MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

 2.

Committee requested that the Public Works and Transportation meeting tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, 2009 be cancelled. Staff responded that any urgent reports coming forward could be included in the General Purposes meeting.

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

3.

MUNICIPAL ACCESS AGREEMENT WITH ROGERS CABLE COMMUNICATIONS INC.

(File Ref. No.:  10-6060-01/2009) (REDMS No. 2729028)

In response to queries, Siu Tse, Manager, Engineering Planning, provided the following information:

·        

regarding automatic renewal of the Municipal Access Agreement (MAA), in order to ensure the rates are up to date, there is a mechanism to negotiate but there are limitations;

·        

the criteria in the contract that requires the applicant to assume all environmental liability for incurred hazardous substances is a similar inclusion of other City of Richmond MAA’s; 

·        

staff is currently working on agreements with Teresen Gas, among others, and will work on similar agreements with new companies as they arise; and

·        

Richmond is consulted regularly by other municipalities regarding MAAs, and use the City of Richmond MAA format as templates for their own agreements.

It was moved and seconded

That the General Manager, Engineering & Public Works be authorized to negotiate, enter into and execute a Municipal Access Agreement between the City of Richmond and Rogers Cable Communications Inc.

CARRIED

4.

SENIOR GOVERNMENT 2009 INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT AWARDS

(File Ref. No.:  ) (REDMS No. 2751561)

John Irving, Director, Engineering, and Amarjeet Rattan, Director, Intergovernmental Relations, responded to queries and advised that:

·        

staff continues to search for additional grant opportunities;

·        

grants identified in the staff report are largely allocated for programs in 2009 and 2010, but that there may be additional future funding available to support current projects;

·        

most of the funding is sourced from joint provincial and federal reserves, and are subject to a March fiscal year deadline; and

·        

the success of the grant program has been communicated to the public through a variety of mediums, including press releases, shovel turning ceremonies that were well covered by news agencies, and signage programs which display information about a specific project.

Committee congratulated staff for their success in obtaining grants.

It was moved and seconded

That Council receive the Senior Government 2009 Infrastructure Grant Awards staff report, which details senior government 2009 infrastructure grant awards to the City, for information.

CARRIED

5.

ORGANICS COLLECTION PROGRAM

(File Ref. No.:  10-6370-10-01/2009) (REDMS No. 2736180)

Suzanne Bycraft, Manager, Fleet & Environmental Programs, provided background information and stated that the financial impact of the Organics Collection Program, as outlined in the staff report, is largely due to the increased collection time associated with handling multiple containers and heavier paper bags or carts, compared to plastic bags.

Discussion ensued regarding the benefits of Option 1 and the potential of adding in the future some of the components of the other Options outlined in the staff report.

In response to queries regarding a public education  program, staff indicated that $25,000 has been identified as part of the cost associated with an educational component and that there is a base budget for communication and outreach measures.

A brief discussion took place between staff and Committee with regard to the benefits of using wooden utensils versus the plastic cutlery currently used at City Hall.

Further discussion ensued regarding the Organics Collection Program implementation and the importance of a public education program. The following points were made:  (i) there could be an increase in vermin as a result of improperly stored organic material; (ii) there is a wide range of materials that can be recycled that the public may not be aware of; and (iii)  the inclusion of toxic material with organic material, such as medications and batteries, could be problematic.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

 food waste organics be added to the City of Richmond’s recycling program as outlined in Option 1 of the staff report from the Manager, Fleet & Environmental Programs;

(2)

 the additional estimated 2010 cost of $640,000 be funded from the sanitation and recycling provision account;

(3)

the annual cost be included in the 2011 base level budget submission;

(4)

the General Manager, Engineering & Public Works be authorized to execute an amendment to Contract T.2988, Residential Garbage and Recycling Collection Services, effective April 1, 2010 to:

(a)

add food waste organics collection to the scope of work,

(b)

extend the term of the contract to December 31, 2014,

(c)

include an annual inflation rate of 3%,

(d)

change the collection starting time to 7:30 a.m.,

(e)

eliminate the yard waste processing components of the contract; and

(5)

 the City of Richmond participate in the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District service agreement for food waste organics and yard waste processing.

