At Greenwood’s Nov. 12 meeting, Councillor Darla Ashton told council about pedestrian crossing flags— a safety program that has been adopted in cities such as Chicago and Seattle and is well spoken of online.
Plastic cylinders with instructions are installed on signposts on both sides of uncontrolled intersections and several bright-red flags are placed inside each cylinder. Pedestrians are encouraged to grab a flag, wave it to gain motorists attention, and then safely carry the flag across to the other side. Flags are then placed in the holder on the opposite side for another use.
One online study showed that pedestrian crossing flags had considerably greater impact on motorist yielding rates than did overhead flashing amber beacons or high-visibility signs or markings.
Staff has been directed to look into costs for a flag system.
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A motion passed giving the Board of Trade permission to plant two trees at the McArthur Centre parking lot.
The city will donate in-kind labour for the project. The site is leased and owner Anwar Tantawy has given his okay for the trees so long as the city accepts responsibility for the cost of removing them should it ever become necessary.
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The city received a request from the Phoenix Mountain Alpine Ski Society for a $5,000 grant to help them maintain services for the coming season.
The city has given them an annual grant for a number of years – last year it was $600.
Councillor Barry Noll said the ski hill’s cash flow problem was caused when the province changed their grant programs. In the past, the ski hill made applications to the Lottery Corporation, but they will now fall under Sports and Culture, which has a different application deadline – so Phoenix missed that opportunity.
Other Boundary area municipalities, as well as the regional district, have also been asked to contribute.
Phoenix has also organized “Operation Snowflake” whereby a donation of $50 will be publicly recognized with a snowflake hung from the rafters in the lodge with the donors name on it. Council voted to direct staff to report back at the next meeting whether or not funds could be found in the budget to increase the usual $600 grant to the ski hill to $1,000.
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The Greenwood Heritage Society sent a letter requesting the city share the costs of reprinting the “Step Back in Time” brochure. Costs for the estimated $1,700 project would be covered by the city, Greenwood Board of trade, Greenwood Community Association and Greenwood Heritage Society (museum).
This would print 10,000 copies, estimated to be sufficient for four years.
The item was referred to the next meeting and staff was directed to find out if the other funding partners are on board.
Councillor Colleen Lang, who is a director of the Heritage Society, had excused herself from the meeting during the discussion and vote.
Upon returning and being told of the decision she informed her fellow council members that the other groups have already indicated approval of their portion of the costs.
The request will be dealt with at a later meeting.
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The Phoenix Foundation of the Boundary Communities (PFBC) was voted $500 to be used for their Vital Signs 2014 report.
In 2009 PFBC sponsored the first Vital Signs report for the Boundary area. The Phoenix Foundation and other local groups used that 16-page report to focus their work—spending limited resources on areas needing the most work.
Non-profit agencies have also used the report to leverage funding to support families and projects across the Boundary.
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Councillor Barry Noll told council that the Boundary Economic Development Committee has extended their contract with Community Futures for staff time for another year.
He also reported that they are also having serious discussion about putting a welcome centre in Rock Creek. “We all felt that coming into the Boundary (from the west) the first point of contact is Rock Creek,” said Noll. He said plans are to put some money aside for that.
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Noll told council that the Boundary Mining Association meeting included discussion of the Founder’s Day program. “Looking at getting more into mining companies bringing in equipment,” explained Noll. “Get into hard rock demonstrations. We’ve gotten into discussion with some miners on that.”
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Ashton threw her name into the hat for council’s upcoming vote to choose who will be the city’s representative at the regional district table for the next year.
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At an earlier meeting, council had voted approval in principal to dedicate $2,000 toward the work of the economic development committee. At this meeting they gave approval to a motion that allows staff to actually spend that money.
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Press and public were dismissed from the meeting and council went in camera under Section 91K of the Community Charter which provides for part of a council meeting to be closed to the public if it involves negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.