There's the possibility of three or four referendum questions being on the municipal election ballot this November.
First there's the community opinion vote on the possible creation of a national park on Bowen Island. Council is committed to holding the vote but has yet to decide on the date now that Parks Canada is taking a bit longer to come up with a new draft of its concept plan.
Then there's building a new firehall on the lot of the existing building. That's long been in the works; however, now that a new satellite firehall has been approved for the western side of the island, council hasn't decided if replacing the old hall has to have such priority.
And, on Monday night, council discussed the possible need of fixing the Cove Bay water system and building access lines to the upgraded sewage treatment plant. These two projects have gained more urgency now that the Belterra cohousing development is more of a reality and there's a possibility of the Abbeyfield House Society moving ahead with its project plans.
The national park requires no financial commitment from the municipality but the other projects, especially the water and sewer upgrades, would cost millions of dollars.
Firehall
Council has reactivated its firehall facilities steering committee. It hasn't met in more than a year.
On Monday, Fire Chief Brian Biddlecombe said that plans for the satellite station are moving ahead. The location at Cromie Road and Adam Road "would work," he said, and they're doing some site testing to determine the type of metal building it should be. Once the building is chosen, the budget should be more clear. "I think it can be up and running by this time next year," Biddlecome said.
The fire department will be buying a new tanker to house at the satellite hall.
Even though the satellite hall will relieve the space pressures on the existing hall, there are still structural problems with the main hall that need to be addressed.
Councillor Alison Morse wonders if there's enough time to come up with a conceptual plan and also a budget of a new firehall to replace the existing one in time for it to be on the ballot in November. "I'm wondering if we'd be setting ourselves up for failure."
She wants the committee to decide if it's feasible and prudent to move forward so quickly.
Snug Cove water
This came up in the discussion of the Snug Cove plan that is currently underway. The main component of the plan is ferry marshalling but the infrastructure needs of the Cove are becoming more pressing. (Council plans to have a public meeting about the ferry marshalling options in June.)
Belterra and Abbeyfield will need water, said Councillor Nerys Poole. "I'd like to see how our water capacity can be increased," she said. "We want to know we have the water capacity [for the new developments] and what it would cost."
Morse said there is already a report on what is needed to expand the capacity of Grafton Lake the main source of water for the Cove and improving the existing water treatment plant.
"We have an issue of what Coastal Health allows us to do," she said. She wants a meeting with the Cove Bay water committee.
Councillor Cro Lucas said, "We need to have a workshop to bring ourselves up to speed on what those requirements are and the costs."
CAO Brent Mahood said the two elements of improving the water treatment system and increasing the storage capacity of Grafton Lake by increasing the size of the dam are critical. "The tricky part is how do we fund it."
He estimates the dam costs to be $500,000 to $800,000; the upgrade to the water system to cost $3.5 million; and $200,000 to $300,000 for each of the projects to link properties to the upgraded sewage treatment plant.
Councillor Peter Frinton said, "I see a convergence of a whole bunch of things." As well as the Abbeyfield housing project there's Bowen Court next door. Its septic system is 30 years old and nearing the end of its life. Instead of paying for a new septic system, they'd like to be part of any of Abbeyfield's plan to hook into the sewage treatment plant. Belterra is thinking of building its own septic systems.
When you put all of these projects, including finalizing the Official Community Plan update, the steep slope bylaw, the environmentally sensitive areas bylaw and the national park vote, "we have a very busy fall. This looks overwhelming to me."
Mayor Bob Turner said the idea of holding the referenda this year is to tie in with the municipal election. "The time is now," he said. "The costing out is pretty simply."
As well, he said, both Belterra and Abbeyfield are progressing and will need answers about municipal services. The municipality has hit a crunch as all the issues converge.
Morse said that council will need to have afternoon workshops to address issues such as whether the lands can be serviced, what hoops there will be to go through, and how the projects can be funded, including asking for help from the federal and provincial governments. "It's not as simple as saying whether we'll have a referendum. Where does it all fit in and how does staff prepare for this?"
Poole went back to her question of how the municipality will recoup its $700,000 contribution to the sewage treatment upgrade project. While there is an island-wide benefit to knowing there will be less pollution from the discharge of treated sewage into the ocean, very few island residents will benefit directly from the project since they won't be able to hook up to the system.
"We need more information and I'm not sure if we'll get it on time for any kind of referendum," she said. "I'd like to know how the money will be recovered before we ask for any borrowing."
Lucas said, "I agree there are lots of questions but my concern over the timeline is we have an opportunity with the election to move a major issue forward. We have to look at how we can do this for this election rather than wait another three years."
Rondy Dike, who us chair of the sewer committee, recommended the municipality hire someone to draft a latecomers agreement so that people who make use of the services after they are built contribute to the cost of their construction. "It's a very detailed legal document and I don't think anyone here has the expertise to do it."
Mahood says it's important to bring all the key players together as soon as possible.
No decision was made about the referenda. The discussion will continue at future meetins.
