I am very much looking forward to November 1st as it will be the first day of work for Ken Macinnis as the City's new Communications Coordinator. Communications is an integral function within the City and I look forward to having Ken join our team and take on his new duties. Communications is not something you can do off the corner of the desk, at least if you want to do it effectively. Up until this week, the role has been share amongst a number of the staff with me producing a majority of the media releases.
The wildfires in August really drove home how important it is to have dedicated personnel looking after planning, producing and/or delivering communications. When issues are affecting our residents, whether it be a disaster or a new City service, people want timely and accurate information. From the City's perspective, we want to proactively inform residents of issues or occurrences so as to avoid rumours, speculation and misinformation.
By having a dedicated Communications Coordinator, it is my expectation that our residents will become better informed of happenings within the City. Communications will be timely and informative utilizing a range of electronic and non-electronic media. Stay tuned as I'm sure you'll notice the difference.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Williams Lake Leading the Way
I am currently enrolled in the Local Government Administration Program through Capilano University in North Vancouver and every month, I join 24 other municipal employees from across BC for a weekend of classroom study. During the course, we benefit from guest lecturers, review literature, partake in group exercises and submit two formal research papers. However, one of the most beneficial aspects of the course is the exchange of information between the class participants who work in a range of local governments from villages to large lower mainland cities.
When the class discusses how our various municipalities deal with specific issues or challenges, it becomes very obvious how progressive the City of Williams Lake is on a number of fronts. One would assume that Metro Vancouver and other large municipalities would be on the leading edge and in many cases they are. However, I have become pleasantly aware over the last two months that the City of Williams Lake is remarkably advanced in how we administer, plan for and deliver our services. There are always functions we can improve on or issues where we could take different approaches but is is gratifying to know that as much as there is room to learn, there are many areas we can be proud of and provide leadership for other local governments.
When the class discusses how our various municipalities deal with specific issues or challenges, it becomes very obvious how progressive the City of Williams Lake is on a number of fronts. One would assume that Metro Vancouver and other large municipalities would be on the leading edge and in many cases they are. However, I have become pleasantly aware over the last two months that the City of Williams Lake is remarkably advanced in how we administer, plan for and deliver our services. There are always functions we can improve on or issues where we could take different approaches but is is gratifying to know that as much as there is room to learn, there are many areas we can be proud of and provide leadership for other local governments.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Paving, Paving Everywhere
2010 has seen the most paving we've seen in a very long time and the newly paved roads are certainly a treat to drive on. The condition of our roads is consistently a high priority for our residents and in response, the City began the development of a Pavement Management Plan in 2010 to identify and prioritize roads that require reconstruction. This plan is intended to provide direction for staff and Council when preparing future Capital budgets.
In 2010, the City was fortunate to have the Province and Federal Government approve the use of surplus funds from the Mackenzie Avenue project for other paving priorities in the City, including the reconstruction of Cameron Street which was previously approved in the 2010 budget. As a result, the City was able to repave a number of high priority streets including portions of Oliver Street, 4th Avenue, Western Avenue, Comer Street, Boundary Street and Third Avenue.
Although the pavement management plan had not been fully completed, it was able to assist staff and Council by identifying streets that should be considered for repaving this year. The final pavement management plan will be presented to Council for approval in November.
The City appreciates the patience of motorists during the paving activity as there were many times when traffic was disrupted and rerouted. Due to the late approval of additional paving funds, the contractor had a very challenging timeline and thanks to unseasonably warm and dry weather in October, they were able to complete the works before winter descends upon us.
In 2010, the City was fortunate to have the Province and Federal Government approve the use of surplus funds from the Mackenzie Avenue project for other paving priorities in the City, including the reconstruction of Cameron Street which was previously approved in the 2010 budget. As a result, the City was able to repave a number of high priority streets including portions of Oliver Street, 4th Avenue, Western Avenue, Comer Street, Boundary Street and Third Avenue.
Although the pavement management plan had not been fully completed, it was able to assist staff and Council by identifying streets that should be considered for repaving this year. The final pavement management plan will be presented to Council for approval in November.
