An untold amount of tax dollars are going right down the drain, and District of Squamish engineering manager Brian Barnett is moving forward with a plan to fix the problem.
The district has $200,000 budgeted for 2010 to fix leaks in the municipality's water system, and during the Tuesday (June 1) council meeting, Barnett recommended council begin by accepting a proposal from Kerr Wood Leidal Associates to conduct a water loss assessment program for all district neighbourhoods.
Out of the three consulting engineering firms bidding on a district water loss project, Kerr Wood Leidal was the most qualified and the least expensive, said Barnett.
Reported high water losses show the current system is inadequate, but Squamish does not yet have equipment to monitor the problem, said Barnett. They currently only have two flow meters for the entire system.
A new water loss program will be able to isolate major components of the system and record the amount of water drawn from each particular neighbourhood.
Once the system is isolated, reservoir monitoring will indicate water draw from particular streets since there is often a higher consumption rate where there are leaks.
Water operators will be trained to find leaks so the district will need minimal assistance in the future, thus saving tremendous taxpayer dollars throughout the future.
"I expect the money invested will be recovered within a few years," said Barnett.
Water loss will also cut the cost of new infrastructure such as wells, reservoirs or larger water mains.
Fire Hall in dire need of repair
The Alex Munro Fire Hall in Valleycliffe is in dire need of repairs as roof leaks threaten to damage the building, said Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Tom Easterbrook, and $50,000 of the contingency budget is needed to replace the roof.
Several council members said they were apprehensive about using such a large portion of the $180,000 contingency fund so early in the year.
Coun. Paul Lalli asked whether there was anything else earmarked for the contingency budget but nothing was brought forward.
"There is nothing within the Fire Rescue budget that supports this," said chief administrative officer Kevin Ramsay.
The municipality has already had three bids for roof replacement, but councillors Corinne Lonsdale and Lalli said it was essential the project go to tender.
Barnett said if council supports the use of the fund, staff can "go out and get more bids." The motion was supported unanimously.
OCP ready for adoption
Squamish council gave the Official Community Plan (OCP) third reading at Tuesday council meeting, following a slight amendment.
At the public hearing on May 25, policy watchdog Terrill Patterson questioned changing the Garibaldi Highlands commercial use land designation to mixed commercial, saying it would not allow for future gas stations, bars and bus stops.
Staff examined Patterson's point and found that although he was wrong about the bars and bus stops, he was right about the gas stations -a District of Squamish policy shows the municipality does not support gas stations in a mixed-use commercial area.
Staff's recommendation to remove the restriction by deleting this policy was supported unanimously.
The OCP is now one step away from adoption. Before supporting the motion, council members voiced their reservations about the plan, but said it was as good as it could be.
"It's not perfect but it's pretty good," said Lonsdale. "I do want to say that there are areas that I have concerns, such as the Cheekye Fan and Edgewater Crescent, but I think everyone will have some issue and I will support it."
Coun. Patricia Heintzman said she had concerns along the same lines and some complaints about the process.
"I wasn't terribly pleased with the process and think some portions deserved more public scrutiny," she said. "But overall I think it's very strong and very forward thinking."
Coun. Doug Race, who brought forward the motion to support third reading, said council has heard from all concerned, and he reiterated that the OCP is not a zoning bylaw but a visioning bylaw.
"There are changes. It will be impossible to create one that would last five years without changes. So, if something comes along, you consider, whether it's appropriate or not, and if it's appropriate, you amend the OCP," said Race.
Mayor Greg Gardner said he didn't believe anyone would see exactly what they hoped to see but overall it was a solid document.
"I'm very pleased the OCP was given third reading tonight, it's an important step," he said. "It's been a high priority of this council to complete this process and we are one stage away from its adoption. More important than getting it finished, it's an excellent document."
Squamish to guarantee Slo-Pitch loan
District staff recommended that Squamish guarantee the Squamish Slo-Pitch Association loan to cover the completion cost for the second slo-pitch field, Hendricksons 2, located at Finch Drive and Loggers Lane.
Their loan with the VanCity Credit Union from 1995 for $150,000 expired on May 24 with $59,359 balance remaining. Two weeks ago the association put down another $30,000, leaving $29,359.
In 2005 the district became guarantor to a $150,000 loan taken out by the Squamish Slo-Pitch Association, and the recreation, parks and engineering director Bob Kusch recommended the district act as guarantor again.
The VanCity Credit Union will give a new loan only if Squamish acts as a guarantor on the remaining balance. Lalli moved to support the recommendation and it was supported unanimously.
