General Purposes Committee Meeting Minutes - November 6, 2000

Date:

Monday, November 6^th, 2000

Place:

W.H. Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt, Chair
Councillor Linda Barnes
Councillor Malcolm Brodie
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Lyn Greenhill
Councillor Kiichi Kumagai
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Harold Steves

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

At the request of the Chair, Superintendent Ernie MacAulay, Officer in Charge of the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP, introduced Inspector Tonia Enger, Operations Officer, who replaced Inspector Peter German.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, October 16^th, 2000, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

THE LULU ISLAND WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT - PAST CONSTRUCTION AND NEXT STAGE

The Manager, Engineering Planning, Paul Lee, spoke briefly about the upgrades to the Lulu Island Treatment Plant, and then introduced Mr. Fred Nenninger, Project Manager, Liquid Waste Management Planning, of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

Mr. Nenninger, through a PowerPoint presentation, provided Committee members with an overview of the Lulu Island Treatment Plant, the improvements which had been made and were planned for the future. During his presentation, Mr. Nenninger reviewed:

the history of the development of the plant;

the proposed timeline for the expansion of the treatment plant in relation to population increments;

plant permit requirements; and

stage 4 timing and approximate costs of the various components required for this phase of construction.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and the delegation on such matters as:

financing of the proposed improvements, and how these costs would be apportioned

the impact of a heavy downpour of rainwater on the treatment plant system and whether overflows occurred; whether improvements to the City's collection system would help to reduce the volume of drainage water to the treatment plant.

With reference to the impact of rainwater on the treatment plant and overflows, advice was given by the General Manager, Engineering & Public Works, Chuck Gale, that the City's collection system was impacted by backups in flow at the treatment plant. He stated that that issue was currently being addressed by Paul Lee as part of the long range planning currently under way and would be the subject of a future report to Council, as these impacts were significant.

The Chair thanked Mr. Nenninger for his presentation and he then left the meeting.

CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON POLICING
"YEAR 2000 REVIEW OF COMMUNITY POLICING IN RICHMOND"
(Report: October 30/00, File No.: 5355-01) (REDMS No. 193780)

The Manager, Policy & Research, Lauren Melville, reviewed the report with the Committee. Discussion then ensued among Committee members and staff on such issues as:

whether the proposed evaluation of community policing was initiated before after the development of strategies and action plans

the preparation of a City vision and how this vision would function with the RCMP vision.

During the discussion, staff were requested to provide a cost benefit analysis on the effectiveness of the City's community policing stations.

As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the Community Safety Division, under the direct leadership of the General Manager of Community Safety, develop a plan which includes a City vision, strategies and action plan to direct the future delivery of police services in Richmond.

That issues such as personnel assignment and commitment levels to community policing will be addressed in the "BC Policing Study Municipal Client Primary Issues" document.

That a communications strategy be developed jointly by the City's Manager of Communications and the RCMP in consultation with the Public Relations Sub-Committee of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Policing.

That an evaluation of community policing be initiated as part of the development plan for a City vision, strategies and action plan for police services.

That the Citizens Advisory Committee advise the RCMP on the specific types of statistical information that they are interested in obtaining.

That the RCMP arrange with the Citizens Advisory Committee to hold a CAPRA Model course.

Prior to the question being called, discussion ensued on the issue of commitment by detachment officers to remain in the community.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

It was moved and seconded

That the order of the agenda be varied to deal with Items 7, 5 and 6 in that order, at this time.

CARRIED

PROPOSED LATE NIGHT (RAVE) EVENT LOCATION
11460 HORSESHOE WAY
(Report: October 20/00, File No.: 8060-20-7123) (REDMS No. 202263)

The Manager, Zoning, Alan Clark, reviewed the proposed event with Committee members. Discussion then ensued among Committee members and staff on (i) problems relating to previous rave events held by the applicant; (ii) the advisability of holding a public information meeting to give the applicant the opportunity to address the concerns of adjacent business owners and area residents; (iii) whether the design of the building could be altered to place the exits in more appropriate locations; and (iv) whether the number of people who could be expected to attend rave events at the proposed location would exceed the number proposed by the applicant.

Mr. Brian Kramer, architect for the project, accompanied by Mr. Sharat Chande, a Trustee of the Gujarati Society of BC, advised that the intention was to allow only 400 participants because that was the number the existing washrooms could accommodate. Mr. Kramer then spoke at length on the recommendation that a public information meeting held, stating that the requirement for such a meeting was not included in the Event Regulation (Raves) Bylaw and that the proponent was not applying for either a rezoning of the property or a Development/Development Variance Permit. He further advised that the concerns raised by staff with regard to signage and access requirements as they related to the Building Code, had been addressed.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and the delegation on the requirement for a public information meeting and on the problems which had arisen in the past with rave events being held in the area. Comments were made that it would be better to find out beforehand if affected business owners and area residents had concerns about the application. Discussion also ensued on (i) who would be responsible for any rave event held at the proposed location; (ii) the anticipated noise level of these events and the impact which this noise might have on nearby residents; and (iii) how the applicant proposed to limit an event to 400 people.

It was moved and seconded

That the applicant be instructed to hold a public information meeting at 11460 Horseshoe Way to advise the neighbourhood of the application to Council, and to address any, and all issues that are raised, and that staff report to Committee after the public forum.

Prior to the question being called, discussion took place on whether the permit, if issued, could be revoked in the event that problems occur in the future. The City Solicitor was asked to report to the Committee at the time that staff reported on the outcome of the public forum, on whether (i) the permit could be revoked, or (ii) a temporary permit could be issued prior to proceeding with an amendment to the Event Regulation (Raves) Bylaw, in the event that problems did arise.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

RESCHEDULING OF NOVEMBER 27, 2000 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGS
(Report: November 1/00, File No.: 0105-01) (REDMS No. 208804)

CANCELLATION OF DECEMBER 25TH, 2000 COUNCIL MEETINGS
(Report: October 18/00, File No.: 0105-01) (REDMS No. 200444)

It was moved and seconded

That the regular open and closed Council meetings scheduled for Monday, November 27^th, 2000 be rescheduled to Tuesday, November 28, 2000 to accommodate the Federal General Election.

That both the Regular Open and Regular Closed Council Meetings scheduled for Monday, December 25th, 2000 be cancelled (as permitted by Council Procedure Bylaw No. 7070).

CARRIED

Councillor Johnston left the meeting at 5:33 p.m., and did not return.

REGIONAL CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN:  BUSINESS AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
(Report: October 23/00, File No.: 7000-01) (REDMS No. 203614)

The Manager, Cultural Services, Jane Fernyhough, reviewed the report with the Committee. Discussion then ensued among Committee members and staff on such matters as:

the cost of the proposed initiative and how the project would be funded if it was supported by a small number of municipalities and cities

whether the Greater Vancouver Regional District would provide financial support in the form of a levy

whether adoption of Part (4) of the proposed recommendation would commit the City to participating in the project, even though Parts (1) and (2) were recommending support in principle.

As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the concept of a inter-municipal initiative to improve access to arts and cultural opportunities in the region, be supported in principle under the appropriate circumstances;

That the formation of an Inter-Municipal Partnership to implement the business plan be supported in principle, and that the Cultural Plan Steering Committee further explore the model and report with recommendations on the most suitable approach to membership, size and mandate;

That the Implementation Plan be referred to the Cultural Plan Steering Committee to explore a phased-in approach for achieving the strategies outlined in the business plan and an alternative funding strategy.

CARRIED

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (6:00 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, November 6^th, 2000.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant