrative Officer T. Wingrove, Municipal Clerk J. Rudolph, General Manager of Public Works and Development M. W. Murray, General Manager of Community Development, Parks and Recreation Services P. Gill, General Manager of Corporate and Financial Services T. Fryer, Director of Current Planning S. M. Karasz, Confidential Secretary The meeting was chaired by Councillor Faye Isaac. Acting Mayor Isaac advised th~t the followi~g reports have been added to the agenda: 905 -Safe Drinking Water Week 934 -Fire Department Equipment Purchase -Crew Cab and Chassis 935 -Photocopiers and Other Document Equipment. l. DELEGATIONS/STAFF PRESENTATIONS -(10 minutes each) 1.1 Fire Department -Update on Activities Peter Grootendorst, Manager of Fire Operations, circulated to Committee copies of a report entitled Incidents per Hall Area by Dispatch Code Report for the period January 1st to April 30th, 2000. He noted that the quarterly statistics are about the same as last year for the same period, with 319 calls in 1999 and 314 in 2000 to date. There has been a contribution to date of 10,5000 volunteer fire fighter hours which is comparable to 1999. He reported that the Fire Department's Community Safety Officer has been working with the By-law Enforcement Department on the removal of derelict vacant houses which cause problems in terms of vandalism, loitering, etc. The Department is taking a pro- active approach in this matter instead of waiting until a problem occurs. He further advised that the Pre-incident Plan Program is working well and the Fire Department has carried out test inspections of some of the buildings to confirm that the information in the plans is accurate. The results have been very favourable. Committee of the Whole Minutes May 1, 2000 Page 2 The Manager displayed photographs and explained the role the Fire Department played in the recent train derailment and sulphur spill in Albion. They provided the site safety and put out numerous small sulphur fires. The operation involved 42 fire fighters and 350 hours. Eight agencies in total were involved in the clean-up which highlighted the need to operate under the instant command protocol to keep track of everyone. He further advised that he is involved in the emergency preparedness committee for the community. The committee will be submitting a report to Council shortly in support of using the instant command protocol in the emergency response management system and will be recommending that it be adopted by the District. Councillor Morse referred to the train derailment and subsequent clean-up and asked if there is any plan in the future to put up signage in advance of an emergency scene so that motorists have the option of taking a different route. The Manager of Fire Operations noted that it is largely up to the people responsible and the CP Railway contracted flag people to stop drivers and talk to them. Councillor Morse stated that she would like to see the District have a sign.age plan that can go into effect immediately after an incident so that traffic can be handled efficiently. Councillor King asked for an update on the implementation of the proposed volunteer program at the Fire Hall. The Manager of Fire Operations explained that they hope to have a program whereby volunteers would assist with fire education, etc. starting in September 1.2 School District No. 42 -School Site Acquisition Charges Messrs. Ron Boyes and Mike Irving and were in attendance on behalf of the School District to explain the amended school site acquisition charges under Bill 35, the Education Statutes Amendment Act, which was enacted in January of this year. Mr. Boyes advised that the changes have eliminated the section of the Act that previously authorized Councils and School Board to enter into an agreement that allowed the District to take 5% of lands under subdivision for a school site. I\-ir. Boyes displayed overheads related to the regulations and explained that the School Board in consultation with the Municipality must complete an Eligible School Sites Proposal and submit same to the Province as part of their Capital Plan by June of this year. The proposal will include p:r:ojections of the number of dwellings and students and a determination of the number, location and approximate costs of necessary school sites to meet the growing population. He provided further details on how those projections will be calculated under the SSAC formula. The School Board will then pass a resolution and forward the proposal to the Municipalities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows which must pass a resolution within 60 days accepting the School Board's resolution. There is dispute resolution mechanism set up in the Act if the Municipality does not agree with the School Board's resolution. Committee of the Whole Minutes May 1, 2000 Page 3 He noted that the number of school sites are as set out in the two Municipalities' Official Community Plans and he does not see a lot of areas where there should be a disagreement; however, that is up to Council. He explained that the provisions previously only applied to single family residential subdivisions and Maple Ridge was at the forefront in submitting a resolution to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) to have the regulations amended to include townhouses and apartments. Mr. Boyes noted that the School Board is trying to put all the required information into their School Capital Plan and that it talces a year for the Ministry of Education to approve the plan. For that reason, the School Board wants to move quickly. There is a chart of how to get approval of school site acquisition charges in the guidebook accompanying the legislation. He further noted that the Municipality will be responsible for collecting the school site acquisition charges. The Municipality has the ability to retain $2000 per year to pay for those administrative costs. He will forward additional information so that the Municipality can review the School District's information to ensure that it is in line with the OCP. The School Board will have a Board resolution on the 16th of May for Council's consideration. Mayor Hogarth questioned if any of the funds could be used for a street tree program or road infrastructure work for street lighting for a school. Mr. Irvine responded that the money to be set aside is to be used purely for school site acquisitions. Councillor King asked for clarification of whether there is a transition period for the new charges. Mr. Boyes responded that it might be worthwhile for the District to review that with the Municipal solicitor. There are a number of applications that are on-stream that have to be dealt with. Councillor King noted that there may be unexpected factors such as topographic constraints that could result in changes in the estimated number of units that can be achieved in Silver Valley or Albion. On the other hand, there may be more infill in other areas that are already built up. She questioned what impact changes of that nature would have on the school site acquisition estimates. Mr. Boyes explained that the School District will be reviewing the program on an annual basis so if there is some change, it could be reflected in their updated calculations. Other than specific school sites, they are not been looking at the nwnbers being sized to specific areas. For the p111pose of this legislation, it does not matter if the site is in Silver Valley or Albion, etc. except when buying the school site to malce sure that it is still serving the needs of the area. Councillor Morse asked if the School District plans to do any public relations work or hold public meetings on the new legislation to make sure that the development community knows that it is Provincial rather than Municipal legislation. The Mayor suggested that the School District and the Province could come to a meeting with the developers and builders and explain the new legislation. Committee of the Whole Minutes May I, 2000 Page4 Mr. Boyes responded that the School District has talked to a number of developers and builders who do business in Maple Ridge. Councillor King added that the District of Maple Ridge itself requested the changes in legislation to include multi-family development. Single family residential development will receive a reduction in charges. She suggested publishing the new information in the newspaper and on the web site. 2. PUBLIC WORKS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Note: the following items are numbered to correspond to the Council Agenda: 902 RZ/17/00-23900 Block on the South Side of 116 A venue Reference was made to the staff report dated April 1 7, 2000 in support of the recommendation contained therein with respect to the subject application to include an small portion of unopened 116 Avenue right-of-way into an existing development (RZ/26/93). The Committee agreed to the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION That application RZ/17/00 (for property located in the 23900 Block of 116 Avenue) to rezone property described in the staff report dated April 17, 2000 from RS-3 (One Family Rural Residential) to RM-1 (Townhouse Residential) be forwarded to Public Hearing, noting that the conditions to be met prior to Public Hearing and prior to final consideration of the Zone Amending By-law are detailed in that report and that the accompanying Official Community Plan Amending By-law be forwarded to the same Public Hearing. 903 DVP/2II00-21201 Wicklund Avenue Reference was made to the staff report dated April 20, 2000 recommending that the subject application to pennit the construction of a garage for a residence be considered at the May 23, 2000 Council Meeting. The Mayor asked if the garage will be constructed in character with the existing house. The Director of Current Planning displayed a drawing of the house and proposed garage, as well as the overall neighbourhood plan. He advised that the garage will have a residential appearance that will match the house. The Committee agreed to the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION That the Municipal Clerk be authorized to notify qualifying property owners that approval of DVP/21/00 respecting property located at 21201 Wicklund Avenue will be considered at the May 23, 2000 Council Meeting. Committee of the \Vhole Minutes May 1, 2000 Page 5 904 Silver Valley Area Planning Request for Expression of Interest and Terms of Reference • The General Manager of Public Works and Development Services provided an overview of the staff report dated April 27, 2000. Councillor King stated that it would be useful to form a model for public consultation out of this exercise that could be analyzed to see what works and what does not work with a view to using it for future projects. The Mayor suggested that there may be a need to identify more closely the Municipal infrastructure