Submitted by Colleen Hannigan, CAO, District of Barriere
Barriere Wastewater Project - Update
Collection System Repairs: Repairs on the sanitary on Station Road required LNB to remove the new watermain as it is within the excavation extents of the sanitary mainline. The watermain will be replaced and all required testing, etc. will be performed.
LNB is currently working on pipe grade issues on Yard Road. They are hopeful that they can make up the grade within the first 30-40m to avoid excavating in front of the restaurant.
Repairs on Airfield Road will begin once Station Road and Yard Road are complete. The required repair is approximately 40m south of Barkley Road to Grey Place.
This should conclude the issues found within the roadways although the Airfield Road ROW is still subject to video inspection as water infiltration in an upstream manhole has put a hold on this section.
Kemp Concrete, who provided the manholes, is working on a solution for the infiltration issue.
A valve was paved over on Salle Road near Barriere Town Road. This requires LNB to perform a repair in this location just prior to the second mobilization for paving.
TRUE is currently reviewing the final videos submitted by LNB. As of this time the videos that have been reviewed have been acceptable, however, there are still a number a videos to be reviewed. As mentioned, the Airfield Road ROW still requires video inspection. Once the video inspections are able to be completed they may present issues that will require attention. These potential repairs will be taken care of once paving is complete.
Upcoming and currently excavated repair areas will be video inspected as soon as possible. All repaired sections have been air-tested and passed.
A leak was detected on the east end of Carlstrom – a video inspection was performed on all the inspection chambers, no issues where found. LNB is planning on testing the pipe in 4m increments to locate the leak within the mainline. Once located there will be a quick repair followed by air testing then road prep. Upcoming and currently excavated repair areas will be air tested as soon as possible.
The first mobilization of paving is complete. There are a few deficiencies that will be addressed (bird baths).
The second mobilization is tentatively planned for mid to end of June. This depends on LNB’s progress on repairs.
Approval was given to expand the paving at the highway intersection at Borthwick to include repair of the large potholes at the edge of the highway. The additional cost is $10,500.
There was a bit of sinking beyond the pavement at the drywell on Dixon Creek Road. LNB has made an attempt to resolve this and it will be monitored for approval.
The recent rain has indicated a drainage issue on Barkley just west of Barriere Auto. This will have to be reviewed by TRUE and a solution provided.
Wastewater Plant Update: The design builder of the new Solar Aquatics wastewater plant on Barriere Town Road presented to council (at the June 8, 4:30 p.m. Committee of the Whole meeting) an updated construction schedule. Due to a number of setbacks with external contractors, the erection of the unique, one-of-a-kind greenhouse and the arrival of the seacan containing the genset and biomass boiler system are both substantially behind schedule. After fielding a number of questions around the delays, he reassured everyone that the project would be completed without going over budget for the District.
Lower North Thompson Community Forest Society (LNTCFS): A letter of intent has been received from LNTCFS for the “Splash in the Past into the Future – Canada 150 Legacy Project” application reconfirming their intent to provide up to $150,000 towards the construction of the splash pad in Barriere.
Emergency Planning: Ms. Buchanan and I attended a two-day workshop hosted by EMBC on the preparation of Emergency Plans. Staff will be working closely with our Regional Emergency Program Coordinator from TNRD on reviewing our current Emergency Measures Bylaw and drafting a new Barriere Emergency Plan. Ms. Johnson will be attending an EOC Level 3 Finance and I will be taking the EOC Level 3 Planning near the end of June.
Barriere to McBride Mountain Bike Recreation and Tourism Initiative: A meeting took place on Tuesday, June 9 at the Ridge to discuss this initiative which was open to the public.
Geopark Initiative Update: Geopark Steering Committee members are in the process of reviewing the final version of the feasibility study for the proposed Geopark in the North Thompson and Robson Valleys. The following link is to the Canadian Geoparks Network (http://www.canadiangeoparks.org/aspiring-geoparks.html) for those interested in learning more about Canadian geoparks. Quite a few aspiring Geoparks have hit the radar in the past year, as you can see from the list here (http://www.canadiangeoparks.org/aspiring-geoparks.html).
The next step will be to decide whether or not, as a valley, we wish to pursue designation and move to the next stage. It has been suggested that it is time for a discussion with the various local governments involved regarding the results of this study.
Cemetery Driveway: The cemetery driveway project is complete with the creation of ground-level concrete curbing that separates the gravel driveway from the adjacent grassed area.
Banner: The vinyl banner has been removed from the south end of Barriere Town Road. The vinyl, even with cut outs, did not fare as well as the mesh, although the colors were definitely brighter. It was also very noisy in heavier winds. A full refund is being provided by the company and discussion around what could be done to replace it should commence. There has been some suggestion that a permanent solid gateway should be considered.
Barriere Business Walk: The first Business Walk is happened on Thursday, June 11. It is intended to support small businesses, and is a partnership between the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training (JTST), the District of Barriere, and the Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce.