An upcoming town hall meeting will allow locals to make municipal councillors sweat with questions about local issues, according to Mayor Greg Gardner.
Hosted by the District of Squamish on Tuesday (June 23) at 7 p.m. at the Eagle Eye Theatre, the meeting includes an open Q&A period.
"The meeting is intended for residents to have a direct conversation with council members. We feel this should happen more than once every three years at election time," Gardner said. "People can ask questions about any municipal matter."
Along with questions about anything under the Squamish sun, the district is looking for feedback on two issues - the Sustainability Block Project and the Community Power Project.
The Sustainability Block proposes that a specific block or cross-section of blocks be redeveloped as a showcase of design innovations for streetscapes, landscapes and technologies. Cameron Chalmers, manager of planning, said the block is a component of the community energy action plan.
In order to make the project financially viable, the block has to be a higher density, which is where we need input said Gardner.
"We would try to look at what makes a project sustainable to the extent it becomes a demonstration project. We've prepared a series of drawings on what a project like this could look like," Chalmers said.
On the other hand, the Community Power Project has been discussed in council chambers before and Gardner said community input is integral.
In March, Renaissance Power asked council to consider partial ownership of a power project similar to the one being constructed in Whistler on Fitzsimmons Creek. Once finished, the project will produce 33 Gigawatts per hour and gross revenue of $8.5 million a year.
A few creeks within municipal boundaries such as the Squamish River have been discussed as potential locations for a community power project.
"The concept of a Community Power Project would be the idea of the District of Squamish partnering with a company in the development of a run of river hydro electric project," Gardner said.
While proponents of either project will not be on hand to speak, Gardner said senior managers from the district will be available to answer questions about both the Sustainability Block and the Community Power Project.
Along with seeking input on these issues, the district will also present the 2008 Annual Report to the public. The document will also be available online at www.squamish.ca before the meeting.
For more information on the Sustainability Block, see this week's story on page ??
