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The Village of Pemberton’s council received a proposal for a major gift at Tuesday’s (July 20) regular council meeting.
Noting the possibility of the much-discussed Hillside lands being brought within Village boundaries, Art and Nellie Den Duyf sent a July 12 letter offering up about 18 acres within the Biro property as a donation to the Village to develop community recreation amenities that would benefit all Pemberton, Area C and Mount Currie residents.
“A portion of this land could lend itself to a pool or ice arena development and the balance could perhaps accommodate playing fields,” the Den Duyfs wrote.
The letter also asks that the site, accessible from Farm Road East, would see construction of “some recreation facilities” within eight years.
“The intention is that the Village will construct some recreation facilities on the site within eight years of the date of transfer. Should this not occur by the end of the eighth year, the land will revert back to the ownership of the donator,” the letter said.
“We offer assistance to the Village in building and operating the facility, which is a different approach than the new community centre with the apparent cost overruns,” the Den Duyfs added.
Council quickly and unanimously voted to ask staff to create a contract for the donation.
“It was an interesting letter to receive… I think it’s something we should absolutely pursue,” Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy said in Tuesday’s meeting.
Later in the day, he told The Question that having this property would provide “a starting point from which to develop a plan,” once the details of the donation agreement are settled. He thanked Den Duyf for putting the idea on the table, calling it “a great opportunity for the community.”
“This provides… an opportunity for us to do some work in terms of developing some plans, costing out some things and putting them into the community for consideration,” Sturdy said.
The letter from the Den Duyfs was accompanied by a message from Lil’wat Nation Chief Leonard Andrew supporting construction of recreation facilities on the Biro site.
Council voted to petition the Minister of Community and Rural Development to bring the Hillside lands within the Village boundary, given the near-absence of opposition expressed in the alternative approval process that closed one week earlier.
The Village received just 10 signatures opposing the Hillside extension.
“I’m pleased the community has continued to back what they said a year and a half ago,” Councillor Ted Craddock said.
It’s not the whole picture yet, but it’s a portion for the time being and “I’m happy with this piece of the pie,” he added.
Hoping for a response soon from the Lil’wat Nation about the other three areas proposed for Village boundary expansion, council also voted to authorize staff to move forward with an alternative approval process for the other three proposed areas if Lil’wat support or non-opposition is secured.
Councillor Susie Gimse, who has repeatedly expressed opposition to the Village’s current boundary extension proposal with concerns about it being a piecemeal approach, voted against both motions relating to the boundary expansion.
Financial statements in
Council received the Village’s late 2009 audited financial statements, and staff are looking for a date after Aug. 9 to wrap up the annual general meeting that had been recessed until the statements could be presented.
At the Village’s June 29 annual general meeting, which took place without the financial statements, Sturdy said auditors KPMG “really did drop the ball here” because they were supposed to have presented the statements about two to three weeks earlier. The issue was the changes in accounting standards mandated for local governments, involving new reporting formats and handling of tangible capital assets, he said, but the delay was “unacceptable.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, KPMG partner David Bond said a substantial amount of work was required by the Village’s management and the auditors to apply the changed standards for both the 2008 and 2009 periods.
The discussion moved in-camera with further information to be presented by Bond, and council did not rise with report afterward. Sturdy said Bond and Village Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Sailland plan to meet again to investigate how the delay occurred.
Sturdy said council is planning meetings to spend “a significant amount of time understanding what’s paper and what’s money” in the new financial reporting models. Craddock initiated discussion of the issue at Tuesday’s meeting by asking why the newly presented 2008 figures showed an annual surplus of $303,253 instead of the approximately $90,000 general fund deficit with which the Village grappled that year.
