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The ball is rolling for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s (SLRD) project to examine governance and boundaries in the area, as the board of directors voted at Monday’s (July 26) regular meeting to award a long-awaited contract for the project’s first phase.
The board voted unanimously to give the contract for facilitating discussions between SLRD and member government officials to Urban Systems Ltd., a western Canada-based multidisciplinary consulting firm with experience in planning and discussions with several SLRD members and First Nations. According to the Urban Systems pitch to the SLRD, the firm also has experience with governance and boundary studies throughout B.C., and various levels of government.
The value of the contract is estimated at $49,750 plus HST, based on the budget proposed by the consultants.
Timelines are tight for this phase of the governance and boundaries project: The SLRD has asked for a final report summarizing every issue to arrive no later than Sept. 30. The Urban Systems proposal outlines a work plan that would see the facilitators initiate consultations immediately and have the report ready to present to the board by late September.
The SLRD’s governance and boundaries project, designed to identify and address issues that are causing worries for member municipalities and the area’s First Nations, is proposed to have three parts. The first phase will be issue identification and information gathering, followed by a phase for analysis and developing options and the final phase to make decisions.
In their proposal for the Phase 1 contract, the Urban Systems team included a work plan involving meetings with all involved parties to identify problems in each region of the district, background research for deeper understanding of issues and preparation of a resulting report.
At Monday’s meeting, Electoral Area C Director Susie Gimse said it was “nice to see” the recommendation to award the Phase 1 contract, and she was keen to see action.
“Let’s just get going,” she said.
Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy, who has been pushing in recent months to see the request for proposals issued, said he’s looking forward to getting the report at the end of September, and he’s glad the timelines are tight for the first phase of the project.
“I have been anxious to see movement on this particular file. I guess I’ve been anxious for the last 16 months. I’m grateful to see we are moving forward, (and) I look forward to working with the consultants, as does the rest of council,” he said on Tuesday (July 27).
The question of how to address the complexity of the governance structures in the Pemberton Valley is a persistent issue. But Pemberton isn’t alone in looking for answers – other regions within the SLRD are equally keen, and the SLRD board made studying governance and boundaries its top priority.
SLRD Chief Administrative Officer Paul Edgington asked for all of the directors from municipalities to ask their staff to stay available to work with the consultants. He also said discussions to seek the participation of local First Nations for the governance review have been “progressing.”
Bid in for Birken facility
Gimse confirmed Monday that the SLRD has put in an offer on a site between Whispering Falls and the Birken Lakeside Resort that could offer a much-desired community recreation facility in the Birken/D’Arcy area.
Residents in the area have been concerned for quite some time about the lack of recreation facilities in the area, even though they pay into the Pemberton and Area C recreation service through taxes, Gimse said.
Gimse said the site under discussion has a three-floor house that is “suitable for a community facility” with a few adjustments, instead of building something from scratch. The house sits on just over three acres of land.
“This is a great opportunity,” Gimse said.
The SLRD has earmarked a chunk of cash from the Area C amenity payments from independent power projects to pay for the Birken recreation site. The board voted Monday to transfer $478,800 to the Pemberton and Area C Recreation Services budget for the purchase.
Sturdy said he supported the idea because he sees the need to supply recreation opportunities to the greater Pemberton area. He noted the concerns of residents in the Birken and D’Arcy area echo those of Pemberton residents frustrated by the need to drive to Whistler to use the pool and arena – it’s a 45-minute drive from D’Arcy to the Pemberton community centre.
A staff report notes that the balance remaining in the Area C amenity reserve fund after the estimated Birken purchase costs is $476,898, and the annual amenity payments total $80,000. The report also said the costs and source of funding to convert and operate the Birken site have yet to be planned out.
TUP to be considered
The directors served notice that they will consider renewing the temporary use permit issued to Coast Range Heliskiing for land in the Poole Creek area at the Aug. 23 regular board meeting.
The company has had a six-year history of using the site for heliski staging and related activities in the area from December to April. Meanwhile, the company has been pursuing a permanent site for a staging area along the Birkenhead Forest Service Road.
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