Council report--Monday afternoon, May 28, 2007
Notes from Township Council's afternoon meeting, Monday, May 28, 2007.
Marika Van Dommelen of the Rick Hansen Foundation told us about Langley's 20th anniversary celebration of Rick's Wheels in Motion tour. It's set for 1 p.m., June 10, at McLeod Athletic Park. Click here for more details.
South Langley resident Mike Glass told Council about flooding coming off of the High Point development. Council took action on this in our evening session.
Consultant Bill Webster gave us the results and recommendations of the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre needs assessment. Essentially, the community asked for a larger fitness facility, some multi-purpose space for programming, a gymnasium, a library, and a 25 metre pool addition. The consultant laid out some preliminary costs for each of those items ($6.1 million for the fitness facility and multipurpose space; $3.9 million for the gym; $3 million for the library; and $3.1 million for the pool). As recommended by our staff, Council deferred discussion on the plan (moved by Fox, seconded by Ferguson; passed unanimously) until later this year when we receive the results of the old municipal hall site planning process. We think some of these improvement could be funded as part of that municipal hall process.
Chief engineer Colin Wright presented the latest plan for the Noel Booth Community Park expansion, which includes remediating an area known as Firehall Lake. The plan would add one sports field and a huge passive park area around a large pond. Our staff has worked with the Langley Field Naturalists to come up with the plan. Brookswood residents will get a chance to look over the plan on June 6, 4-8 p.m., at Fernridge Hall.
Council voted unanimously (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ferguson) to appoint Birk Madsen as our new Soil Conservation Officer.
We voted unanimously (moved by Fox, seconded by Vickberg) to add the Marr House to the Township's Heritage Register.
Council voted 8-1 (moved by Long, seconded by Ferguson; Richter opposed) to pre-approve a 2008 Development Cost Charge budget item of $4.4 million to start the first two phases of the Willoughby Community Park. By tendering this year's work and next year's work together, we can save quite a bit of money in site preparation, field planting, and drainage. It will take the Township until 2010 to finish all of the pieces of Willoughby Park, but at the end of the day, it will be another well-used area like Walnut Grove Community Park, McLeod Athletic Park, and South Aldergrove Park.
Council referred a Langley Agricultural Advisory Committee request for a Township-subsidized farmer's market to staff for more research (moved by Kositsky, seconded by Bateman; Long opposed).
We unanimously endorsed a Recreation, Culture and Parks Commission recommendation that we receive a presentation on a Cemetery Strategy (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ward).
A Fox motion to invite the GVRD to tell us how they plan to enforce air pollution standards near a mushroom composting operation at 23751 16th Ave. was passed unanimously (seconded by Vickberg).
A Vickberg motion asking staff for an update on waterfront planning was passed unanimously (seconded by Fox).
My motion asking TransLink to consider following Kamloops's lead and offer free transit to anyone with a voter's card on election day passed unanimously (seconded by Fox). It will now go to the TransLink Board for their consideration.
My motion to have staff to a traffic claming study of residential roads in Walnut Grove passed unanimously (seconded by Long). In recent months, trucks have been cutting through 204th, 208th, Walnut Grove Drive, 212th and 216th to avoid construction traffic on 200th. On 204th, power lines have been knocked down at least four times in recent months by truck traffic. This motion asks staff to examine successfully traffic-calmed neighbourhoods like Surrey's Fraser Heights, and to step up enforcement of truck routes in the area. This is something we must get a handle on before the Golden Ears Bridge opens in 2009.
Council received an update on the status of several Local Area Service petitions:
- 102B Ave. and 208th St. water has been cancelled. The original petition had enough signatures but a higher-than-expected tender cost meant residents had to be surveyed again. This time, it failed.
- McKinnon Cres., north of 10300 block water has been completed.
- 208th St., 24th to 28th water has been completed.
- water on 56th Ave., 248-250 St., and 48th Ave. near 272 have been cancelled as the petitions did not receive enough signatures.
- Construction on the Fraser Hwy., 23000-23300 sanitary sewer is now underway.
