February 17, 2016 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Chak Au, Chair
Councillor Harold Steves
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Alexa Loo

Also Present:

Councillor Carol Day

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 and Transportation Committee held on January 20, 2016, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

March 23, 2016, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

1.

city of richmond - translink travelsmart partnership - update
(File Ref. No. 01-0154-04) (REDMS No. 4793601 v. 4)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That staff continue to monitor the TransLink TravelSmart pilot program and relevant activities, as described in the staff report titled “City of Richmond-TransLink TravelSmart Partnership – Update,” dated January 25, 2016, from the Director, Transportation, and report back on the results following their completion; and

(2)

That a copy of the above report be forwarded to the Richmond Council-School Board Liaison Committee for information.

CARRIED

2.

TRANSLINK SOUTHWEST AREA TRANSPORT PLAN – UPDATE ON ADVISORY COMMITTEES
(File Ref. No. 01-0154-04) (REDMS No. 4902112)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report providing an update on TransLink’s Southwest Area Transport Plan, dated January 27, 2016, from the Director, Transportation, be received for information.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

3.

Bylaw Amendments to Implement Requirements for Recycling from Single-Family Home Demolitions
(File Ref. No. 10-6370-01; 12-8060-20-009516/009522/009523) (REDMS No. 4893304)

In response to queries from the Committee, Suzanne Bycraft, Manager, Fleet and Environmental Programs and Gavin Woo, Senior Manager, Building Approvals, provided the following information:

§   

the process to be followed if a homeowner elected to reuse, rather than recycle, all the materials from a home;

§   

in the event that a home were to be relocated, a demolition permit would be required for the foundation and the concrete must be recycled;

§   

WorkSafe BC has jurisdiction over the removal of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, from materials to be recycled; and

§   

WorkSafe BC would issue documentation to the contractor certifying that the material to be recycled does not contain hazardous substances.

The Committee noted that the bylaw does not promote the preservation of a home. Staff suggested that applications for demolition permits could be posted on the City website to inform contractors of opportunities to negotiate with homeowners to acquire the structures for relocation and reuse.

The Committee questioned the experience of other municipalities with respect to the success of similar bylaws in encouraging the recycling and reuse of materials from single-family home demolitions.

The Committee suggested that a third option allowing for repurposing or recycling through the relocation of the entire structure, be added to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Services Plan. Staff noted that the reuse of all or a portion of the house is provided for under the “re-use of recyclable materials” option.

In response to a question from the Committee, Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, advised that the cost, lane closure and traffic control required to relocate a house varies, depending upon the situation.

Staff advised that during consultation, industry stakeholders reported that a range of 50% to 90% of materials is currently recycled when a home is demolished. The industry is in its infancy and it is anticipated that the levels of recycled material will increase as the industry matures and experience is gained.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

Demolition Waste and Recyclable Materials Bylaw No. 9516;

(2)

Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636, Amendment Bylaw No. 9522; and

(3)

Notice of Bylaw Violation Dispute Adjudication Bylaw No. 8122, Amendment Bylaw No. 9523;

each be introduced and given first, second and third readings.

Councillor Steves spoke against the motion, noting that the incentives to relocate and repurpose, rather than demolish, homes are insufficient.

CARRIED

Opposed: Cllr. Steves

4.

Sewer Heat Recovery in Richmond Update
(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 4912811 v. 2)

Peter Russell, Senior Manager, Sustainability and District Energy, responded to a question from the Committee regarding the cost competitiveness of sewer heat, given the high capital cost of the infrastructure required.

John Irving, Director, Engineering advised that the payback period of district energy systems are generally in the range of 15 to 20 years.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the staff report titled "Sewer Heat Recovery in Richmond Update," dated January 18, 2016, from the Director, Engineering, be received for information;

(2)

That the scope of work and budget for a Micro-Sewer Heat Recovery Study identified in the "Sewer Heat Recovery in Richmond Update," dated January 18, 2016, from the Director, Engineering, be approved with funding from the Carbon Tax Provision and included as an amendment to the Five Year Financial Plan (2016-2020) Bylaw;

(3)

That the application to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, for up to 50 percent of eligible costs to complete Micro-Sewer Heat Recovery Study, be endorsed; and

(4)

That should the funding application be successful, the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, be authorized to execute the agreement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on behalf of the City.

CARRIED

5.

SOLAR FRIENDLY RICHMOND FRAMEWORK
(File Ref. No. 10-6125-07-02) (REDMS No. 4869774 v. 4)

The Committee suggested that staff contact UBC Professor
Dr. Stephen Sheppard and Robert McCullough from Oregon State regarding their research on the comparison of the cost effectiveness of solar power with the hydro-electric power that would be generated from the Site C Dam.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Solar Friendly Richmond Framework,” dated January 28, 2016, from the Director, Engineering, be received for information.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:31 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on February 17, 2016.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Chak Au
Chair

Carol Lee
Recording Secretary