West Kelowna council highlights: June 10, 2014 | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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West Kelowna council highlights: June 10, 2014

Municipal Hall/Civic Centre
Mayor Doug Findlater rose and reported that Council had selected a preferred proponent for the development of a Municipal Hall/Civic Centre at 3641 Elliott Road and that the District will now enter into negotiations for a possible contract with New Town/Sturgess Group regarding its proposed development at the site. The conceptual design proposal presented for 3641 Elliott Road calls for a two-phased approach. The first phase includes:
-  A 24,015 square foot Municipal Hall, owned by the District of West Kelowna
-  The option to include 7,000 square feet of expansion or lease space in the Municipal Hall
-  One residential building, owned by the developer
-  A Public Plaza, owned by the developer
-  One office building with a commercial component on the lower level, owned by the developer
-  A Café Plaza near the commercial area, owned by the developer
-  Underground and above ground parking, Municipal Hall parking will be owned by the District of West Kelowna
The second phase would include the construction of a second residential building, built when the market justifies a second building. Preliminary estimates have placed the cost of the development of the Municipal Hall/Civic Centre at 8.9 million, including the land, and the municipality would own the building and the land it sits on when the project is complete. Additional funds will be required for project contingency. The District anticipates the cost to build the municipal hall can be assumed within the municipality’s current budget without any additional tax burden on residents over what is in the municipality’s current 10-year financial plan. West Kelowna residents will be asked to indicate their support for the potential borrowing of funds to complete the project, through either an alternate approval process before the November municipal election or a referendum in conjunction with the election.

Brown Road Rezoning
Council gave first and second reading to a zoning amendment for 3788-3790 and 2992 Brown Road to amend the zoning of the properties to Urban Centre Commercial Zone (C1). The properties, located approximately 200 metres south of Dobbin Road, are currently zoned Duplex Residential and Single Detached Residential. The zoning request is consistent with the District’s Official Community Plan and the Westbank Centre Revitalization Plan. The application will now be scheduled for a public hearing.

Winter Road Maintenance
Council was provided a report on Winter Road Maintenance activities over this 2013/2014 season. This was the second year that the District oversaw its own roads maintenance contract, a five-year contract with AEL, a Division of HMC Services Inc. Council was advised that call volumes were down significantly over the previous year and that there was notably improved service, although both parties agree there is room for improvement related to the amount of sand used on the roads.

Street Sweeping Summary
Council was updated on the Street Sweeping program for 2014, and advised that a delay in the planned schedule (early March to early May) to complete street sweeping in the community was largely due to the amount of sand on the roads from winter road maintenance. Council will be asked to consider options to improve the 2015 street sweeping program during budget deliberations later this year.

Sewer Rate Increase
A portion of the sewer fees the District charges are based on services provided by Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) and Council was advised that this year’s billing will increase by a total of $494,265 which amounts to approximately $49 annually more per household being on the upcoming billing. The increase is due to adjustments made to the sewer flow calculation for the District for the years 2012 to 2014. In addition, RDCO indicated that biosolid hauling costs have increased. The District’s sewer user fee will remain unchanged. Council was also advised that recycling fees are being reduced to as a result of an incentive of $100,000 given to the District upon signing an agreement with Multi-Material British Columbia for offering recycling services to its residents. Combining the sewer, solid waste and recycling rate changes, the average single-family home will see a net annual increase of $30.80 to their utility bill.

Sustainable Transportation Partnership of Central Okanagan
Council authorized the District to endorse the Sustainable Transportation Partnership Inter-municipal Service Agreement between District of West Kelowna, District of Lake Country, City of Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, District of Peachland and the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Council’s endorsement is contingent on the Letter of Understanding being endorsed by the Sustainable Transportation Partnership of the Central Okanagan committee. The partnership is intended to enhance the current local transportation governance structure, plans and programs within the region such that decision and investments move the region towards a common goal of sustainable transportation.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014
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