The City appreciates the patience of motorists during the paving activity as there were many times when traffic was disrupted and rerouted. Due to the late approval of additional paving funds, the contractor had a very challenging timeline and thanks to unseasonably warm and dry weather in October, they were able to complete the works before winter descends upon us.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Community Arts Council Debt Settlement
I don't usually comment on specific Council decisions. However, Council's recent resolution to accept a Baby Grand piano from the Community Arts Council, in lieu of an outstanding debt owed to the City has caused a fair bit of discussion in the community. I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some points that people may not have considered or been aware of in relation to Council's decision.
The debt owed to the City was for outstanding lease fees for their occupancy of the Heritage House wing of Cariboo Lodge. This space was provided to the CAC as an interim measure after they had been evicted from their previous home when the City acquired Skyline School for the new Firehall. Fees for use of Heritage House were based on their annual cost of operating the Skyline facility. In the meantime, the City had provided some assurance to the CAC that the old Firehall would be available to them once it was vacated by the Fire Department and renovated.
During their occupation of Heritage House, the CAC experienced some significant financial challenges that prevented them from paying their rent to the City for the better part of a year, totalling $9163.
The City had been working with the CAC for over a year to determine a method for the CAC to satisfy their debt, in spite of their limited funding sources and financial situation. The proposal to "sell" the piano to the City in lieu of their debt was examined by staff and recommended to Council with consideration of the non-profit nature of the organization which has been historically supported by the City (and CRD) through Grants in Aide. The alternative of having the CAC sell the piano to a third party and pay the City with the proceeds was not preferable as the Complex (and its users) would then lose the benefit of a Baby Grand piano, which has served many performances, events, memorial services, etc. in the Gibraltar Room over the years. At the end of the day, the City now owns a piano worth well more than the debt owed to the City and the CAC has satisfied their debt and can move forward with a clean slate. More importantly, the community continues to benefit from the piano.
It should be noted that City Councils often come to unique arrangements with non-profits due to the fact that non-profits are just that and are generally involved in providing valuable service to the community or a sector of the community. If Council was not prepared to be flexible with the CAC, their ability to provide services to the community would certainly have been compromised which would in some ways contradict Council's Strategic Goal of supporting Arts and Culture by "Developing and Implementing and Arts and Culture Plan".
The debt owed to the City was for outstanding lease fees for their occupancy of the Heritage House wing of Cariboo Lodge. This space was provided to the CAC as an interim measure after they had been evicted from their previous home when the City acquired Skyline School for the new Firehall. Fees for use of Heritage House were based on their annual cost of operating the Skyline facility. In the meantime, the City had provided some assurance to the CAC that the old Firehall would be available to them once it was vacated by the Fire Department and renovated.
During their occupation of Heritage House, the CAC experienced some significant financial challenges that prevented them from paying their rent to the City for the better part of a year, totalling $9163.
The City had been working with the CAC for over a year to determine a method for the CAC to satisfy their debt, in spite of their limited funding sources and financial situation. The proposal to "sell" the piano to the City in lieu of their debt was examined by staff and recommended to Council with consideration of the non-profit nature of the organization which has been historically supported by the City (and CRD) through Grants in Aide. The alternative of having the CAC sell the piano to a third party and pay the City with the proceeds was not preferable as the Complex (and its users) would then lose the benefit of a Baby Grand piano, which has served many performances, events, memorial services, etc. in the Gibraltar Room over the years. At the end of the day, the City now owns a piano worth well more than the debt owed to the City and the CAC has satisfied their debt and can move forward with a clean slate. More importantly, the community continues to benefit from the piano.
It should be noted that City Councils often come to unique arrangements with non-profits due to the fact that non-profits are just that and are generally involved in providing valuable service to the community or a sector of the community. If Council was not prepared to be flexible with the CAC, their ability to provide services to the community would certainly have been compromised which would in some ways contradict Council's Strategic Goal of supporting Arts and Culture by "Developing and Implementing and Arts and Culture Plan".
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Where Has the CAO Been?
I find myself again apologizing for my lack of posts recently. Between some vacation time, a Local Government Administration program at Capilano University and Union of BC Municipalities Convention, September has flown by. I have certainly had a fair share of comments about my Blog delinquency. So now time catch up on a number of initiatives that may be of interest:
CN Rail Ties - As of this past weekend, the contractor was doing some very final clean-up with all of the chips removed. Finally! In a meeting with CN Rail last week, they admitted to the error in choosing this site as a grinding and storage facility in the core of our City. The future of the site is in the hands of the owner, BC Properties. With respect to contaminated soils, this falls under the Environmental Management Act which requires a Site Profile and possible Site Investigation should the owner transfer the property or apply for a rezoning, development or development variance permit or change in use. Given the site's past history as a rail works and storage yard, there will undoubtedly be some degree of contamination.
