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District of Barriere building permit fee not increasing

Barriere Council and Committee of the Whole Dec. 7, 2015, highlights

Building Regs and Fee Changes Bylaws Adopted:

The DOB Building Bylaw No.128 has several Barriere specific requirements in the Prohibitions section. These include Sections 3.3.1 attic ventilation using gable vents, a cupola or turbine roof ventilators; 3.3.2 snow clips on metal roofing adjacent pedestrian or vehicular areas; 3.3.3 insulated skirting for mobile homes; 3.3.4 …pot lights, LEDs, insulation and venting; and 3.3.5 PVC pipe instead of the Flexible Big “O” drainage piping where perimeter drainage is needed; as well as some definitions not addressed in the BC Building Code. It also now refers to the new 2014 DOB Zoning Bylaw No. 111, as well as requiring a DOB utility services inspection for the connection of new construction to the water and wastewater system where applicable.

Council decided not to raise the Building Permit fees after reviewing the actual costs associated with an individual permit. The length of time a permit can be held and still have the surcharge refunded has been increased to three years.

Fire Department:

In November 2015 the Department had one call out to a chimney fire on Robin Drive. There were four practice/training sessions which included truck checks, Halloween fireworks and fire calls debriefings, ladder practice and general hall work and equipment maintenance. Chief Kirkwood and Deputy Chief Lennea met with representatives from the Village of Ashcroft, who visited Barriere on Friday, Dec. 4, at the Mayor’s invitation, to view the old water tender. Should this truck be sold to another fire department, the equipment that was to be taken off and used on the new tender will need to be purchased for the new truck. Since this wasn’t in the original quote, council approved these additional expenditures to be taken from the funds garnered from the sale of the old tender.

Roads, Parks and

Bylaw Enforcement End of Year Summary Highlights:

Dustin Doherty provided council with a comprehensive report on maintenance operations and improvements that occurred this year.

Pavement sweeping which was done on all paved streets within the District in March by Murray Purcha & Son Ltd as part of the snow removal contract.

Bridge washing - This was also done in March by Murray Purcha & Son Ltd. and District staff.  District staff prepped the bridge for washing by pulling loose material back from soffits and sweeping material from the sidewalks to the road surface for pickup by the sweeping machine.

Line painting was done in mid-June in conjunction with crack sealing by JDV Lot Restorations out of Kamloops. Painting included 21 stop bars, three crosswalks, one turn arrow and approximately five kilometers of line. An assessment of the condition of the pavement markings will be done this spring, but unless markings are found to be in exceptional condition, plans are to reestablish all pavement markings in town.

Grading was done on all gravel roads (Dixon Creek Road, Birch Lane, No Name Road, Jackpine Drive, Hanson Road and Salle and Dixon alleyways) by Murray Purcha & Son Ltd. on an as needed basis. Less grading was required this year in comparison to previous years.

Gravel surface treatment (dust suppressant) was done on June 24 by Western Road Distribution. Treatment was applied to Dixon Creek Road, Birch Lane, No Name Road, and the alley behind the post office using 30 per cent magnesium chloride solution at 1.5L/M2. This not only suppressed the dust and greatly reduced the need for grading in the summer.

Signage - A few new signs were installed including a pedestrian warning sign on Dixon Creek Road., a stop sign ahead warning sign in advance of the big stop sign on Barriere Lakes Road, a horseback rider warning sign near the district boundary on Barriere Lakes Road, and a stop sign at the new road in Louis Creek.

Shoulder and ditch maintenance took place on Barriere Town Road across from Fouquet Road. Ditching was done on Dixon Creek Road and the road was closed from the bottom of the hill to Vista Point while work took place with several hazardous fallen and dead standing trees removed as well. Drainage infrastructure was installed on Barkley Road to deal with runoff from the four-way stop down to the drywell at the bottom of the hill below Barriere Auto Parts and prevent it from being directed to adjacent properties. A ditch was established for 30m along the highway on Yard Road in front of the Station House Restaurant to deal with runoff from Yard Road and Highway 5. Minor ditching also occurred on a small portion of Conner Road, along Station Road at the north east corner of the intersection of Airfield Road and along Barriere Town Road in front of AG Foods.

