A tender for traffic calming and sidewalk upgrades has been approved for the Colonia-Delcourt area in Ladysmith.
At a meeting Oct. 4, town council voted in favour of a motion to award Stone Pacific Contracting the Colonia/Delcourt active transportation project.
The funding, in the sum of $870,000, will come from various sources, including cancelling the Blair Place ocean access project, delaying two storm main projects (Kitchener to Gatacre and French to Kitchener), delaying bollard installation projects, and using money from the Canada Community-Building Fund.
“[I was] at first hesitant to be taking out some of those projects,” said Coun. Tricia McKay at the meeting. “But in reading the report, which is nice and thorough and gives the details, I appreciate them now.”
The cancellation of these projects was backed by the council’s reasoning that they weren’t priorities at the moment, and the funds should move to improve traffic in the Colonia and Delcourt area instead.
Also at the Oct. 4 meeting, Mayor Aaron Stone proclaimed October as ‘Foster Family Month’ in Ladysmith. Stone and his wife have been foster parents and the mayor expressed the importance and value of the foster parent program and its benefits for young people. They mayor also proclaimed October as Community Inclusion Month in Ladysmith to raise awareness of inclusion and to support people with disabilities and encourage them to be able to fully participate in their communities.
Dealing with recommendations from the Sept. 27 committee of the whole meeting, council referred the proposed community banner program expansion to the new council with the recommendation they discuss it during their strategic planning sessions.
Single-use plastic regulations was also an item from the committee of the whole. Council supported the recommendation to request staff to consult local businesses about the impact that possible regulations could have, with consideration for the regulations being introduced by the provincial and federal governments. The recommendation includes a staff report on the consultations as well as options for a ‘made-in-Ladysmith’ bylaw for single-use plastics that could include best practices from other municipalities.
There was one final council meeting with the current council Oct. 25 and the inaugural meeting with the next council happens Nov. 1.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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