- 202 st. from 8 to 3 Avenue water is presently being surveyed and designed.
Marika Van Dommelen of the Rick Hansen Foundation told us about Langley's 20th anniversary celebration of Rick's Wheels in Motion tour. It's set for 1 p.m., June 10, at McLeod Athletic Park. Click here for more details.
South Langley resident Mike Glass told Council about flooding coming off of the High Point development. Council took action on this in our evening session.
Consultant Bill Webster gave us the results and recommendations of the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre needs assessment. Essentially, the community asked for a larger fitness facility, some multi-purpose space for programming, a gymnasium, a library, and a 25 metre pool addition. The consultant laid out some preliminary costs for each of those items ($6.1 million for the fitness facility and multipurpose space; $3.9 million for the gym; $3 million for the library; and $3.1 million for the pool). As recommended by our staff, Council deferred discussion on the plan (moved by Fox, seconded by Ferguson; passed unanimously) until later this year when we receive the results of the old municipal hall site planning process. We think some of these improvement could be funded as part of that municipal hall process.
Chief engineer Colin Wright presented the latest plan for the Noel Booth Community Park expansion, which includes remediating an area known as Firehall Lake. The plan would add one sports field and a huge passive park area around a large pond. Our staff has worked with the Langley Field Naturalists to come up with the plan. Brookswood residents will get a chance to look over the plan on June 6, 4-8 p.m., at Fernridge Hall.
Council voted unanimously (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ferguson) to appoint Birk Madsen as our new Soil Conservation Officer.
We voted unanimously (moved by Fox, seconded by Vickberg) to add the Marr House to the Township's Heritage Register.
Council voted 8-1 (moved by Long, seconded by Ferguson; Richter opposed) to pre-approve a 2008 Development Cost Charge budget item of $4.4 million to start the first two phases of the Willoughby Community Park. By tendering this year's work and next year's work together, we can save quite a bit of money in site preparation, field planting, and drainage. It will take the Township until 2010 to finish all of the pieces of Willoughby Park, but at the end of the day, it will be another well-used area like Walnut Grove Community Park, McLeod Athletic Park, and South Aldergrove Park.
Council referred a Langley Agricultural Advisory Committee request for a Township-subsidized farmer's market to staff for more research (moved by Kositsky, seconded by Bateman; Long opposed).
We unanimously endorsed a Recreation, Culture and Parks Commission recommendation that we receive a presentation on a Cemetery Strategy (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ward).
A Fox motion to invite the GVRD to tell us how they plan to enforce air pollution standards near a mushroom composting operation at 23751 16th Ave. was passed unanimously (seconded by Vickberg).
A Vickberg motion asking staff for an update on waterfront planning was passed unanimously (seconded by Fox).
My motion asking TransLink to consider following Kamloops's lead and offer free transit to anyone with a voter's card on election day passed unanimously (seconded by Fox). It will now go to the TransLink Board for their consideration.
My motion to have staff to a traffic claming study of residential roads in Walnut Grove passed unanimously (seconded by Long). In recent months, trucks have been cutting through 204th, 208th, Walnut Grove Drive, 212th and 216th to avoid construction traffic on 200th. On 204th, power lines have been knocked down at least four times in recent months by truck traffic. This motion asks staff to examine successfully traffic-calmed neighbourhoods like Surrey's Fraser Heights, and to step up enforcement of truck routes in the area. This is something we must get a handle on before the Golden Ears Bridge opens in 2009.
Council received an update on the status of several Local Area Service petitions:
- 102B Ave. and 208th St. water has been cancelled. The original petition had enough signatures but a higher-than-expected tender cost meant residents had to be surveyed again. This time, it failed.
- McKinnon Cres., north of 10300 block water has been completed.
- 208th St., 24th to 28th water has been completed.
- water on 56th Ave., 248-250 St., and 48th Ave. near 272 have been cancelled as the petitions did not receive enough signatures.
- Construction on the Fraser Hwy., 23000-23300 sanitary sewer is now underway.
- 202 st. from 8 to 3 Avenue water is presently being surveyed and designed.