June 17, 2013 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, June 17, 2013

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Linda Barnes
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Harold Steves

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, June 3, 2013, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

1.

Site Evaluation Criteria for New Waste to Energy Capacity for Metro Vancouver

(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 3874456 v.3)

It was moved and seconded

That the following proposed criteria in the “Site Evaluation Criteria for New Waste to Energy Capacity for Metro Vancouver” report from the Director of Engineering, dated June 6, 2013, be forwarded to Metro Vancouver for consideration for Phase 2 (Potential Site Identification Process) of the regional waste-to-energy procurement process:

(a)

Selected sites should be compatible with Metro Vancouver’s 2040 Regional Growth Strategy and land use designations and policies in the City of Richmond’s 2041 OCP;

(b)

Selected sites must not be within City of Richmond’s designated environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) and Ecological Network; and

(c)

Selected sites must not be within the Agricultural Land Reserve in the City of Richmond.

CARRIED

2.

Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1

(File Ref. No.:) (REDMS No. 3886023)

Laurie Bachynski, Major Capital Project Team Lead, Andrew Nazareth, General Manager, Finance and Corporate Services, and Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering & Public Works were available to answer questions.

A discussion ensued about various aspects of the Major Capital Facilities Program and with regard to the funding strategy, the following was noted:

·

borrowing $50 million for a 10-year term at a borrowing rate of 3.19% will result in an estimated annual debt repayment amount of $5.76 million dollars;

·

the City’s $1 million annual debt repayment related to Terra Nova Parkland acquisition, and the annual transfer of $5 million from the City’s gaming revenue to repay surplus which was partially used to fund the construction costs of the Richmond Olympic Oval, will both end in 2014. Therefore, commencing in 2015, the City may borrow the funds required for the Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1 Projects and use this $6 million to service the debt without creating an incremental tax impact; and

·

approval of the electors is not required in order to borrow an amount of $50 million, as it is within the Approval-Free Liability Zone threshold.

Staff also spoke about the advantages of borrowing at current low interest rates, and noted that funding the Projects with City funds alone would reduce the City’s flexibility for future uses of such funds.

Staff then spoke of the public engagement and consultation process, noting that although the approval of the electors is not required in order to borrow funds as proposed, Council may seek the community’s opinion through a referendum or other process, noting that the results would not be binding.

In answer to Committee’s questions relating to the level of involvement from members of the community, staff advised of the intention to establish a steering committee to provide input during the planning and design phase of the temporary and permanent Older Adults’ Activity Centres, as well as the Minoru Aquatics Centre.

Discussion also took place about:

·

the importance of involving the community in the planning process to determine the community’s needs regarding the new proposed Minoru Aquatic Centre; and

·

having staff provide a detailed consultation schedule to members of Council.

During the discussion about the City Hall Annex (formerly known as the Public Safety Building on Minoru Boulevard, and currently proposed as the temporary Older Adults’ Activity Centre during the construction phase of the new centre) concerns were expressed about:

·

how the building has only one entrance leading into it from the ground floor, and the main entrance is located at the top of a large set of stairs, making accessibility to the building difficult for some. Staff advised that the entrance on the ground floor will be utilized to ensure full accessibility, and that the interim Older Adults’ Activity Centre will be located on the first and second floors of the building; and

·

provisions for a kitchen at the interim Older Adults’ Activity Centre. It was noted that there is a kitchen for meal services at the current facility, and those services will need to be continued at the temporary location.

Staff provided information about how the proposed improvements and renovations to the City Hall Annex building will incorporate many features which will allow for re-configuration of the space for future City purposes following the construction of the permanent Older Adults’ Activity Centre.

Staff also spoke about how the completion of the mechanical and electrical improvements in the Annex building have allowed City staff to be relocated to other areas of the building. Future plans for the building may include a temporary relocation of some staff from Fire Hall No. 1 during the construction phase of the new Fire Hall, as well as additional City staff.

