Council discussed the city’s new Wildlife Attractant Control Bylaw, which sets out how Rossland residents are expected to minimize attractants. For instance, any garbage being stored outside is expected to be stored in either a wildlife resistant container or enclosure. The bylaw also requires that fallen fruit be removed every three days, that bird feeders be properly suspended, that outdoor fridges or freezers be inaccessible to wildlife, and that antifreeze and paint be stored out of the reach of wildlife. Composting is exempt from the bylaw as long as it does not attract wildlife.
Councillor Aaron Cosbey also introduced an amendment to the bylaw to address problems with wildlife on garbage pickup days. The bylaw will now also include the provision that all garbage left at curbside needs to be in a garbage can and that garbage cannot be put out until 5 a.m. on pickup day.
Most of the fines for violation are $100, but the fine for failing to remove fruit from the ground is $200 and the fine for leaving antifreeze or paint accessible to wildlife is $400. A resident can be charged up to a maximum of $2000.
Council approved the first three readings of the bylaw as amended, but it has not yet been adopted.
City underwrites $30,000 for skatepark
Council agreed that the City of Rossland will underwrite a $30,000 contingency needed by the Rossland Skatepark to complete construction of the park, with the understanding that the Skatepark Association will have to pay the city back any amount of the contingency fund used. Council also approved an exemption from the purchasing policy so that all payments and accounting will be undertaken by the city and the Skatepark Association will forward all funds to the city.
The advantage of having the city underwrite the amount is that construction can proceed right away, while Copcan is on site anyway, which will save approximately $12,000 and allow the project to be completed this year. The Skatepark Association also still needs to raise another $10,000 for landscaping, which it may be able to do through grants.
Update on Washington St.
Darrin Albo, manager of public works, reported that the Washington St. project is on budget, but about two weeks behind schedule. Blasting on Washington was completed on Saturday, and it’s hoped that no further bedrock will be found. As it is, construction crews encountered less bedrock than expected.
“The amount of rock that we’ve encountered is less so far than what we predicted with our bore holes. Some of our bore holes — if you hit a four or five foot rock, then you can get a false reading as it being bedrock,” explained Albo. “A lot of it was able to be chipped out with the rock hammer, so we are going to be, at this time, under budget on the rock, which I’m still hopeful on.”
On the other hand there have been delays as the new pipes have not passed water quality testing, and it’s at least a five to seven day wait to treat the water and retest.
Council defers decision on further public input
Council received a letter from Terry Miller of Terry Miller and Associates informing them that the firm had carried out public input sessions for the 2017-2021 Financial Plan on July 5 and 6, receiving input from 48 taxpayers, but that the majority of respondents were both older and in a higher income bracket than the expected average Rossland resident. Miller proposed that his firm conduct additional public workshops, pro bono, to get a more balanced sample of the population. He also proposed that for $2500, he could create a report synthesizing all of the results. Council decided to defer a decision until after an upcoming Thoughtexchange process is completed to see if further public input is still necessary.
Council approves changes to Third Party Call Out Policy
Council approved changes to the city’s Third Party Call Out Policy that would ensure that one city employee is called out to a private residence in the event of an emergency, like broken water or sewer connections, unless deemed otherwise necessary by city staff. The policy would allow the employee to call on coworkers for assistance as necessary, and homeowners would be charged the current labour rate plus statutory benefits for any employees called out and the current equipment rate for any equipment that’s used.
Water consumption up in June
The city’s water consumption increased to 72,233 cubic meters in June from 65,675 cubic meters in May, according to a public works update.
High: 3,092 cubic meters on June 5
Low: 1,975 cubic meters on on June 25
Council approves requests for Huck’n Berries Bike Jam
Council approved a request from the organizers of the ninth annual Huck’n Berries Bike Jam to use the Centennial Bike Skills Bark for the event on Sept. 10. Council also approved a beer garden and liquor license for the event, the use of water and electricity during the event, and the rental of eight tables, 40 chairs, six garbage cans and eight barriers.