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.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Lessons Learned from 2010 Fires
This summer saw unprecedented wildfire activity in the region, particularly in the Chilcotin where dry conditions coupled with hectares of dead pine fueled fires in almost every corner of the Plateau. What was concerning about this year's fires wasn't so much the sizes or numbers but the widespread threats to homes, ranches and populated areas and the resulting evacuations. The City of Williams Lake was not immune from the threat of interface fire as the Meldrum Complex burned toward the Fraser River in mid August. Given the conditions and weather forecasts at the time, the City and CRD, in consultation with the Ministry of Forests initiated Evacuation Alerts and Orders over areas between the City and the Fraser. The concern was that predicted winds could throw the fire over the Fraser, creating a potentially dangerous situation for greater Williams Lake property owners and residents. Fortunately the predicted conditions did not materialize and the fires remained west of the Fraser. What did materialize however was an incredible learning experience for the the City and partner agencies as we implemented the City's Emergency Plan and began preparing for worst case scenarios.
The City joined the CRD's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as all emergency response agencies were already present in the EOC and communication lines were well established. As the possibility of a City evacuation increased, the City established our own EOC at the new Fire Hall in order to concentrate on evacuation planning and response, involving the RCMP, Ministry of Transportation and Interior Health. The City maintained a presence in the CRD EOC, ensuring communication and coordination between the two EOCs.
Although the City's emergency plan contemplates mass evacuation and provides a framework for initiating such an endeavour, there were a number of logistical details that had to be worked out, particularly regarding the evacuation of vulnerable, disabled and elderly. With the appropriate agencies at the table, we were able to develop a detailed multi-agency evacuation plan that will ensure an effective and orderly evacuation should it be required in the future.
Interface fires are becoming the norm throughout the Province with global warming and dying forests. Williams Lake is surrounded by forest, much of it under attack from Mountian Pine Beetle and and an increasing presence of Fir Beetle. It is only a matter of time until there is a fire at our doorstep that will require the evacuation of portions of, or all of the greater Williams Lake area. Thanks to this recent 'close call', I am extremely confident that we have suffient plans and emergency response structures in place to effectively and safely evacuate our residents should the need arise.
The City joined the CRD's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as all emergency response agencies were already present in the EOC and communication lines were well established. As the possibility of a City evacuation increased, the City established our own EOC at the new Fire Hall in order to concentrate on evacuation planning and response, involving the RCMP, Ministry of Transportation and Interior Health. The City maintained a presence in the CRD EOC, ensuring communication and coordination between the two EOCs.
Although the City's emergency plan contemplates mass evacuation and provides a framework for initiating such an endeavour, there were a number of logistical details that had to be worked out, particularly regarding the evacuation of vulnerable, disabled and elderly. With the appropriate agencies at the table, we were able to develop a detailed multi-agency evacuation plan that will ensure an effective and orderly evacuation should it be required in the future.
Interface fires are becoming the norm throughout the Province with global warming and dying forests. Williams Lake is surrounded by forest, much of it under attack from Mountian Pine Beetle and and an increasing presence of Fir Beetle. It is only a matter of time until there is a fire at our doorstep that will require the evacuation of portions of, or all of the greater Williams Lake area. Thanks to this recent 'close call', I am extremely confident that we have suffient plans and emergency response structures in place to effectively and safely evacuate our residents should the need arise.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Taking Advantage of Summer at Work
With many of our staff on holidays, not just at the City but in other agencies we deal with, the summer months provide an excellent opportunity for those still at work to get caught up. On a regular, day to day basis, the information flow and workload in City Hall can seem relentless. Incoming correspondence from countless sources, e-mails, reporting requirements, Council meeting agendas and minutes, reports to Council and the list goes on. The work is challenging and the days go extremely fast. However, the pace often doesn't allow us to keep up with the less critical, but equally important functions such as keeping files in order, planning for future initiatives, connecting informally with staff and other things that tend to take a back seat when we are busy.
It is important that the CAO and senior staff have an opportunity to get their heads 'out of the trench' and dedicate time to anticipating the future, evaluating what we are doing, how we are doing it and if there are better ways to do it. Too often we do things the same old way, not because it's the best way but because change takes time and effort. More often we are forced to make a reactive change when something goes wrong. However, it is preferable that we make changes 'proactively' so that we have time to think the issues through and implement change effectively. The summer months give us the opportunity to do just that.
It is important that the CAO and senior staff have an opportunity to get their heads 'out of the trench' and dedicate time to anticipating the future, evaluating what we are doing, how we are doing it and if there are better ways to do it. Too often we do things the same old way, not because it's the best way but because change takes time and effort. More often we are forced to make a reactive change when something goes wrong. However, it is preferable that we make changes 'proactively' so that we have time to think the issues through and implement change effectively. The summer months give us the opportunity to do just that.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Stampede A Huge Success
Another Williams Lake Stampede has come and gone and from all accounts, it was a great success. The weather cooperated for a majority of the weekend, especially Saturday for the Parade. The downtown was a buzz with activity Saturday and hats go off to the WLBIA for a great job organizing Street Party. The Rodeo ran without a hitch as usual with good crowds for all the performances. My only concern was the number of particpants in the Mountain Race as it seemed a little too many to be safe (or as safe as the Mountain Race can be).
The RCMP reported a relatively quiet Stampede Weekend with very few serious incidents. They had a good presence in the community which sets a tone for how folks behave. Our Stampede is certainly becoming more and more a true family event.
I had a little different perspective this year as I spent two mornings slinging bacon and hash browns at the Rotary Breakfast. It was fun to see all the comings and goings and to experience breakfast from the other side of the grill.
Now it's time to put away the cowboy boots and hat and enjoy the rest of summer!
The RCMP reported a relatively quiet Stampede Weekend with very few serious incidents. They had a good presence in the community which sets a tone for how folks behave. Our Stampede is certainly becoming more and more a true family event.
I had a little different perspective this year as I spent two mornings slinging bacon and hash browns at the Rotary Breakfast. It was fun to see all the comings and goings and to experience breakfast from the other side of the grill.
Now it's time to put away the cowboy boots and hat and enjoy the rest of summer!
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