MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, June 21^st, 2006, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to beheld on Wednesday, September 20^th, 2006 (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

POLICIES / STRATEGIES (0 ITEMS)

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DECISIONS / ACTIONS (3 ITEMS)

ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

3.

HAMILTON AND SEA ISLAND FIRE HALL REPLACEMENTS – INCREASED SCOPE OF WORK

(Report:  June 29/06, File No.:  06-2052-25-FHHA1; 2052-25-FHSI1/Vol 01) (REDMS No. 1989634)

The Manager, Facilities Planning & Construction, David Naysmith, advised in response to questions, that if the pre-ducting was not installed, the City would be waiting considerably longer for BC Hydro to install the duct work, which would delay completion of the construction of the fire halls even more.  He added that the City had had no prior knowledge of the new service requirements initiated BC Hydro and Telus.

Reference was made to the possibility that a portion of the cost could be recovered from future third party development.  Information was provided that although there was very little opportunity for expansion at either site, there could be future development by the airport on Sea Island, while at Hamilton, the potential existed for housing to proceed along the north part of the old part of Westminster Highway.

Discussion took place briefly, with the Chair commenting that it was her understanding that the City was not prepared to accept this service in the future because of anticipated huge costs to projects, which would be a benefit to the utility company but not necessarily the City.  In response, staff confirmed that this assumption was correct.

It was moved and seconded

That funding of $100,000 be authorized from the 2006 Public Works Minor Capital and $50,000 from the 2006 Building Improvements Minor Capital for the BC Hydro and Telus pre-ducting site work at the Hamilton and Sea Island Fire Hall projects.

CARRIED

PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

4.

ILLEGAL DUMPING

(Report:  June 28/06, File No.:  12-8060-20-8100/8101) (REDMS No. 1735796, 1993260, 1996425)

The Manager, Fleet & Environmental Programs, Suzanne Bycraft, briefly reviewed the report with the Committee.

In response to questions, she advised that the cost to remove illegally dumped material from City property had been kept in line with the budget for the present time, however, she anticipated that this could not be maintained because the contractor was losing money every time the illegal material was collected.

Discussion ensued among Committee members and staff, with comments being made about the increase in the amount of illegal dumping taking place throughout the City.  Questions were raised about whether City staff, during their regular shifts, identified areas where illegal dumping had occurred.  In response, Sub-Foreman John Welch came forward and provided information on the process which was in place to deal with those areas which had been identified by staff.  Information was also provided on the steps taken in an effort to identify the person responsible for the illegal dumping and to pursue cost recovery with that individual.

Also addressed during the discussion was the issue of illegal dumping on commercial properties and the expenses faced by the owners of these properties to have the illegally dumped material removed.  Comments were made during the discussion about the need to address this issue, possibly in a manner similar to the way in which the City dealt with the towing of vehicles from private property.

Reference was made to the amount of the fine to be charged, and a question was raised as to whether there was a range of fines, as suggested in Recommendation No. 4.  Advice was given however that the fine was increasing from $100 to $1,000, and the suggestion was made that the recommendation be amended to delete the words ‘from $100’ to make the recommendation clearer.  As a result, the following amended motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Bylaw No. 8100, which amends Solid Waste and Recycling Regulation Bylaw 6803 to provide a recovery mechanism for costs associated with clean up and disposal of illegally dumped materials on City property, be introduced and given first three readings.

(2)

That a reward of $200 be offered to the general public for information leading to the conviction of individuals who undertake illegal dumping.

(3)

That the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP and the Community Bylaws Department be requested to undertake additional enforcement and surveillance of illegal dumping activity.

(4)

That Bylaw 8101, which amends Municipal Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw 7321 to add ticketing authority by a police officer and increases the fine for depositing or dumping garbage to $1,000, be introduced and given first three readings.

CARRIED

It was moved and seconded

That staff investigate the feasibility of addressing illegal dumping on commercial properties (in a manner similar to the towing of vehicles from private properties) within the Solid Waste & Recycling Bylaw.

CARRIED

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

5.

CITY CENTRE COMMUNITY SHUTTLE – PROPOSED SERVICE PLAN

(Report:  June 26/06, File No.:  10-6480-04-01/2006-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 1882778)

The Director, Transportation, Victor Wei, introduced Mr. Matt Craig, of Coast Mountain Bus Company, who had provided valuable assistance in the development of the proposed service plan.  Mr. Wei then reviewed, with the aid of a site plan, the proposed route, and provided information on the proposed frequency of service.

Discussion then took place among Committee members and staff, during which the Chair questioned whether environmentally (fuel) friendly buses could be used on the route instead of diesel buses.  She asked that Richmond be considered for any upcoming fuel friendly pilot projects which TransLink and Coast Mountain might be considering for the future.  In response, information was provided by Mr. Craig on a pilot project being undertaken by TransLink with regard to the different options which might be available to move towards alternative fuels.

Also addressed in greater detail was the proposed frequency of the shuttle service, and possible revisions to the route if the north half of the route did not have the ridership needed to maintain that portion of the route.  Information was provided that the route would be monitored and that adjustments were expected in the future.  A comment was made about the possibility that users of the shuttle service may park their vehicles in local shopping centres adjacent to the route, and a question was raised as to whether the owners of the local shopping centres had been informed of the implementation of the new service.  Advice was given that stakeholders along the route had been advised about the implementation of this new initiative.

Reference was made to concerns expressed by the Chair for fuel friendly buses in the City, and the suggestion was made that the staff recommendation be amended to address that concern.  As a result, the following amended motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the proposed transit service plan of the City Centre Community Shuttle scheduled for implementation in December 2006 by TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company be endorsed with the use of sections of Saba Road, Buswell Street, Westminster Highway, Minoru Boulevard, Alderbridge Way, Hazelbridge Way, Sexsmith Road, Great Canadian Way, River Road, and No. 3 Road as part of the proposed routing of this new community shuttle service.

(2)

That TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company be requested to implement the following enhancements to the new City Centre Community Shuttle service as soon as practically feasible:

(a)

addition of a second vehicle to allow a 30-minute frequency on the entire route;

(b)

extension of service hours to later in the evening and to Sundays and public holidays; and

(c)

the use of alternate fuel shuttle buses as a long term objective for this service.

CARRIED

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INFORMATION / AWARENESS (0 ITEMS)

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6.

PARKING AT LONDON HERITAGE FARM

Cllr. Chen voiced concern about the lack of sufficient parking at London Heritage Farm, and questioned whether the existing parking lot could be expanded.  As a result, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That staff contact the Board of Directors of London Heritage Farm regarding parking options.

CARRIED

7.

POSSIBLE STOP SIGN IN THE BAMBERTON DRIVE/WATERTON DRIVE AREA

It was moved and seconded

That staff examine the feasibility of placing a stop sign in the Bamberton Drive/Waterton Drive area.

CARRIED

8.

MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Wei advised that ICBC had approved grants to the City in the amount of $120,000 for road projects, and stated that a memorandum would be forthcoming on where the funds would be expended.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:39 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, July 19^th, 2006.

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Councillor Linda Barnes
Chair

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