CARRIED

6.

TRAFFIC BYLAW NO. 5870, AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 8555 – ‘SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL ON SUNDAYS’, AND UPDATE ON 2009/2010 SNOW RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS

(File Ref. No.:  10-6360-13/2009, 12-8060-20-8555) (REDMS No. 2747869, 2749900)

Tom Stewart, Director, Public Works Operations introduced Dan Mooney, Manager of Roads and Construction. With the aid of visuals Mr. Mooney illustrated both the existing and the proposed Snow Removal Routes.

In response to queries staff advised that an educational program regarding snow response preparedness, focussing on prevention and preparation, is currently being launched, and includes information on the following:  (i) snow tires; (ii)  trip planning;  (iii) alternate modes of transportation, such as public transit;  (iv) contact information for the Snow Angels volunteer snow removal program;  (v) contact information of private snow removal services; and (vi) links to live cam sites located outside of the City of Richmond to assist drivers in route planning.

Committee queried whether statics could be provided regarding the number of calls from the public regarding the Snow Angels program. Staff advised that this would be investigated, but added that there are many instances taking place outside of the City process that are not statistically captured.

Queries were made of staff regarding the issue of liquid brine versus rock salt application to roads during winter road conditions.  Staff advised that liquid brine is superior to rock salt for the following reasons:  (i) it adherers to the road longer; (ii) can be sprayed uniformly; (iii) can be sprayed in advance as a preventative measure; (iv) is environmentally friendly as less salt is released into the environment;  and (v)  that it is more cost effective.

The Chair requested that an update from staff be provided regarding the Emergency Shelter, including the anticipated opening date.

In response to queries from a Committee member regarding a pedestrian fatality at the intersection of Gilbert and Blundell, staff advised that they are awaiting details of the incident and once this is received from ICBC the matter of potentially installing a crosswalk at this location will be addressed.  Staff also advised that this matter will be added to the next regular meeting between staff and ICBC. 

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

Traffic Bylaw No. 5870, Amendment Bylaw No. 8555 be introduced and given first, second and third readings; and

(2)

staff include public promotion and awareness of the revisions to the Traffic Bylaw No. 5870, expanding the requirements to clear snow from sidewalks on Sundays, as part of the corporate communications strategy on winter preparedness.

CARRIED

11.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

New Director of Public Works Operations

Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, introduced Tom Stewart and announced that he has been awarded the position of Director of Public Works Operations.

(ii)

Flood Protection Management

John Irving provided a brief update on the status of flood protection management in light of the recent weather events of heavy rain, and added that there are on-going improvements to the infrastructure and operations-side, and that the long-term Flood Protection Strategy is a key component in current flood management success.

Tom Stewart provided information regarding preventative measure strategies and tools the City uses regarding flood management, such as working in conjunction with the tides and consulting a contracted meteorologist, and reported that recent improvements to the flood protection infrastructure were made possible due the Flood Protection Strategy approved by Council. 

Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, added that the height of the tide water levels this year was noted to be the highest seen in many years, and that the City is actively monitoring the impact that climate change might have on the City.

(ii)

Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project Update

John Irving, Director, Engineering, provided an update on the progress of the Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project undertaken by the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC) and made the following points:

·            

the environmental assessment process has begun, including stakeholder meetings;

·            

staff reiterated Council’s resolution of June 8, 2009, regarding options that do not include an off-loading facility on the south arm of the Fraser River;

·            

the Federal Environmental Assessment personnel confirmed the opportunity for them to broaden the assessment process to include other options;

·            

the VAFFC is undergoing the final approvals process for the fuel tank and staff was assured the process will be addressed prior to final installation of the tank;

·            

YVR has applied for a building permit and as part of that application has asked Richmond Fire-Rescue to comment on the proposed shared coverage between their fire services and RFR; and

·            

though a solution is still being sought regarding on-site fuel storage, options that will lead to a solution are being considered.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:37 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, November 18, 2009.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Linda Barnes

Chair

Susan Steeves

Committee Clerk