MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, November 23^rd, 2005, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Wednesday, January 18^th, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

POLICIES / STRATEGIES (0 ITEMS)

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DECISIONS / ACTIONS (1 ITEM)

ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

3.

NO. 3 ROAD WALKWAY: STEVESTON HIGHWAY TO THE SOUTH DYKE

(Report:  Nov. 30/05, File No.:  6360-12-01) (REDMS No. 1675311)

(Cllr. Chen entered the meeting – 4:01 p.m.)

In response to questions, the Manager, Engineering Design & Construction, Jim Young, advised that construction of the walkway would not result in the delay of any other capital program projects.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Mr. Milan Ilich’s contribution of up to $100,000 for construction of a walkway on No. 3 Road between Steveston Highway and the South Dyke, be accepted.

(2)

That a walkway be constructed along the east side of No. 3 Road between Steveston Highway and the South Dyke.

Prior to the question being called, the Chair expressed her thanks to Mr. Ilich and to staff for making the project possible.

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

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INFORMATION / AWARENESS (0 ITEMS)

At the request of the Chair, the General Manager, Engineering & Public Works, Jeff Day, introduced the following staff members who were in attendance to Committee:

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the Acting Director of Transportation – Victor Wei

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the Manager, Engineering Design & Construction - Jim Young

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the Director of Engineering – Robert Gonzalez

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the Manager, Water Services – Steve McClurg

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the Manager, Facilities Planning & Construction – David Naysmith

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the Manager, Engineering Planning – Siu Tse

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Project Engineer, Design and Construction – Roland Zwaag

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the Manager, Engineering & Public Works Administration – Nikii Hoglund;

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Transportation Planner Joan Caravan; and

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the Acting Director, Operations/Director of Parks Operations, Dave Semple.

The Chair then introduced the members of the Committee.

The Chair provided information on a Notice of Motion which had been received regarding a “Surtax on Imported Bicycles”, and as a result, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the Notice of Motion (submitted to Vancouver City Council on October 4^th, 2005) regarding a possible surtax on imported bicycles, be referred to staff for comment.

(Cllr. Dang entered the meeting – 4:05 p.m.)

Prior to the question on the motion being called, information was provided that staff were currently preparing a report on this matter, and would be reporting to the Committee in mid-January, 2006.

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

4.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(a)

Mr. Naysmith referred to a report dealt with by Committee in September, 2005, regarding ‘HVAC Energy Savings at Watermania’, and advised that the Canada/British Columbia Infrastructure Program had approved the transfer of the grant, in the amount of $66,000, to a new HVAC project for Watermania.

(b)

Mr. Young reported that City would again be participating in the annual Cambie Career Fair, with a good volunteer turnout for the event.

He also announced that the Greater Vancouver Regional District, on December 7^th, 2005, released an announcement about the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), and as part of this announcement, recognized the City as being one of the first to use this surveying system, which is the leading edge in innovative technology.

(c)

Victor Wei announced that the TransLink Board of Directors had approved the 2006 transportation plan, which would result in improvements being made to a number of transit routes in the City.

In response to questions, Mr. Wei also provided information on the “Travel Smart” program, the purpose of which was to encourage people to travel by bus instead of using their vehicles.  

Discussion then took place between Cllr. Howard and Mr. Wei regarding the question of whether any provision had been made in the Richmond stations of the Canada Line for retail stores.  He expressed concern that the drawings which he had viewed at a recent open house, had not contained this provision.  As a result, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That staff report to Committee at the earliest opportunity with regard to the provision of retail space at the Richmond Canada Line stations.

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion continued on this issue, and the rationale for RAVCO opting not to include the option for retail stores because it was deemed to be a hostile environment.  Comments were made during the discussion that the addition of retail services would help to increase passenger safety. 

Questions were also raised about the safety initiatives which would be implemented to ensure the safety of the stations; and whether a number of stations would have integrated developments or be ‘stand alone’.  Clarification was provided during the discussion that it was not necessary to have retail stores in place at the time of the opening of the stations, but simply to ensure that the stubs for water, power, etc., were available.

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

Discussion continued briefly on this matter, with the Chair requesting that staff make a presentation to bring the Committee up to date on certain issues which had arisen with regard to the Richmond portion of the Canada Line.  Mr. Wei advised that he would inform the Manager, Major Projects, Greg Scott, of the Chair’s request.  Also addressed was the action being taken by staff regarding the impact of the elevated line on the Radisson Hotel.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:26 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, December 14^th, 2005.

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Councillor Linda Barnes
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant, City Clerk’s Office