Road Paving Program - Thanks to a suggestion and support of Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart and MLA Donna Barnett late this summer, the City applied to the Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Program to utilize the surplus funds from our Mackenzie Avenue grant for other paving priorities in the City. After a rather lengthy approval process, we received approval Monday last week which has resulted in the rather hasty implementation of the expanded paving program this week. At the end of the day, the City will benefit from approximately $1 million in paving at a cost of approximately $300,000 to City taxpayers. Pretty good value. The City utilized our recently developed 'Pavement Management Plan' to priortize the streets to be paved.
Infrastructure Improvements at the Complex - Regualr users of the Complex may have noticed a number of improvements that have been completed in recent months. Some are more obvious than others, including new sidewalks, lighting in the pool, informational video monitors in the lobbies, arena washrooms, etc. Behind the scenes, the pool has a renewed de-humidification system and new high efficiency boilers. Still to be completed is a new entrance for the arenas with automated doors similar to the main entry. Not only will these improvements contriubute to increased energy efficiency in the building but will make the building more user friendly and modern.
2010 Union of BC Municipalities Convention - I joined a majority of Council in Whsitler at the UBCM Convention last week. As usual, it was a very busy week with many meetings with Ministers and other agencies and numerous education and information sessions. Highlights include obtaining approval from CN Rail to use their road between the rail line and the lake east of RC Cotton for the KidSport Classic in 2011, consideration by the RCMP for a Urban First Nations policing unit, pledge of $1 million per year for three years for the CC Beetle Action Coalition by the Premier and recognition for the City's FCM Sustainibility Award. Although a significant committment of time, I always leave UBCM with a sense of confidence in what we are doing as a community and new information we can use to make our community and administration even better.
CN Rail Ties - As of this past weekend, the contractor was doing some very final clean-up with all of the chips removed. Finally! In a meeting with CN Rail last week, they admitted to the error in choosing this site as a grinding and storage facility in the core of our City. The future of the site is in the hands of the owner, BC Properties. With respect to contaminated soils, this falls under the Environmental Management Act which requires a Site Profile and possible Site Investigation should the owner transfer the property or apply for a rezoning, development or development variance permit or change in use. Given the site's past history as a rail works and storage yard, there will undoubtedly be some degree of contamination.
Road Paving Program - Thanks to a suggestion and support of Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart and MLA Donna Barnett late this summer, the City applied to the Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Program to utilize the surplus funds from our Mackenzie Avenue grant for other paving priorities in the City. After a rather lengthy approval process, we received approval Monday last week which has resulted in the rather hasty implementation of the expanded paving program this week. At the end of the day, the City will benefit from approximately $1 million in paving at a cost of approximately $300,000 to City taxpayers. Pretty good value. The City utilized our recently developed 'Pavement Management Plan' to priortize the streets to be paved.
Infrastructure Improvements at the Complex - Regualr users of the Complex may have noticed a number of improvements that have been completed in recent months. Some are more obvious than others, including new sidewalks, lighting in the pool, informational video monitors in the lobbies, arena washrooms, etc. Behind the scenes, the pool has a renewed de-humidification system and new high efficiency boilers. Still to be completed is a new entrance for the arenas with automated doors similar to the main entry. Not only will these improvements contriubute to increased energy efficiency in the building but will make the building more user friendly and modern.
2010 Union of BC Municipalities Convention - I joined a majority of Council in Whsitler at the UBCM Convention last week. As usual, it was a very busy week with many meetings with Ministers and other agencies and numerous education and information sessions. Highlights include obtaining approval from CN Rail to use their road between the rail line and the lake east of RC Cotton for the KidSport Classic in 2011, consideration by the RCMP for a Urban First Nations policing unit, pledge of $1 million per year for three years for the CC Beetle Action Coalition by the Premier and recognition for the City's FCM Sustainibility Award. Although a significant committment of time, I always leave UBCM with a sense of confidence in what we are doing as a community and new information we can use to make our community and administration even better.
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