Update from UBC Okanagan
Council met with UBC Okanagan Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dr. Deborah Buszard to hear about new initiatives, enrollment numbers, economic assessment and discuss areas of mutual interest.

Free parking downtown
Council approved free on-street parking in downtown Kelowna on every Saturday in December.

Ice skate opportunities
Council approved a one-year Licence of Occupation for the Bladez Skate Shop for skate rentals at the Stuart Park ice rink and a two-year lease for the Rutland Arena Skate Shop.

Traffic calming on Rio Drive
Council approved the installation of two temporary speed bumps on Rio Drive between Clear Pond Place and Clifton Road for the purpose of traffic calming. Increased traffic, high speeds, limited visibility and lack of sidewalks contributed to this recommendation for temporary traffic calming until road upgrades take place.

RCMP priorities
Council approved the 2013/2014 RCMP priorities, which include Organized Crime, Police and Community Relations, Road Safety and Family Violence Prevention. Priorities are set by Council and the RCMP through community collaboration and reported to the Office of the Auditor General.

Balcony sprinklers & fire prevention
Council received information from Development Services on proposals to improve fire protection measures in the BC Building Code for multifamily residential building balconies, including a requirement for overhead sprinklers. The Kelowna Fire Department also provided a report to Council about their approach to reduce balcony fires and the expanded public education program, including workshops for strata managers, strata councils and building owners with an emphasis on balcony fire safety.

Wildfire Fuel Mitigation Program
Council received information about staff efforts to reduce the wildfire hazard on City-owned property and direction provided to landowners to help reduce wildfire risk on private property. Projects in 2013, mainly funded by the Union of B.C. Municipalities, included 40 hectares at Bredin Farms, 10.5 hectares on Gallagher’s Canyon Crown land and 8.5 hectares in the Gallagher’s Canyon South East Kelowna Irrigation District.

Regional Community Police Office
Council approved the five-year lease and relocation of the Okanagan Mission Community Policing Office to 1450 KLO Road. A portion of the existing location at 4065 Lakeshore Road is designated as parkland in the Official Community Plan.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013