New BC Ambulance Service Unit Chief:
Don Piper, has been hired as the new Unit Chief for Barriere. He and Deborah Epp, Superintendent, Interior District of BC Ambulance met with the mayor and CAO for introductions, discussions around inclusiveness for Emergency Planning and the possibility of locating a basic heli pad at the back of the Medical Clinic so that so many responders don’t have to be called every time an air ambulance is dispatched to Barriere. The helicopter now lands in the Fadear Park oval.
Blue Jar Coffee Bar and Bistro:
A new business will be opening soon in the location of the old Irly Lumber store on Barriere Town Road. As part of the required process to obtain a liquor license, Council discussed and resolved to provide their support of the Blue Jar’s application to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for a food primary license.
Business Walk a Great Success:
The District was divided into geographical units and six teams were each given anywhere from 6 to 8 businesses to visit. The teams were compiled of people from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, District of Barriere Council and staff representatives, the Chamber of Commerce, Barriere Employment Services, Community Futures, Interior Savings Credit Union, TNRD Area O, Star/Journal, and a representative from the Kamloops Business Development Corporation. A series of six questions were asked during interviews ranging from 10 to 20 minutes. Businesses were very forthcoming and positive. Most businesses have experienced an increase in growth over the last three years ranging anywhere from two per cent to 28 per cent. A summary report from the Ministry will be presented at the next council meeting on July 13.
$40,000 Splash Pad donation:
A cheque from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development was presented by Dr. Terry Lake, Minister of Health and our local MLA to Mayor Smith on Friday, June 12 toward the construction of the splash pad. Dr. Lake was very impressed with Fadear Park, a jewel in our community.
While in town, Minister Lake and his wife Lisa also visited the new Solar Aquatics Wastewater Reclamation plant and the ambulance station. They were very impressed with the wastewater plant and look forward to coming back when it is up and running.
Frequency of Fire Inspections:
The District has an obligation under the Fire Services Act to set the frequency of fire inspections for hotels and public buildings and to ensure those inspections are undertaken by the Fire Chief or other qualified inspector. A draft policy on inspection frequency will be taken back to council in July that provides a comprehensive decision-making matrix that will take into consideration factors such as level of risk for type of use, age, condition and maintenance of the building in question, past compliance and cooperation of the owners, existence of evacuation plans and capacity of the local government to inspect.
Improvements by the Lions Coming Along at the Community Hall:
After attending the end of year Lions Club wrap up the mayor noted to council that although the kitchen is not finished yet the difference is amazing and it is going to be a great facility with new flooring, drywall, large range hood over the grills with proper venting and new cabinets. The Mayor also took the opportunity to thank the members for the beautiful picnic tables they have provided in the gazebo at Fadear Park.
Solar Aquatics Wastewater Plant: The majority of greenhouse structure has been erected on site and the crew was scheduled to be back on site last week to complete the west wall and the cat walks. The concrete walls of the round surge blending tank on the north side of the building are scheduled for spraying and siding as weather permits.
Collection System:
LNB has completed mainline repairs on Station Road and were repairing a leak on Carlstrom that had been difficult to locate. Repairs on Airfield Road commenced on June 17. The lines on Station and Yard Roads have passed both video and air inspection tests and chlorination of the new water line is underway so that it can be connected into the main system.
Any drainage issues since paving have been identified and will be fixed where possible when the next pave is completed. The new alignment of Bartlett Road to the centre of the road allowance has created a couple of steeper driveway approaches on the north side of the street where cuts into the existing bank were made. These will be properly graded and shaped once paving is complete in that area. LNB will also resolve the “birdbath” on Salle Road near the valve location that was paved over when they locate the missing valve. The highway intersection at Borthwick and Conner will be closed entirely during prepping and paving. LNB has not set a date yet for the next and final pave. Gilbert Smith Forest Products will be given as much advance notice as possible for this work.
Road Works:
Roadside vegetation control is underway on portions of Barriere Town Road and Barriere Lakes Road where potential visibility issues exist. A horse and rider sign with cross tab “Share the Road” has been purchased for Barriere Lakes Road coming in to town from the west just after the cattle guard. Crack sealing on the main roads has been completed for this year and the stop bars, crosswalks and faded lines repainted except where LNB is responsible to do so. A number of growing potholes on road allowances have also been repaired. Grading and dust control on Dixon Creek Road and Birch Lane was to be completed by the end of last week.
2014 Annual Report and Annual Water Report:
Both reports were approved by council after having been posted the legislated amount of time for public inspection. They are both available at www.barriere.ca .
June 18 TNRD Board Meeting Points of Interest:
The BC Coal Alliance gave a presentation and it was interesting to note that most of the coal mined in B.C. is steelmaking coal, most of which comes from the Kootenays.
There are 26,000 direct and indirect jobs and the average annual wage is $95,000. Christopher Sequin, Vice President of Advancement at TRU informed the Board that 45 per cent of the TRU students are from the TNRD area, 24 per cent of the degrees are for business and that there are 2,108 full time jobs at the campus.
A lively debate ensued after the presentations as the Coal Alliance requested a letter of support from the TNRD – it was eventually agreed to give the letter of support with six Directors opposed.
June 19 TNRD Committee of the Whole Meeting:
There was a presentation from Jeff Locke from Fulton and Company outlining the legal duties of elected officials including “conflict of interest”.
It was interesting to hear that where a member of a club or organization is not on the executive; there is no general rule about excusing oneself from an agenda item pertaining to the club. However, if there is any financial component to the discussion one should excuse themselves. Mr. Locke said a rule of thumb is to ask yourself “Would a fairly well informed member of the public view this as a conflict of interest?”
Submitted by District of Barriere.