Staff will continue to address minor shoulder deficiencies. Larger shoulder repairs will be done mechanically focusing on rutted, washed out, settled or raised shoulders where pooling occurs. Ditching will occur on Dixon Creek Road as needed as well as other areas around town based on priority.

Staff conducted roadside mowing and brushing on all main roads throughout the season,. And a dead fir tree was professionally removed from Dunn Lake Road.

Pavement maintenance included pothole repairs done by staff throughout the year using cold asphalt. Contracted spray patching was also done in October by Argo Road Maintenance focusing on higher priority deficiencies. Some layout was done by staff to ensure best value for the service. The roads that called for the most maintenance were Dunn Lake Road, DeeJay Road, Mountain Road, Dunsmuir Road, and Bradford Road. Crack sealing was completed on the north end of Barriere Town Road from the bridge to Highway 5 and on Barriere Lakes Road from the three-way stop to the district boundary. This was done in mid-June by JDV Lot restorations.

Snow removal and sanding on public roads is the responsibility of Murray Purcha & Son Ltd. under contract with the district from October to April, and includes spring sweeping on all paved roads within the district. Contract term will end in the spring of 2016.

LNB donated all of the concrete no posts, transitions and bull noses left over from construction to the district (very few were in good condition). The district painted and placed the best ones at the four way stop to help define the intersection as well as at AG Foods for a similar reason.

Road kill is dealt with by staff as instances occurring  during or after business hours. These are taken to the same dumpsite used by Argo on Gorman Lake Road. Conservation is aware of this site.

A new road was constructed in Louis Creek connecting Louis Creek Road to Old Sawmill Crt. An agreement was made with Argo that they would be responsible for snow removal, at least for this season, as part of a maintenance exchange agreement for Agate Bay Road and Dixon Creek Road. 100 feet of water pipe was installed by district water department prior to road construction in anticipation of future needs for the industrial park.

Work commenced on the Barriere River Trail network on Mar. 31 and was completed on Apr. 2. The project was based on a 50/50 conditional grant through Bike BC for $6,572 for the upgrading and establishment of trails in and around the community park.

The Cemetery driveway was replaced.

The main gate at Community Park that had been destroyed by a vandal’s vehicle was replaced.

At the Riverwalk Wastewater facility noxious weeds were removed and two dump truck loads of silty clay donated by Quality Contractors spread, and grass seeded.

The Bannister Road laneway is blocked off from vehicular traffic and a gate and lock was installed. Emergency Services have keys to the lock.

The parks irrigation systems were commissioned at the beginning of May. The irrigation systems were also blown out and buildings have been winterized excluding the field house and bandshell which have heat. The bandshell washrooms will remain open to the public during daylight hours.

Landscaping was done and a bench was placed at the Louis Creek Memorial site up on the hill adjacent to the Eco-Depot. The ground was cleared with landscaping rock spread in and around the site, and a donated bench was placed overlooking the valley below.

A driveway was constructed for proper access to the Barriere Bike Park from Barriere Town Road and a sign installed.

It was discovered that all the prunus (cherry) species trees (mainly in Fadear Park) were being effected by Black Knot Fungus, with trees were pruned and being monitored.

The complement of exercise equipment in Fadear Park has grown by three new pieces.

Landscaping was done on the south east corner of the bandshell at the end of the season to wrap up the Legacy project  and a viewing pad and access ramp will be installed.

A seasonal parks worker was employed for six months. A student and a 2nd seasonal person were hired to work in the parks for part of the season.

Partnerships with Non-Profit Organizations:

There are a number of agencies such as United Way and Community Foundations that cannot distribute grant funding to unqualified donees as defined by Canada Revenue Agency. These donees can become qualified either by making application to the CRA for registered charitable status or by establishing a structured arrangement with a registered charity. As the District of Barriere is a level of government, CRA recognizes the district as a registered charity. Council approved Policy #31, Partnerships with Non-Profit Organizations (NPO), which will assist local non-profit organizations by facilitating access to funding opportunities that require CRA qualified donee status as per federal regulations.

The Dec. 21 regular council meeting has been cancelled.  The next regular council meeting will take place on Jan. 11, 2016 at 7 p.m.