By Sarah Dalziel
Kettle River Watershed Management Plan, Graham Watt asked of Village of Midway council at Monday night’s regular meeting to join with other communities as the plan moves into implementation.
Watt, the plan’s project coordinator, appeared as a delegation before council. He proposed joining in as part of the project, in helping monitor the Kettle River watershed and raising awareness of the watershed’s importance and its conservation, and potentially with riparian activity as well.
The monitoring is important for the watershed management plan, as the plan itself will be constantly updated and adjusted based on the monitoring, Graham explained. The plan is like a foundation, or software that is constantly updated based on incoming data and what is accomplished and observed during each year.
Council agreed to endorse the watershed plan. The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and Grand Forks have also expressed support of the plan.
Foreman’s Report
The foreman’s report addressed issues with streets stemming from the winter frost heaves, and also some potential issues, or symptoms of potential problems, in sewer treatment. To address the streets, a street audit will eventually be performed to determine what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done. For the sewer treatment observations, more observing will be conducted.
The foreman also presented the currently in-progress Emergency Response Plan for water and sewer. The plan indicated what should be done in emergency circumstances if the foreman is not present to oversee it.
Community forest meeting
A status update was given on the community forest for a question raised at the previous council meeting: a meeting with Greenwood will be arranged after the community forest meeting on March 4.
Consultation on Species Act
Council reviewed a communication concerning the consultation on the Species at Risk Act (SARA), listing process for terrestrial species, that was tabled from the Feb. 2 meeting. Remarks on this item should be made before April.
Board member appointed
New business included appointing a new Board of Variance member. Ross Eliot applied and was selected by the vote of council. Ross was considered to be well qualified, understands and knows the community, and has experience as an RDKB board of variance member.
Community hall renovations supported
Council moved to support the seniors’ organization’s rebuilding and renovation of the community hall. The decision was made to utilize financing with purchasing the fire departments new self-contained breathing apparatus units.
Awareness of road rescue unit
Council agreed to help raise awareness for the West Boundary Road Rescue after discussing the administrator’s report. Efficient leadership is in place, but the West Boundary Road Rescue is facing challenges with recruiting and membership, though other matters are going well.
Mayor’s report
The mayor’s report covered the Family Day festivities around Midway. The events were fairly well attended, with hockey, snowmobiling, a family skate, and other activities happening. There were 11 teams for the hockey tournament, while the snowmobile race had 102 racers, 80 viewers and 20 volunteers.
Overview of trails meeting
Councillor Marguerite Rotvold gave an overview of the recent trail meeting held at the community hall. Between 80-95 people came together with top officials from Recreation Sites and Trails BC of the ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. There was good support for maintaining the railway trails, she said.
Tipping fees increase
It was agreed to raise garbage tipping fees to close the gap between what is being charged and the percentage that is actually budgeted. There was also discussion on the solid waste management plan, including that green bins could potentially be implemented.
Zoning bylaw amendment
The regular meeting had been preceded with a public zoning meeting. The meeting was a formality to re-adopt the previously passed zoning bylaw due to accidental non-compliance with the act. The bylaw officially passed three readings during the regular council meeting.