March 30, 2016 - Minutes
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Date: |
Wednesday, March 30, 2016 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Councillor Harold Steves, Chair |
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Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
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MINUTES |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee held on February 23, 2016, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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DELEGATIONS |
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1. |
(1) |
Kion Wong, Richmond Lawn Bowling Club, referenced his submission (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1) and spoke on the request by the Richmond Lawn Bowling Club for a new clubhouse. He added that the clubhouse has insufficient space for current members and for hosting large events. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Wong noted that (i) the Richmond Lawn Bowling Club have raised approximately $90,000 towards a new clubhouse, (ii) the lawn remains in good condition, and (iii) funding has not been requested from senior levels of government. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following referral was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That staff examine the feasibility of developing a new clubhouse for the Richmond Lawn Bowling Club and report back. |
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CARRIED |
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(2) |
Discussion ensued with regard to proceeding with the presentation related to the remediation of the farm portion of Mylora Properties. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the item be referred to staff; and |
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(2) |
That Planning staff provide a report on the potential development of the lands formerly occupied by the Mylora Golf Course for the April 5, 2016 Planning Committee meeting. |
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The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued with regard to referring the item back to Planning Committee and staff providing information on the potential development. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Mike Redpath, Senior Manager, Parks, advised that preliminary proposals would develop the Mylora backlands for farming and would be transferred to the City. He added that no applications related to the potential development have been presented to the Committee. |
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Staff were then directed to circulate the report on the proposals related to the Mylora backland soil remediation to Council. |
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Discussion took place regarding the potential development of the front 110 metres of the property and authorizing the remediation of the backlands for agricultural purposes in a timely manner |
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The question on the motion was then called and it was DEFEATED with Cllrs. Day, Johnston and Steves opposed. |
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Brian Dagneault, Dagneault Planning Consultants Ltd. and Bruce McTavish, McTavish Resource and Management Consultants Ltd. were invited to present on the potential remediation of the Mylora backlands. |
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With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), Mr. Dagneault and Mr. McTavish briefed Committee on the potential soil remediation of the Mylora backlands, noting that (i) the size of the site is 20 acres, however 2 acres may be provided for the proposed Highway 99 expansion, (ii) the front 10 acres is proposed for institutional use, (iii) once the backlands are converted to farmland, the land will be transferred to the City, (iv) remediation work requires suitable weather conditions, (v) the developer wishes to inform the City of intentions to pursue remediation work on the backlands allowed under the zoning, and (vi) consultation with staff will be done prior to relocation of top soil on-site. |
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Discussion ensued regarding (i) placing development signage on-site, (ii) potential concerns by Richmond residents on the potential development and (iii) the application process and timeline. |
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It was then requested that the Planning Committee Chair add the potential development of the former Mylora Golf Course to the April 5, 2016 Planning Committee meeting agenda. |
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COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION |
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2. |
Oris Development (River Drive) Corp. Donation of Public Artwork Water #10 |
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Discussion ensued with regard to (i) the proposed location of the artwork donation, Water #10, (ii) the developer’s public art contribution and the costs of the artwork donation, and (iii) the City’s public artwork contribution policies. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Eric Fiss, Public Art Planner, noted that (i) developers may place the artwork within the development site, however are encouraged to locate artwork on public lands, (ii) the total public art voluntary contribution from the developer is approximately $574,000 with approximately $400,000 used to purchase the artwork, (iii) the remaining balance of approximately $148,000 will be allocated by the developer for artwork at Tait Waterfront Park, (iv) the developer has opted to keep Water #10 on-site at the Cambie Pump Station, and (v) developers have the option to provide the public art contribution in the form of art, cash or a combination of art and cash. |
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Jane Fernyhough, Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, advised that the developer has chosen to purchase the artwork as part of the public art contribution and that the City has the option to refuse the artwork donation. |
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Discussion ensued with regard to options to allocate developer public art contributions towards affordable housing and Cathryn Volkering Carlile, General Manager, Community Services, noted that staff will respond to a referral to examine affordable housing contributions from developments. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the donation of the artwork Water #10 by Oris Development (River Drive) Corp. to the City of Richmond, as presented in the report from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, titled “Oris Development (River Drive) Corp. Donation of Public Artwork Water #10”, dated February 25, 2016, be approved. |
