At the last Committee of the Whole meeting Barriere council was presented with options for the sewer collection system. Council chose an option that will direct the gravity flow of the sewage collected in the north east quadrant of the town core in such a manner so that the collection lines along Barkley Road will be used to take this sewage back to the receiving plant.
This will allow for the project to be put out for tendering in the next four weeks or so. The drawings for this are available at the district office should members of the public wish to see the changes. It is important that residents make themselves aware of where the sewer will run during this first phase and subsequent phases of the system.
In addition to this the various design changes to the wastewater plant were presented. These design changes were needed to maximize the use of space in the building, as well as to make sure the project does not come back over the budgeted amount. Council was told that the design of the building and the equipment it will house is well on the way to completion.
The next stage of drawings will come back to committee in the middle of July. The tendering of the building should start shortly after that.
Numerous times council has visited the topic of having a community information board somewhere downtown. Now that the old HY Louie building belongs to the district, perhaps that may be a good place to locate a community bulletin board. Council realizes that communication is critical to insure that projects flow smoothly, and will try to use as many methods as possible to get the word out to residents. This is especially true of sewer projects. We all want that stuff flowing to where it belongs.
Recently Barriere councillors Pat Paula, Virginia Smith, District CAO Ms. Hannigan, Area O Director Bill Kershaw and I, shared breakfast with Simpcw Chief Rita Matthew, Councillors Joni Miller, Dan Saul and the new Simpcw Band Administrator Ms. Fortier.
Thanks to district staff, Ellen and Lynn, for coming in so early to do the cooking. There was no agenda for the get together, as it was just a chance to catch up on what is happening in our respective communities. Ms. Hannigan played the video presentation that was developed for the “Splash in the Past” grant application, and Dan Saul explained which phrases and words used in the presentation were from the Chinook trading dialect, and what the corresponding word or phrase would be in the Secwepemctsin dialect. There were a number of differences, and these came about because of the sources used to find out information. It is amazing what you find out over an egg casserole.
The splash pad project is progressing, although slowly at times. As it was reported last week, the fund raising dance was cancelled, but there are more fund raising plans in the works. The really boring work, around actually putting together a properly engineered plan, and working out what the ongoing costs will be to the district, is being done as time permits. As with any district project, questions around warranties on the equipment, and who will be tasked with actually caring for and running the facility, need to be properly and completely answered prior to going forth. The splash pad committee and various sub-committees are working on these issues.
Some have said that it would be better to have a separate society build and run the splash pad. This was the model used to build the Agriplex. We all know how successful the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Association has been in building that facility. Having the district involved does bring certain challenges and problems to the table. It is a community based project, built on public land though, so perhaps the options are limited.
Another great event is being held here in Barriere. The All Canada Classic Sheep Show and Sale is on at the North Thompson Agiplex and at the Curling Club from June 28 to 30. Good fun for the whole family, and a chance to see sheep from across Canada.