Date:

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Harold Steves, Chair

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt, Vice-Chair

Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt

Councillor Ken Johnston

Councillor Bill McNulty

Mayor Malcolm Brodie (left meeting at 5:08 p.m.)

Also Present:

Councillor Linda Barnes

Councillor Greg Halsey-Brandt (left meeting at 6:15 p.m.)

Call to Order:

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

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee held on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

DELEGATIONS

Catherine Knaus, Associate Vice President, Ipsos Reid was to delegate on the results of the 2010 Recreation & Physical Fitness Survey but was not able to attend.

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

1.

2011 RICHMOND TALL SHIPS MARITIME FESTIVAL OPERATIONAL PLAN

(File Ref. No.:  11-7400-20-TALL1/2010-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 2850364 v8)

Cathryn Volkering Carlile, General Manager of Community Services, and Dave Semple, General Manager of Parks and Recreation, through visual aids, and a power point presentation attached as Schedule 1 to these minutes, provided an overview of the operational plan, and advised the following:

·         

in terms of securing funding and ships for the event it is critical that key decisions be made soon to allow festival plans to move forward;

·         

ticket prices and the transit component of the tickets are still under review;

·         

the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) is assisting the City in  recruiting ships, and the guaranteed number of ships is still to be determined;

·         

the City is exploring at least two government funding grants: Marquee Tourism Events Program (MTEP) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRDC);

·         

an important attribute of the festival site is to promote pedestrian flow via pedestrian paths and hop-on/hop-off ferry service; and

·         

if the festival date is moved from June to August, the appearance of some vessels might be cancelled as a result.

Discussion ensued and Susan Archibald, President, Suda Solutions, Ltd., and Robin Wilson, Senior Partner, Whitewater Communications, provided the following information:

·         

it is important to move forward with event plans in order to secure sponsorship dollars as this process involves marketing plans that tend to be activated a year or so in advance of the event;

·         

charging volunteers a fee is a contentious issue, but is a growing trend in order to secure volunteer commitment;

·         

children’s entertainment at the event would be provided by a supplier  for a fixed fee, and would cover a range in age between approximately 3 years to teenagers;

·         

it is hoped that Steveston businesses will participate as community supporters in which they would pay a sponsorship fee; businesses in the greater Richmond area will also be approached to participate in the program;

·         

ship boarding and the issue of line-ups will be managed by a leader-led group model used in Victoria, where docents lead a group on and off of the ships at regular intervals;

·         

the budget for the event is flexible, depending on sponsorship and government funding commitments;

·         

contracted consultants hired by the City would also become sponsors subject to a fee, and would be responsible for securing and managing all contracts as well as assuming all risks, and the City would take a percentage of revenues generated;

·         

the public would be charged a fee to gain access to the event site, and an additional fee to board the ships; and

·         

the demand on staff resources and the number of contracted consultants is yet to be determined.

Graham Turnbull, Chair of the Steveston Harbour Authority (SHA), expressed full support for the event, but noted that Garry Point is out of SHA jurisdiction.

Peter Mitchell, a Richmond resident, suggested that the following be  explored:  fees charged on the day the ships arrive; parking fees as a source of revenue for the event; secured sponsorship from Steveston businesses; and, controlled waterside access and viewing of the ships in harbour. He did not support charging volunteers a fee for volunteering.

Loren Slye, Director, Steveston Community Society, expressed support for a permanent docking structure at Garry Point in order to accommodate future endeavours that may benefit the community, and expressed interest in the fee charged to volunteers and value added packages that may be offered.

Tracey Lakeman, Tourism Richmond, noted that Tourism Richmond volunteers who were required to provide a post-dated cheque for uniforms valued at over $200 were all successful in completing their volunteer obligations.  Further, Ms. Lakeman remarked that Tourism Richmond will support the Tall Ships event with marketing initiatives for all key markets identified in the staff report, and that this event is a great opportunity to showcase Steveston and Richmond as a whole.

Jim Lamond, Chair of the Richmond Sports Council, expressed concern  about charging volunteers a fee to volunteer.

During discussion, Committee members were of the opinion that the proposed agreement should be brought back to Council prior to execution, and that the volunteer fees component of the Revenue Projections noted in the staff report required further discussion.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

Richmond be approved as a host port city for the 2011 Richmond Tall Ships Maritime Festival;

(2)

the final Agreement, and any related agreements or documentation to give effect to the Agreement, with the American Sail Training Association for the hosting of the 2011 Tall Ships be brought back to Council prior to execution;

(3)

the 2011 Richmond Tall Ships Maritime Festival Draft Operational Plan, as described in Attachment 1 of the report Tall Ships 2011 Operational Plan from the General Manager, Parks and Recreation and the General Manager, Community Services be endorsed; and

(4)

$500,000 from the 2009 Operational Surplus be considered for the implementation of the Richmond Tall Ships 2011 Operational Plan with further discussion of the volunteer fees component at a later date.

CARRIED

PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

2.

TALL SHIPS INFRASTRUCTURE

(File Ref. No.:  11-7400-20-TALL!) (REDMS No. 2851224v3)

Dave Semple, General Manager of Parks and Recreation, noted the purpose of the staff report was to provide Committee with information on the Waterfront Reserve Fund and waterfront improvements which have already been completed in support of hosting the 2011 Tall Ships Maritime Festival. Options for additional waterfront improvements were also provided.

It was moved and seconded

That $550,000 from the Waterfront Reserve Fund in the 2010 Capital Budget be approved for expenditure to support the 2011 Tall Ships Maritime Festival.

CARRIED

2A.

NEW BUSINESS

(i)

Hamilton Community Centre – Non-commercial Stove

A Committee member introduced the following referral:

It was moved and seconded

That staff investigate and report back on the feasibility of installing a non-commercial stove in Hamilton Community Centre.

CARRIED

(ii)

Community Garden – Paulik Park

A Committee member asked that a staff update be provided on the community garden plots for Paulik Park, and suggested that a full neighbourhood consultation take place before decisions are made.

Accordingly, the following referral was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That staff investigate and provide a written report at the next Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee meeting on the most appropriate location for community garden plots in Paulik Park, 7620 Heather Street, and that a map be provided indicating land subsequently purchased since the initial garden plan was drawn up.

CARRIED

(iii)

Mid-Island Dyke

In response to a query from Committee, staff advised that work on the Mid-Island Dyke continues, with a slight delay as staff awaits delivery of equipment.  Work is expected to conclude by the end of August, 2010.

(iv)

Richmond Olympic Business Office

As requested, staff will investigate the rezoning sign posted outside of the Richmond Olympic Business Office and report back.

(v)

Playground Swings

As requested, staff will investigate and report back on the feasibility of installing secure tot-swings in City Centre parks, including school ground parks, and will investigate cost sharing with the Richmond Board of Education.

3.

MANAGERS’ REPORTS

(i)

Bike Race in Steveston

Mr. Semple reported that the Steveston Community Society has been working with Cycling BC to host a race in Steveston on August 15, 2010.  The same race was held in Gastown last year.

(ii)

Arts, Culture and HeritageEvents

Jane Fernyhough, Director, Arts, Culture & Heritage Services provided the following updates:  In Transition: New Art from India opens May 1, 2010 at the Richmond Art Gallery; Doors Open Richmond, an annual intercultural arts, cultural and heritage festival, occurs as a two-day city-wide celebration May 1-2. 2010; and, the 8th Annual Richmond Delta Regional Heritage Fair celebrates Canadian history and heritage with student projects on display April 30, 2010 at the Richmond Cultural Centre & Plaza.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (6:50 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Harold Steves

Chair

Susan Steeves

Committee Clerk