November 28, 2023 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Chak Au, Chair
Councillor Michael Wolfe
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Andy Hobbs
Councillor Bill McNulty

Also Present:

Councillor Carol Day

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 October 24, 2023, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

AGENDA ADDITION

It was moved and seconded

That Gilbert Road Farm Update be added to the agenda as Item No. 3A.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

OPPORTUNITY FOR JAPANESE CANADIAN BOAT BUILDER DISPLAY AT BRITANNIA SHIPYARDS

(File Ref. No. 11-7141-01) (REDMS No. 7441423)

Emi Sakamoto, representative of the Sakamoto family, expressed support of the proposed project and shared the importance of telling the story of Japanese boat builders in Steveston, noting that the Japanese Canadian Legacies Fund grant provides a great opportunity for Richmond to tell an important part of its history by creating an authentic and unique experience by telling the story of the Japanese people who built boats and worked in the fishing industry in Richmond from the late 1800s until post-World War 2.

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) to support the anticipated repair work on the Crystal S, the one-year additional level funding for the Shipyard Operations Supervisor position would need to be renewed for the length of the project and should Council support this project, a funding request to extend the term of the Shipyard Operations Supervisor will be brought forward as part of the 2025 budget process, (ii) the exhibit concept, including preferred locations for the vessel display and exhibit, will be refined through the development of the application, and there are potential interior locations for immediate display, such as on the ways in the Britannia Shipyard building, (iii) the Shipyard Operations Supervisor is a new position and the work plan for the position will be determined on an ongoing basis,
(iv) there are currently no full time programming staff at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, (v) the duties of the Shipyard Operations Supervisor will primarily include overseeing restoration, repair, and maintenance of vessels in addition to coordinating some waterfront activities and programming, (vi) they have had preliminary discussions with the administrators of the grant program who are very receptive to this project and they anticipate receiving results of the grant application before summer 2024, and (vii) they are exploring all available avenues for external funding.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That staff be authorized to submit an application to the Japanese Canadian Legacies Fund for up to $400,000 for the creation of a Japanese Canadian Boat Builders Display at Britannia Shipyards as described in the report titled “Opportunity for Japanese Canadian Boat Builder Display at Britannia Shipyards”, dated October 25, 2023, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services;

(2)

That should the funding application be successful, the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Community Services be authorized to execute the agreement on behalf of the City of Richmond with the Japanese Canadian Legacies Fund;

(3)

That should the funding application be successful, the Consolidated Five-Year Financial Plan (2023-2027) be amended accordingly;

(4)

That should the funding application be successful, the Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager, Community Services be authorized to negotiate the terms of the Sakamoto donation, including the Crystal S vessel; and

(5)

That staff report back to Committee with an update in May 2024.

CARRIED

2.

SPORTS FACILITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT – COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION AND SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT UPDATE

(File Ref. No. 11-7000-10-01) (REDMS No. 7405278)

Staff provided an overview of the report, highlighting that staff completed additional consultation on the prioritized list with the community associations and societies that provide recreation programs and services at recreation facilities across Richmond. Through an extensive engagement process with the community associations, support was received from all but one community association and no additional major sports facilities or infrastructure projects were identified, and Richmond Sports Council and the Sports Facilities Task Force reaffirmed their support for the prioritized list.

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) the relative rank of each of the 14 projects remains unchanged and was determined by assessing each project with the Sport Facility Prioritization Framework’s criteria using supporting research, data and information that was gathered about each project, (ii) several significant amenity replacement or improvement projects have been completed or are in progress since this assessment began, including the completed installation of nine pickleball courts, (iii) additional outdoor tennis and basketball courts are currently well provided across the City,
(iv)  the report also includes consideration of the Richmond Tennis Club proposal, and (v) staff have been meeting regularly with the Richmond Rod and Gun Club and Richmond Gymnastics Association regarding their future and potential licence agreement extensions.

It was moved and seconded

That the prioritized sport facility and infrastructure list be received and endorsed in principle for consideration in future corporate facility or park plans as outlined in the staff report titled “Richmond Sports Facility Needs Assessment – Community Association and Society Engagement Update”, dated October 20, 2023, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services.

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding    (i) the prioritized sport facility and infrastructure list, (ii) emerging sports,  (iii) the need for increased facilities in east Richmond, and (iv) the suggestion that all projects be considered as equal priority. Committee requested that staff provide Council with the raw scores matrix for each individual category for each facility, the final scores of each sport facility in priority order, and the number of participants in each group.

In regards to the prioritized list, staff highlighted that (i) the projects that ranked highest are experiencing increasing participation rates, (ii) are demonstrating growth in demand, (iii) are multipurpose in nature, (iv) meet the needs of multiple sport and community groups, (v) and/or may also offer opportunity for unstructured use, benefiting the overall community.

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

It was moved and seconded

That the motion be amended to add:

(2)

That, should opportunities arise, the priority list can be changed; and

(3)

That staff continue to outreach and find opportunities to engage people and groups in emerging sports.

The question on the amendment motion was not called as further discussion ensued.

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) demographics and population growth were included in the weighted criteria that together provided an overall indication of the demonstrated need for a project,
(ii) sports facilities east of No. 6 Road include McLean Park and Hamilton Community Park, offering a range of amenities including basketball and tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and a sports field, (iii) the focus of this report was sport-specific facility needs, and (iv) community associations are also responsible for providing services outside of community centres.

The question on the main motion as amended, which reads as follows:

(1)

That the prioritized sport facility and infrastructure list be received and endorsed in principle for consideration in future corporate facility or park plans as outlined in the staff report titled “Richmond Sports Facility Needs Assessment – Community Association and Society Engagement Update”, dated October 20, 2023, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services;

(2)

That, should opportunities arise, the priority list can be changed; and

(3)

That staff continue to outreach and find opportunities to engage people and groups in emerging sports.

was then called, and it was CARRIED.

3.

GARDEN CITY LANDS SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PROJECT UPDATE

(File Ref. No. 06-2345-20-GCIT1) (REDMS No. 7417777)

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) the City has a contract with a commercial waste management company, GFL, to compost household green waste, which has not been used on KPU's farm, as it does not meet the standards consistent with the farm's certified organic status, (ii) the Environmental Programs department continue to work with GFL to address the concerns related to soil quality concerns, (iii) Environmental Programs staff continue to source other Richmond, Surrey, or Delta farm sites with suitable soil, (iv) leaf collection and composting undergoes a screening process and results in a beneficial soil amendment that is subsequently redistributed back into the park system, (v) the City's on-site annual mowing program has evolved over the years, and (vi) a rare flowering plant, the Vancouver Island Beggarticks, has been identified at several locations throughout the site.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Garden City Lands Soil Management Practices and Project Update”, dated October 27, 2023, from the Director, Park Services be received for information.

CARRIED

3A.

GILBERT ROAD FARM UPDATE

(File Ref. No.)

Staff provided a brief update on the Gilbert Road Farm, noting that the site is leased to KPU Richmond Farm School, operated by KPU’s Institute for Sustainable Food Systems and includes the KPU Orchard, incubator farm, and a research component.

4.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

No. 3 Road Bark Park Community Engagement Process

Staff shared details of the community engagement process regarding the No. 3 Road Bark Park safety enhancements, highlighting that an online survey on Let’s Talk Richmond is available until January 7, 2024, and two public open houses will be taking place on November 28, 2023 at City Hall, and December 2, 2023 at the No. 3 Road Bark Park.

(ii)

Tree Plantings

Staff highlighted various significant tree-planting activities throughout the City this fall, including planting approximately 300 trees at Hamilton Highway Park, 240 trees at Terra Nova Rural Park, and the removal and replanting of approximately 30 trees in the city centre.

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) the removal of the entire roots system is necessary for the new trees to be successful, and (ii) the trees planted at Hamilton Highway Park and Terra Nova Rural Park are mainly deciduous and all native trees, while the trees planted in the city centre area are deciduous, climate adapted species suitable for the environment, with the species chosen specifically for the site conditions. 

(iii)

Richmond Stories Video Series

Staff shared details of the Richmond Stories video series, which launched in January, and tells ten of Richmond’s most compelling and important stories. The videos are shown at the Richmond Museum, Richmond Archives, and other locations throughout the City.

(iv)

 Brighouse Park Bathrooms

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that they will be re-evaluating the use of park ambassadors in the spring.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:16 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, November 28, 2023.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Chak Au
Chair

Shannon Unrau
Legislative Services Associate