Ladysmith town council met for an in-person meeting on Oct. 5 for the first time since March 2020.
The meeting opened with Mayor Aaron Stone proclaiming Oct. 18–24 as Waste Reduction Week in the Town of Ladysmith.
“The town is committed to conserving resources, protecting the environment and educating the community to reduce the human-caused impacts on our planet,” reads a news release from the town.
Council gave first and second reading to an OCP amendment, rezoning and housing agreement bylaws for 1260 Churchill Place. In June, council directed town staff to prepare the property for sale and bring forward a proposal to rezone it for a mix of multi-family and single-family residential use. It also wants to dedicate the low-lying riparian areas as park and finish the road connection from Churchill Place to McKinley Road.
READ MORE: Town of Ladysmith to hold public hearing for housing project
Council approved recommendations from its committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 28. It directed town staff to:
- Amend the Waterworks Regulations Bylaw to include a new step rate for water consumption greater than 200m3 for single-family dwellings for the quarters of April–June and July–September;
- Amend the Council Procedure Bylaw to allow for housekeeping changes including, having no meeting in the first week of January, one in August and being able to have electronic meetings when required in the future.
- Consult with Stz’uminus First Nation and report back to council regarding the potential for both the inclusion of the Hul’qumi’inum name on the Transfer Beach sign and a Coast Salish welcome figure at Transfer Beach.
Council directed staff to amend the 2021-2025 Financial Plan to increase the budget for phase one of the ongoing waterfront remediation. This will accelerate the project and reduce overall costs, according to the town.
“The town is completing a detailed site investigation of the waterfront uplands and received $168,400 through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund to help offset the costs,” reads the town news release.
Council also considered two separate agenda items concerning Stocking Lake.
It amended the Financial Plan to increase the budget for the Stocking Lake meter valve construction project. The project involves the installation of a meter at the valve building downstream of the Stocking Lake Dam. The water meter will help better detect leaks in the water supply main, according to the town. A pressure transducer will also be installed at the valve building, which will enable remote lake level reading.The construction budget for the project was $176,000 and the low bid received was $189,903, which required council to increase the budget.
Council directed that the consultant for the Stocking Lake Dam remediation complete the preliminary design as outlined in the scope of work for the project. The proposal is to construct a new dam roughly 30 metres downstream of the existing structure. Council also directed staff to investigate funding opportunities that may be available to facilitate the next phase of the project, design and construction.
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editor@ladysmithchronicle.com
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