A new policy is enabling District of Squamish council greater ease in renaming municipal facilities after a business, trade name or non-profit organization.
Council members unanimously supported the policy during the Tuesday (Nov. 17) council meeting, which stated "only council, by resolution, can authorize naming a place after a commercial business, trade name or non-profit organization, and only when the contribution is significant enough to consider such naming."
Mayor Greg Gardner said the motion arose when a non-profit organization inquired about re-naming a local amenity.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale suggested the removal of the term "significant" because that would suggest some community contributions to be insignificant. The term was subsequently removed.
In response to The Chief's questions, Gardner said he did not know which particular facility was in consideration for renaming, but would inquire and reveal details, providing he was not legally restricted from publicly releasing the information.
Highway issues hinder hand-over
Community development director Mick Gottardi gave an account of some of the 19 concerns the district has with the Sea to Sky Highway, at the Tuesday (Nov. 17) committee of the whole meeting. The issues range from inadequate sized pedestrian islands to poor lighting conditions along what will eventually be municipal roads.
"It is a responsibility of the project to consider municipal standards," Gottardi said.
The completion concerns need to be address in a timely manner otherwise, the district, Gottardi said, will refuse to take over ownership of the Sea to Sky Highway.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman expressed her disappointment with the completion problem of the Sea to Sky Highway.
"These are basic safety issues that should have never become deficiencies," she said.
Gottardi is scheduled to meet with consultants from the Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project by the end of November and will provide council with a detailed update on project completion progress.
Smoking bylaw hurts business
District council received a letter and petition with nearly 200 signatures from John Dancy the owner of the Grizzly Pub, which outlined problems with the current smoking regulation bylaw.
Dancy said his business is losing revenue because patrons are not permitted to smoke in his establishment's patio, which he recently renovated to ensure the area met provincial bylaw requirement.
Coun. Paul Lalli echoed Dancy's concern and supported a review of the bylaw.
"I have talked to three bar owners who have concerns with the by-law affecting them. They've experienced the same hardships," he said.
Gardner urged staff to review which licenses are affected by the smoking regulation and return the information to council.
New residents invited to forum
Michelle Lebeau of the Welcoming Communities Committee invited council members and the general public to attend an educational planning forum scheduled for Dec. 3 at St. John Anglican Church. The symposium will focus on identifying a community welcome centre or exploring the possible development of such a facility that would help alleviate feelings of isolation some new residents of Squamish may feel.
Attendees will have a chance to create an action plan for the committee as well as share information on available resources. The forum will start at 8:30 a.m. and proceed until noon. Paula Carr, from the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Association is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the forum. Anyone wishing for additional information is asked to contact Lebeau at 604-892-5322 or via email at [email protected].
Regional transit increases fee
Council unanimously passed an amendment to the Squamish Lillooet Regional Transit Planning and Capital bylaw that would increase the cost of regional transit service by .25 cents per household.
Russ Oakley, chair of the SLRD was quoted in a press release as saying: "We are very sensitive to the fact that folks are growing weary of mounting public expenditures and incremental tax increases But this is an opportunity to really get a lot of bang for our buck to advance public transit use throughout the Regional District."
Library board changed
Municipal council unanimously agreed to reduce the amount of members required to sit on the Squamish Public Library board from 11 members to nine. One seat has historically been occupied by a member of council but Gardner and Lonsdale inquired if that was a wise policy considering the busy schedules councillors tend to have.
Lalli encouraged the public to apply for board member positions at the Squamish Public Library. Coun. Bryan Raiser currently sits on the board and invited interested parties to present themselves.
"It's a good group of people. Don't be scared, put your name in."
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kevin Ramsay clarified that one council member is required to sit on the library board.
Community Christmas Celebration Day proclaimed
Municipal council members unanimously proclaimed Dec. 11, 2009 as Community Christmas Celebration Day. Santa Claus parade organizer, Shanda Dosanjh told council that this proclamation would ensure one name for all of the various celebrations underway on Dec. 11, including the Santa Claus parade.
Public can provide input on procedural bylaw
The bylaw outlining council meeting procedures was unanimously passed by council however Gardner noted that the public has 30 days to provide feed back and input on the document.
Coun. Doug Race was absent for both meetings.
