September 28, 2021 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Harold Steves, Chair (via videoconference)
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Linda McPhail 
Councillor Michael Wolfe (via videoconference)

Absent:

Councillor Chak Au

Also Present:

Councillor Carol Day 
Councillor Andy Hobbs (via videoconference) 
Councillor Alexa Loo (via videoconference)

Call to Order:

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

AGENDA ADDITIONS & DELETIONS

It was moved and seconded

(1)

Tree Planting at Britannia Heritage Shipyards be added to the agenda as Item 4a;

(2)

That Sports Council Facility Task Force be added to the agenda as Item 4b;

(3)

That Richmond Outdoor Court Usage be added to the agenda as Item 4c;

(4)

That Strawberry Boat be added to the agenda as Item 4d;

(5)

That Skateboarding in the City be added to the agenda as Item 4e, and;

(6)

That Odlinwood Park Trail be added to the agenda as Item 4f.

CARRIED

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee held on July 20, 2021, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

October 26, 2021, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

DELEGATION

1.

Phil Carlson, President of the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site Society, Bruce Rozenhart, and Loren Slye reported (i) on April 28, 2021, Council approved a staff recommendation that the Britannia Shipyards and the Society begin a pilot project regarding the operation of the docks of Imperial Landing and Britannia Shipyards, (ii) there have been discussions with City staff regarding the hiring of dedicated staff to manage the docks and other waterfront issues, (iii) the Society would contribute revenue from the dock operations to support the position, and (iv) the Society is requesting the City create a Waterfront Coordinator position to manage waterfront activities.

In reply to queries from the Committee, Mr. Carlson advised (i) a range of $25-$30 per hour was suggested for a qualified candidate, (ii) similar positions exist in other marinas in BC, and (iii) a full-time position would attract more qualified applicants.

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised they will work through the process of job evaluation to determine the appropriate rate.

Discussion ensued on the possibility of creating the Waterfront Coordinator position prior to including it in the 2022 budget.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff:

(1)

Consider the options to provide a position for a Waterfront Manager at Britannia Shipyards and Imperial Landing; and

(2)

Report back in six weeks.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency 
(File Ref. No. 11-7000-09-01) (REDMS No. 6729192)

Anthony Meza-Wilson, Managing Director, and Glenn Alteen, Co-Founder, Blue Cabin, reported (i) Blue Cabin is a unique heritage project, (ii) the cabin was remodeled and is currently housing historic displays, and (iii) funds are requested to move the Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency.

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) $5,000 is requested from the pre-approved public art capital budget for the costs of moving the barge, (ii) river bottom silt would have no impact on operations, and (iii) the bedroom will be repurposed for the program and not used as a bedroom.

In reply to queries from the Committee, Mr. Alteen advised it may be costly to move the structure to other locations.

It was moved and seconded

That the Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency proposal as detailed in the staff report titled, "Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency” dated August 11, 2021, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, be endorsed.

CARRIED

2.

Summer Program Update 2021 
(File Ref. No. 11-7000-01) (REDMS No. 6735530)

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) where there are some small program declines, they are the result of COVID-19 health orders and capacity restrictions, (ii) attendance increases are attributed to waiting lists from cancelled 2020 programs, (iii) a resurgence in health activities and the movement to outdoor activities mitigated capacity restrictions, and (iv) racquet sports camps are included in the day camp statistics.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled, “Summer Program Update 2021”, dated August 30, 2021, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Garden City Lands Update 
(File Ref. No. 06-2345-20-GCIT1) (REDMS No. 6741699)

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) a non-farm use application subject to Agricultural Land Commission (ALR) approval- as the proposed Kwantlen Barn is proposed to include uses for delivering educational programs, (ii) a workshop on the Garden City Lands is expected, and (iii) no peat land will be affected by the Kwantlen proposal.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Garden City Lands Project Update,” dated September 8, 2021, from the Director, Park Services be received for information.

CARRIED

AGENDA ADDITIONS

4a.

Tree Planting at Britannia HERITAGE Shipyards

Discussion ensued on (i) the history of the Britannia Heritage Shipyards landscape, (ii) the proposal to plant 215 trees to honour the unmarked graves discovered on the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School which was received by Council, and (iii) the suggestion that these trees and shrubs could be planted at Britannia.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff’s work on a related referral motion, carried at the Regular Council meeting of September 27, 2021, to collaborate with the Richmond Youth Education Centre on its tree planting proposal and other programs, include consideration of planting native tree species and shrubs at the Britannia Heritage Shipyards.

CARRIED

4b.

Sports Council Facility Task Force

In reply to a query from the Committee, staff advised McLean Park or King George Park are not identified as sites for future sport amenities such as soccer fields or baseball diamonds.

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

It was moved and seconded

That East Richmond and Hamilton areas be included as potential sites for sport amenities in the Sports Council Facility Priorities Task Force.

CARRIED

4c.

RichmoNd outdoor Court Usage

In reply to a query from the Committee, staff advised that additional signage was placed on all tennis and pickleball courts to assist in communication regarding rules and requirements for usage and further signage can be considered for lacrosse boxes.

4d.

Strawberry BOAT

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) the City owns the vessel and renovated it to support the maintenance of the facility, and (ii) it is available for use by the Society members.

4e

SKateboarding in the city

In reply to a query from the Committee, staff advised that there are ongoing discussions with skateboard park users about facilities in the city.

4f

OdlinWood Park Trail multi use pathway

In reply to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) the multi-use pathway is not part of Odlinwood Park, (ii) the pathway was approved as an engineering project, (iii) there is no impact to environmentally sensitive areas, and (iv) a memorandum will be provided by staff to provide background on how the land was acquired and designated.

5.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

National Seniors Day, Friday, October 1, 2021

Richmond is celebrating National Seniors Day with a variety of free and low cost virtual and in-person activities. The City is coordinating a positive aging campaign that aims to reduce ageism and existing stereotypes.

(ii)

Artificial Turf Memo Update

Staff are currently working with soccer organizations to resolve outstanding scheduling conflicts.

(iii)

Culture Days

Staff reported that (i) there will be 55 cultural events across Richmond both online and in-person.

(iv)

Richmond Art Gallery

Richmond Art Gallery is hosting two free live-streamed events on October 16, 2021 and October 30, 2021.

(v)

Community Mural Program

The community mural program received 38 artist submissions and 10 applications from property owners.

(vi)

Richmond Museum Feature Exhibit – Re-inventing Richmond

The exhibit opened on September 25, 2021.

(vii)

Richmond Rotary Hospice 20^th Anniversary

An anniversary event showcasing their work is planned for October 1, 2021.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:03 p.m.).

CARRIED

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 Tuesday, September 28, 2021.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Harold Steves
Chair

Debbie Reimer
Recording Secretary