February 19, 2014 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Linda Barnes, Chair
Councillor Chak Au

Councillor Derek Dang (entered at 4:02 p.m.)
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Harold Steves

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 Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

Wednesday, March 19, 2014, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

1.

Amendment Bylaws for Water and Sewer
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-20-009099/009101) (REDMS No. 4123647 v.2)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Waterworks and Water Rates Bylaw No. 5637, Amendment Bylaw No. 9099 be introduced and given first, second, and third readings; and

(2)

That Drainage, Dyke and Sanitary Sewer System Bylaw No. 7551, Amendment Bylaw No. 9101 be introduced and given first, second, and third readings.

CARRIED

Cllr. Dang entered the meeting (4:02 p.m.).

2.

Canadian National Railway Company Agreements with the City Related to Railway Crossings for City Capital and Other Infrastructure Projects
(File Ref. No. 10-6340-20-P.11203) (REDMS No. 4134938 v.3)

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the City enter into agreements related to railway crossings (including, without limitation, Crossing Agreements and Right of Entry Agreements) with Canadian National Railway Company from time to time as needed in connection with the construction and maintenance of current and future City capital and other infrastructure projects; and

(2)

the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Engineering and Public Works be authorized to sign such agreements on behalf of the City.

The question on the motion was not called as in reply to queries from Committee, Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, spoke of Transport Canada’s draft Canadian Railway-Roadway Grade Crossings Standards (CRRGCS).  He noted that the proposed introduction of the draft as a standard is concerning, as typical engineering practice is to allow for guidelines, not standards, which provide some flexibility.  Also, the proposed CRRGCS would increase the time a train may block a public crossing from five minutes to ten minutes.

Mr. Wei advised that a staff report on the proposed CRRGCS and its potential impact to the City is anticipated to be presented at an upcoming Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting.

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

3.

2014 Paving Program
(File Ref. No. 10-6340-20-P.14201) (REDMS No. 4135360)

In reply to queries from Committee regarding future upgrades to No. 2 Road, south of Steveston Highway, Mr. Wei advised that (i) staff anticipate introducing improvements as part of future capital projects; (ii) improvements would not be introduced until approximately 2017; and (iii) the scope of improvements has not been determined.

John Irving, Director, Engineering, advised that through the City’s Pavement Management System (PMS), staff have been monitoring the condition of the No. 2 Road, south of Steveston Highway, and it is anticipated that this section of road be maintained in 2015/2016.  Also, Mr. Irving commented on the PMS, noting that it regularly tracks the condition of the pavement, then identifies and prioritizes roads that need attention. 

Discussion ensued regarding the condition of No. 2 Road, south of Steveston Highway, and it was noted that Committee wished to see improvements, such as the widening of the road, sooner than anticipated.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report dated January 31, 2014, titled 2014 Paving Program from the Director, Engineering be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

Sustainable High Performance Building Policy Update
(File Ref. No. 10-6000-01/2013) (REDMS No. 4060769 v.15)

In reply to a query from Committee, Peter Russell, Senior Manager, Sustainability and District Energy, advised that staff do not anticipate financial implications to future capital projects as a result of the proposed new policy as the current policy also requires that new corporate facilities meet LEED^® Gold standards.

Discussion ensued regarding the potential for heat sharing between facilities, and in particular between the future Aquatic and Older Adults’ Centres.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the City’s Sustainable “High Performance” Building Policy – City Owned Facilities Policy #2306 be rescinded; and

(2)

That the City adopt the revised Sustainable “High Performance” Building Policy – City Owned Facilities as per the attached report from the Director of Engineering dated January 24, 2014.

CARRIED

5.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Update on Weekly / Bi-Weekly Garbage Collection Pilot Program

Suzanne Bycraft, Manager, Fleet and Environmental Programs, updated Committee on the Weekly / Bi-Weekly Garbage Collection Pilot Program and spoke of its extensive public outreach initiatives.

In reply to a query from Committee regarding Green Carts, Ms. Bycraft noted that the approaching ban of all compostable organics from the waste disposal stream in 2015 acts as a strong motivator for residents who have yet to embrace the Green Cart Program.

(ii)

Provincial Sales Tax and District Energy Systems

Mr. Irving referenced a memorandum dated February 19, 2014 regarding Provincial Sales Tax (PST) and District Energy Systems (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), and highlighted that the Ministry of Finance accepted Council’s request to maintain the PST exemption on the sale of heat to residential district energy customers.

(iii)

Richmond News Article

The Chair made reference to an article titled ‘Toxic silt eats into dredging fund’ published in the February 19, 2014 Richmond News.

In reply to queries from Committee, Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, commented on the evaluation process for the proper disposal of any dredged material, noting that this is typical practice and there is no cause for concern.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:38 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, February 19, 2014.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Linda Barnes
Chair

Hanieh Berg
Committee Clerk