Further discussion also took place about:

·

the continuity of aquatic services during the construction phase including: (i) the feasibility of permanently rather than temporarily covering Steveston Pool; (ii) the feasibility of covering South Arm Pool; and (iii) exploring privately owned facilities to rent pool timeslots;

·

the possibility of including provisions for affordable housing within the scope of the Major Facilities Program Projects construction. It was noted that securing funding and stakeholders for affordable housing within this type of project may be difficult. It was further noted that the City currently has a number of affordable housing projects underway;

·

concerns about the proposed size of Minoru Aquatics Centre and whether the proposed would be adequate in terms of providing the space and programming required to meet the growing needs of the community;

·

the timing related to the completion of the proposed projects. Staff noted that the attachment ‘Phase 1 Project Schedule’ provided in the staff report provides the best indicator of the time required for the proposed projects;

·

the opportunity presented during the planning process to study and re-design the current traffic flow pattern at the Minoru Aquatic Centre and surrounding area, as well as determining the peak hours for parking at the future Older Adults’ Activity Centre;

·

the impact on the operating budget as a result of the proposed new and larger facilities, and the possibility of considering a gradual tax increase sooner rather than a larger increase later in order to prepare for the higher operating costs. Staff advised that the operating costs related to each of the new proposed facilities’ operating budget impact (OBI) will be brought forward individually with the budget for each project; and

·

the idea of keeping the current Minoru Aquatic Centre and or the Older Adults’ Activity Centre operational during the construction phase of the Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1 projects. Staff spoke about safety concerns related to the stability of the foundation and buildings in the area as well as disturbances to the water tanks at the Aquatic Centre as a result of construction impact, and noted that since it was impossible to guarantee that the current facilities would remain operational during construction, it was recommended that temporary relocation of services be made.

Upon the conclusion of the discussion, staff was requested to provide the following prior to the next Regular Open Council meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, June 24, 2013:

·

information on the capacity of the facilities and the adequacy of the capacity into the future, including how staff determined the space requirements;

·

details related to the consultation process;

·

the longevity and lifespan of the proposed temporary cover over Steveston Pool;

·

the feasibility for densification above the proposed facilities; and

·

the viability of covering South Arm Pool.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the following Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1 projects be endorsed and included in the City’s 2014 budget process for Council consideration as described in the Staff report titled “Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1” dated May 31, 2013 from the Director of Engineering:

(a)

Replacement of the Older Adults’ Activity Centre in Minoru Park;

(b)

Renovation of the City Hall Annex (formerly known as the Public Safety Building on Minoru Boulevard) for temporary use as an older adults’ centre;

(c)

Replacement of the Aquatics Centre in Minoru Park;

(d)

Temporary cover over Steveston outdoor pool for continuity of community aquatic services;

(e)

Replacement of Firehall No. 1 at the corner of Granville Avenue and Gilbert Road;

(2)

the funding strategy outlined in Option 3 of this report be endorsed on the basis that the City would borrow $50 Million dollars with a 10-year amortization with the balance to be taken from the City’s Reserves;

(3)

an amendment to the City’s Five Year Financial Plan (2013-2017) to include $3.5 million for advanced design of the Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1 with funding to come from the City’s revolving fund be brought forward for Council consideration;

(4)

an amendment to the City’s Five Year Financial Plan (2013-2017) to include $500,000 for advanced construction of the City Centre Community Centre Tenant Improvements with funding to come from the City’s revolving fund be brought forward for Council consideration; and

(5)

staff bring forward the balance of the list of the capital facilities priorities for examination.

Prior to the question on the motion being called, members of Committee provided their comments and views related to: (i) various aspects of the Major Capital Facilities Program Phase 1 and the need to replace the aging facilities; (ii) a desire to also examine other capital facilities priorities; (iii) the public consultation and engagement process; (iv) the viability of covering South Arm Pool; and (vi) further examination of the capacity of the proposed facilities.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff provide details of the full consultation plans and report through the General Purposes Committee.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:45 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, June 17, 2013.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Shanan Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Executive Assistant
City Clerk’s Office