program, noting the bridges are an issue that should receive more focus because of the creek crossings. He would also like to see the consultants bring forward information in a graphic form as much as possible, particularly to show how the neigbourhoods will develop. Councillor Morse requested more overlays. She further stated that her main concern is the cost. She wants reassurance that the costs will not get out of control, noting that a considerable amount of money has already been spent in Silver Valley. She would like an accounting of the costs along the way as the project moves fotward. Councillor King stated that she wishes to clarify that the stormwater management study will proceed regardless of whether this study goes ahead .. The General Manager of Public Works and Development Services added that some of the work that will be done in Phase II of the Storm Water Management Study can be factored into this document.. The Mayor agreed that this project has a budget. He hopes that the consultants will be quite forthcoming with what they feel is going to be a good process and meet the District's budgetary requirements. Acting Mayor Isaac indicated that she is pleased with the report and the Terms of Reference and looks forward to the consultant's findings. The Committee agreed to the following recommendation contained therein RECOMMENDATION That the report entitled Silver Valley Planning Area Request for Expression of Interest and Terms of Reference dated April 18, 2000 be received; and further that staff be authorized to proceed with a Silver Valley Area Planning Study; that the Request for Expression Interest and Terms of Reference for the Silver Valley Area Planning Study be endorsed; and that staff be authorized to proceed with the selection of a consultant to undertake the Silver Valley Area Planning Study. Committee of the Whole Mioutes May I, 2000 Page 6 905 Safe Drinking Water Week-Water Conservation Reference was made to the staff report dated April 19, 2000 and correspondence attached thereto from the British Columbia Water & Waste Association dated March 3, 2000 regarding the above noted matter. The Committee agreed to the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION That the letter from the British Columbia Water & Waste Association dated March 3, 2000 attached to the staff report dated April 19, 2000 regarding water conservation and Safe Drinking Water Week be received for information. 3. FINANCIAL AND CORPORATE SERVICES (including Fire and Police) 931 Minutes of the Economic Advisory Commission Meeting -April 12, 2000 Reference was made to the staff report dated April 18, 2000 and Council agreed to the following recommendation contained therein: RECOMMENDATION That the Minutes of the Economic Advisory Commission Meeting of April 12, 2000 be received. 932 Minutes of the Social Planning Advisory Committee Meeting-April 5, 2000 Reference was made to the staff report dated April 18, 2000 and the Committee agreed to the following recommendation contained therein: RECOMMENDATION That the Minutes of the Social Planning Advisory Committee of April 3, 2000 be received. 933 Minutes of the Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting -April 3, 2000 Reference was made to the staff report dated April 18, 2000 and the Committee agreed to the following recommendation contained therein: RECOMMENDATION That the Minutes of the Bicycle Advisory Committee of April 3, 2000 be received. Committee of the Whole Minutes May I, 2000 Page 7 934 Fire Department Equipment Purchase Reference was made to the staff report dated April 28, 2000 regarding the above noted mater and the Committee agreed to the following recommendation contained therein: RECOMMENDATION That Metro Motors Ltd. he awarded the contract to supply one only 2000 Ford F550 4 x 4 crew cab and chassis in the total amount of $49,822.67. 935 Photocopiers and other Document Equipment Reference was made to the staff report dated April 26, 2000 recommending that staff negotiate an agreement with Xerox Canada for the above noted equipment. Councillor King noted that the recommendation is to enter into an agreement with a specific company and although the Municipality has had a favourable relationship with Xerox, it is a departure from the normal procedure of going to tender. The Chief Administrative Officer responded that the recommendation to proceed with sole source negotiations will come back to Council in the form of a contract. Cowicillor King referred to the comments in the report that several other Municipalities are using the equipment with favourable results. She questioned if they have tried out other machines and if that i:q.formation could be provided to her prior to the Cowicil meeting. The Committee agreed to the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION That the Manager of Procurement be authorized to negotiate directly and enter into an agreement with Xerox Canada to develop an agreement to replace existing photocopy equipment with digital multi-function equipment; and further that staff determine the most effective financing agreement that can be accomplished within existing budget allocations. 4. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND RECREATION SERVICES Nil 5. CORRESPONDENCE Nil Committee of the Whole Minutes May 1, 2000 Page 8 6. OTHER ISSUES Nil 7. ADJOURNMENT 3:45 p.m. ,' fk~~J}~~ -Acting ayor Faye Isaac Presiding Member of the Committee /sk