Arena Upgrades:
Canal Flats arena upgrades are in the planning stages now.
Councillors took time to address a variety of items in the ‘Unfinished Business Report / Resolution Tracker’ report during their Council meeting, held Monday, May 8, including an update on the arena dressing rooms and accessible entrance project, funded through a Columbia Basin Trust Recreation grant. Interim CAO Dawn Attorp confirms she and Mathieu Fornier, the arena manager, met with representatives from Fairbanks Architects recently to discuss the upgrades.
“The first step is the preparation of Preliminary Design Alternatives,” explains Attorp. “From this process, the Village will choose the final construction design.”
Once Council has approved a design, construction documents will be prepared, including such elements as floor plans, exterior building elevations, architectural and structural components, HVAC and electrical systems, lists Attorp.
“Once we have a firm plan and construction drawings, we move into the bidding phase, followed by the actual construction,” she states.
Public Advisory Committee:
Councillor Marie Delorme questioned whether a public advisory committee had been formed yet to address the OCP and zoning bylaws.
Corporate officer Sylvie Hoobanoff reported that they advertised for volunteers for two months and only had two people volunteer.
“We will be doing cold calls and when we have enough, we will bring it forward,” said Hoobanoff. She said the committee could include representatives from Council, staff, and “however many community members we can round up.”
Juras later told The Echo, that with the OCP being more than 10 years old, it is due to be reviewed.
“We also need to revise our zoning bylaw as it is still the one we inherited by the regional district. It has to reflect the needs of the village,” said Juras.
Residents are encouraged to contact the Village office to learn more about this volunteer opportunity.
Public Hearing:
Prior to the regular Council meeting, there was a public hearing held for a property rezoning on Burns Ave. owned by Brent and Tanya DuBois.
Only one person spoke out on the matter. Resident and former councillor Dean Midyette said he supported the rezoning as Canal Flats has limited opportunities to expand given the boundaries created by water north and south, mountains to the east and ALR to the west.
“In other words, we are very limited in our growth and the village cannot sprawl,” said Midyette. “How do we keep our school open, pay for snow removal and road maintenance, and keep living in Canal Flats affordable? By attracting new residents.”
No written submissions were sent in and no further comments received.
If approved, the property zoning will change from A-1 (Rural Resource) Zone to R-1 (residential). The zoning bylaw ammendement was set to go before Council at their next meeting Tuesday, May 23 (after The Echo’s press time).