Several motions from new councillors, two construction noise bylaw exemptions and a yet-to-be-determined number of speakers are among the items featured on Monday’s council agenda.
After a winter break, council meetings resume on Monday, Jan. 9. The meeting will include a presentation from the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar.
Two requests for exemptions to the city’s construction noise bylaw will be considered by council:
* Bosa Development is seeking a noise exemption for construction activities proposed for Saturday, Feb. 25 between 7 and 9 a.m. The work involves the delivery of crane sections for the Pier West development, one of the tallest waterfront residential properties in the Lower Mainland. (The bylaw allows work to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturdays.)
* Oscar Renda Contracting of Canada is requesting a noise exemption for two weekday nights, between Monday and Thursday, from Jan. 9 to May 19. The noise exemption would allow “sanitary vault entry” to be done as part of sewer rehabilitation on Columbia Street.
Other items on the meeting’s agenda include a recommendation to approve a funding submission to the province community emergency preparedness fund, for the city’s Emergency Support Services, for up to $20,000. A staff report said these funds would be used to purchase computer equipment and supplies, which would assist the city’s emergency management team in providing coordinated resources and support and care to people who are forced to evacuate.
The city has also received a heritage designation application from the owners of 109 Third Ave., which would provide legal protection for the 1911 house in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood. In addition to increasing the protection of the house through a heritage designation bylaw, the strongest form of heritage protection, the owner also wants to list some features for protection that contribute to its heritage value, including 22 stained glass windows, some wood mullioned windows in the bathroom and attic, and some interior woodwork (including architectural features, trim, doors and flooring in the front hall, front hall stairway, living room and dining room).
If council supports moving forward with the application, it would consider two readings to the heritage designation bylaw on Monday night. A public hearing would be scheduled for a later date.
The city will also consider proclaiming Jan. 29 as a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
Like the Dec. 12 meeting – the last before the winter break – council will consider a number of motions being put forward by councillors Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas. These include having:
* Staff report back to council by April 30 with a plan for developing up to 15 standardized and pre-approved housing designs for implementation by Dec. 31, 2023. The two councillors putting this motion forward believe it could reduce the cost and time related to the development of new housing in New West.
* The city temporarily delay the demolition of Centennial Community Centre and allow the building to continue to operate in its current form until an equivalent capacity for new recreational facilities and meeting space can be identified and/or constructed in the city. The motion also calls on staff to report back to council on the financial implications this would have on the city’s operating budget.
The councillors say this motion would begin to address what they call a citywide infrastructure deficit.
(təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre, a 10,644-square-metre facility now under construction on the East Sixth Avenue site and scheduled to open in 2023, was approved as a replacement for the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre. The community centre is proposed to be demolished once the new facility is built, with architectural renderings showing parking and greenspace on part of the site.)
* Staff report back, as part of the 2023 budget process, with an itemized list of expenditures the city has incorporated into the draft operating and capital budgets that are typically considered “outside of municipal jurisdiction” and aren’t part of the city’s “core services.” The motion relates to an attempt to quantify the downloading costs from senior levels of government as they relate to the city’s operating budget.
The fourth motion being put forward by Fontaine and Minhas, the two New West Progressives elected to council in October’s civic election, relates to the need for a “snow summit” in Metro Vancouver to review the impacts of recent climate events. A Nov. 29 snow storm resulted in gridlock on many roads and bridges in the Lower Mainland, including the Queensborough, Port Mann and Alex Fraser bridges.
The motion recommends that Mayor Patrick Johnstone, as the city’s representatives at Metro Vancouver, introduce a motion requesting that a snow summit be held as soon as possible to review and analyze the circumstances that led to a “record level of traffic gridlock” in the region on Nov. 29. The motion also states that Anvil Centre be offered as a possible venue for the summit, which should include representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, Metro Vancouver, BC Ambulance, TransLink, ICBC, Mainland Contracting and senior officials from municipalities in the region who could speak on behalf of first responders, including fire and police.
The City of New Westminster allows up to 10 people to speak as delegations at regular council meetings. The speakers list is still being finalized.
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
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