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DEFEATED |
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3. |
Polygon Development 273 Ltd. (Kingsley Estates) Donation of Public Artwork Spirit of Steveston |
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Discussion ensued with regard to (i) the suitability of the artwork for the site, (ii) accessibility of public art to all residents, and (iii) the public art contribution from the developer. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Fiss noted that the artwork will be placed on the City-owned entry plaza, accessible from No. 2 Road and added that the artwork was designed for the former site of Steveston High School. Mr. Redpath further noted that public consultation was done with respect to the public artwork. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the donation by Polygon Development 273 Ltd. (Kingsley Estates) of the artwork Spirit of Steveston to the City of Richmond, as presented in the report from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, titled “Polygon Development 273 Ltd. (Kingsley Estates) Donation of Public Artwork Spirit of Steveston”, dated March 4, 2016, be approved. |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
Richmond Heritage Update 2015 |
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With the aid of a video presentation (copy on-file, City Clerk’s Office), Connie Baxter, Supervisor, Museum and Heritage Services, and Sheila Hill, Exhibit and Program Coordinator, reviewed 2015 activities, noting that staff can provide an annual update and that the video presentation was edited by the Richmond Media Lab. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the Richmond Heritage Update 2015 as presented in the staff report titled “Richmond Heritage Update 2015” from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage dated March 8, 2016 be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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5. |
MANAGER’S REPORT |
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(i) |
Racquetball and Squash Courts at South Arm Community Centre |
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David Ince, Manager, Community Recreation Services, noted that staff are examining options to install a removable wall in the South Arm Community Centre to simultaneously accommodate squash and racquetball use, as a result of feedback from players. He added that the City will partner with the South Arm Community Association to advocate for Federal funding for the potential upgrade. |
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(ii) |
Britannia Shipyard Site |
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Dee Bowley-Cowan, Britannia Site Supervisor, advised that staff are in the process of preparing the site for public visits and anticipates that the whole site will be open in the coming week. |
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(iii) |
Garden City Lands Update |
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Jamie Esko, Manager, Park Planning and Design, and Kevin Connery, Research Planner 2, provided a revised schedule (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 2), and updated Committee on the Garden City Lands (GCL) project, highlighting (i) the preliminary work done on water and trail element design, (ii) the consultation process, (iii) the upcoming stakeholder meetings, and (iv) the approval process. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Ms. Esko noted that some elements within the GCL, such as the perimeter trail may be considered non-farm use in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and require an application to Agricultural Land Commission. She added that staff can examine options to utilize park elements that would be permitted under the ALR. |
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Discussion ensued with regard to the input provided at the March 15, 2016, public information session. Ms. Esko noted that the public information session was well attended and the input stakeholders provided covered a broad range of topics. She added that the two upcoming information sessions will be open to the public. |
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Mr. Connery briefed Committee on the GCL’s hydrological structure and offered comments on options to provide drainage and irrigation to the site. |
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Discussion ensued with regard to the GCL’s soil composition and utilizing rain water to irrigate the site. |
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Dr. Rebecca Harbut, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), referenced her submission (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 3), and offered comments on the GCL’s Farm Management Plan and KPU’s role in farm development. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Redpath noted that staff will be making the recommendation to increase KPU’s farm allocation to 20 acres and an agreement to farm the site is in process. |
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Discussion ensued with respect to (i) expediting the timeline to initiate farming on the GCL, (ii) examining a phased or concurrent approach to soil remediation for farming, and (iii) the cost of soil remediation. |
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(iv) |
Nature Preschool Registration |
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Mr. Ince, advised that the Nature Preschool will be accepting student registrations in the coming weekend. He added that due to high demand, parents are expected to line up overnight to secure registration and that washrooms will be available. He further noted that for future registrations, staff and the Thompson Community Association will review alternative registration methods, such as a lottery or online registration. |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (5:25 p.m.). |
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CARRIED |
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Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. |
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Councillor Harold Steves |
Evangel Biason |