June 18, 2014 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Linda Barnes, Chair
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Harold Steves

Mayor Malcolm Brodie

Absent:

Councillor Chak Au

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 Thursday, May 22, 2014, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

Wednesday, July 23, 2014, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

1.

GEORGE MASSEY TUNNEL REPLACEMENT – STATUS UPDATE AND PROPOSED PROJECT OBJECTIVES
(File Ref. No. 01-0150-20-THIG1/2014) (REDMS No. 4228713)

In reply to queries from Committee, Donna Chan, Manager, Transportation Planning advised that (i) the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) opened a project office in Richmond, which includes an area where members of the public may obtain additional information regarding the Project, and (ii) kiss-and-ride is another term for a drop-off zone adjacent to a transit hub.

Discussion ensued and it was suggested that the proposed recommendation and staff report also be forwarded to Richmond Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

In reply to queries from Committee, Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, advised that staff have had ongoing discussions with business stakeholders and the Richmond Chamber of Commerce regarding concerns related to the Project; therefore, at this time, staff do not believe there is a need for a dedicated advisory committee.

Ms. Chan commented on data provided by the MOTI, noting that staff are awaiting a detail breakdown of the statistics.  Also, she advised that the MOTI utilized sophisticated Bluetooth technology to collect this data, and noted that personal information was not collected as part of this research.

Discussion ensued regarding how effective the proposed new bridge will be at addressing traffic flow concerns; it was noted that the Project must address traffic congestion along the entire corridor and simply not shift congestion from one area to another.

Mr. Wei commented on the preliminary concept of the proposed new bridge and advised that (i) the MOTI is considering an 8 to ten lane bridge, with outside lanes skewing off at existing and potentially additional future interchanges along the corridor.

The Chair commented on her visit to the project office, noting that the project scope is solely for a new bridge as no decisions have been made in regards to additional interchanges, and road improvement beyond those required to accommodate the proposed new bridge.  Also, the Chair requested that statistical information be forwarded to all members of Council as it becomes available.

In reply to queries from the Chair, Mr. Wei advised that the iconic bridge objective encompasses two notions: (i) to design a bridge that acts as a visual gateway to Richmond, and (ii) to celebrate all modal uses, including sustainable transportation.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the proposed project objectives for the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel as described in the staff report dated May 23, 2014 from the Director, Transportation be endorsed and forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure for its consideration in the development of a preferred project scope of improvements; and

(2)

That the above Council resolution and a copy of the above report be forwarded to Richmond MLAs, TransLink, the Corporation of Delta and the Cities of Surrey, White Rock and Vancouver for information.

CARRIED
Opposed: Cllr. Steves

2.

Car2Go - City Centre Car-Share Pilot Program
(File Ref. No. 10-6455-00) (REDMS No. 4234234)

Katie Ferland, Business Development Liaison, accompanied by Sonali Hingorani, Transportation Engineer, provided background information.

In reply to queries from Committee, Ms. Ferland provided the following information:

§   

Car2Go is the last car share company in the Metro Vancouver region to enter Richmond’s market;

§   

when selecting its next service location, Car2Go considers various factors such as population density, accessibility to transit and so forth;

§   

Car2Go pays for all parking fees on behalf of their users; and

§   

Car2Go’s marketing program will focus on details such as where to obtain vehicles, and where to park vehicles.

Ms. Ferland spoke of Car2Go’s program, noting that Car2Go users receive membership cards with embedded chips.  These cards allow members to access any Car2Go vehicle by tapping the vehicle.  Also, she commented on costs, fuel use, and a mobile application that enables members to reserve vehicles. 

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the business terms (the “Business Terms”) specified in Attachment 2 of the staff report titled, Car2Go – City Centre Car-Share Pilot Program, dated May 28, 2014, from the Director, Transportation, for the purpose of entering into an Agreement between Car2Go Canada Ltd. and the City of Richmond for the use of public parking spaces on a one-year trial basis be approved;

(2)

the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Planning and Development be authorized to execute an Agreement based on the Business Terms; and

(3)

staff be directed to monitor the outcomes of the pilot program and report back to Council after one year of implementation.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

3.

2013 Annual Water Quality Report
(File Ref. No. 10-6000-01) (REDMS No. 4227330)

It was moved and seconded

That the 2013 Annual Water Quality Report, dated May 27, 2014, from the Director, Public Works, be received for information.

The question on the motion was not called as the Chair commended staff for the work that they do to ensure that Richmond residents continually receive the best quality water.

In reply to queries from Committee, Bryan Shepherd, Manager, Water Services, advised that the 2013 Annual Water Quality report is available on the City website.  Also, Mr. Shepherd noted that staff have been metering the tap water stations in order to collect data regarding their use.

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

4.

National Public Works Week – Update
(File Ref. No. 10-6000-01) (REDMS No. 4240804)

In reply to a query from Committee, Tom Stewart, Director, Public Works, advised that staff have discussed the possibility of extending the hours of the Public Works Open House due to its success.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled National Public Works Week – Update, dated May 27, 2014, from the Director, Public Works, be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

Proposed Policy for Management of Waste and Recyclable Materials from City Facilities Demolition and Construction Activities
(File Ref. No. 10-6370-00) (REDMS No. 4239937)

In reply to queries from Committee, Suzanne Bycraft, Manager, Fleet and Environmental Programs, advised that (i) if the proposed policy is approved, staff will partner with local builders on a trial basis to gather feedback on four single-family home projects, and (ii) staff will report back to Committee in fall 2014 with the findings of the trial and recommended next steps.

Discussion ensued regarding the recycled building materials market, and Ms. Bycraft noted that industry often follows demand created by the implementation of a new regulation.

It was moved and seconded

That a new policy respecting the Management of Waste and Recyclable Materials from City Facilities Demolition and Construction Activities, as outlined in Attachment 1 to the staff report titled, Proposed Policy for Management of Waste and Recyclable Materials from City Facilities Demolition and Construction Activities, dated June 5, 2014, from the Director, Public Works, be adopted.

CARRIED

6.

Letter Supporting Continuation of Clean Energy Vehicles Rebate(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 4221373)

It was moved and seconded

That a letter supporting the continuation of the Clean Energy Vehicles for British Columbia be sent to the BC Minister of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Core Review under the Mayor’s signature, with copies to Richmond MLAs, and Metro Vancouver members.

CARRIED

7.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Parks Division Update

Mr. Stewart updated Committee on a matter related to Legionnaires’ disease and spoke of a lunch-and-learn session scheduled for staff.

(ii)

Works on Wheels Tours

Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, provided background information and introduced Dielle Saldanha, Public Works Clerk, and Pratima Cheung, Engineer-In-Training. 

Ms. Saldanha and Ms. Cheung then spoke of Works on Wheels, an interactive bus tour showcasing some of Richmond’s Engineering and Public Works projects.  The tours provided a behind-the-scenes look at projects like the Alexandra District Energy Utility, the Williams Road Drainage Pump Station, and Fire Hall No. 4. 

Ms. Saldanha and Ms. Cheung commented on the success of the tours, highlighting that public feedback was overwhelmingly positive. 

Ms. Saldanha and Ms. Cheung distributed information regarding Works on Wheels (attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1) and in reply to queries from Committee, advised that feedback received indicates a strong desire for additional tours and for tours of other infrastructure projects.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:57 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, June 18, 2014.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Linda Barnes
Chair

Hanieh Berg
Committee Clerk