Invermere council adopted a new building maintenance reserve fund bylaw and had an update from Imagine Invermere at its most recent council meeting.

“This will create a new reserve fund,” said Invermere chief financial officer Karen Cote, describing to council the purpose and scope of the new bylaw. Cote added that the fund would cover repair or maintenance work that was not part of annual operating costs for district buildings, and that the idea for it stemmed from a building audit, after which council discovered there was no specific pot of money set aside for the kind of repair work recommended in the audit.

Council members voted unanimously to adopt the bylaw.

Invermere councillor Paul Denchuk presented an update report from the Imagine Invermere committee (of which Denchuk is also chair). Denchuk told other council members about the success Imagine Invermere had with its granting stream in 2014, about the events it facilitated throughout the past year, and about projects it is currently considering pursuing, including: Imagine Invermere community bike stands around town, a community posting board, and the possibility of incorporating biomass heating into the new multi-use centre.

Other councillors said if biomass heating in the new centre would cost more than conventional heating, then the extra cost would have to be considered a “soft cost” and, consequently, something Imagine Invermere would have to fundraise for.

Imagine Invermere is also looking to protect the wood from the Russian olive tree that formerly stood in Cenotaph Park, Denchuk told council.

“It’s up on dunnage now. It’s kind of under a tarp but it’s getting wet. We can’t keep it that way,” said Denchuk.

Imagine Invermere is thinking of purchasing a portable car shelter to shield the wood from the elements.