Terrace taps into remaining pool funds
The City of Terrace now has access to the last portion of funding — $1.23 million — to finish upgrades to the Terrace and District Aquatic Centre.
In 2017, the city passed a bylaw approving the borrowing of up to $4 million for the renewal project. The city accessed the first portion of that amount in fall 2018, a total of $2.5 million from the Municipal Finance Authority.
READ MORE: Terrace B.C. city council passes resolutions for pool upgrades
Fire department quarterly report
The Terrace fire department responded to 288 calls through the first quarter of 2019, 50 fewer from this time last year.
Medical or first aid responder calls made up the largest chunk, with 192 so far this year, down from 246 last year.
Through the end of March, the department responded to 41 fire calls, 27 rescue and motor vehicle calls, and 28 ambulance and mutual assistance calls.
Training hours also doubled from 535 last year to 1,334 hours this year to train new recruits. In total, the department’s 25 active members were on call for 7,252 hours.
RCMP quarterly report
Terrace police investigated 2,316 files over the first quarter of 2019, an increase of 13 per cent from last year. Rural files increased by three per cent. RCMP submitted 141 reports to Crown Counsel recommending charges.
Three overdoses have been reported so far this quarter, compared to seven overdoses over the entire 2018 year.
The detachment is also reporting five vacancies though two constables were recently hired from Alberta.
Road construction bids awarded
The city awarded both road construction projects at 4700 Soucie Ave and Sparks St. reconstruction from Halliwell to Gair to the lowest bidder.
Bear Creek Contracting Ltd. was awarded the bid for the Soucie Ave. project for the price of $729,000 over Progressive Ventures Construction Ltd. for $1.25 million.
Dunoon Contracting Ltd. was awarded the bid for the Sparks St. reconstruction for $256,768 over Progressive Venture’s estimate of $297,557.
City in good financial health: audit
Auditor Steve Kietzmann, on behalf of Carlyle Shepherd and Co., told the city they were in good financial standing with no liabilities or upcoming monetary issues as a result of their 2018 financial audit. The audit identified $10.6 million in net financial assets, should the city liquify everything they own. Their 2018 operating surplus also increased by around $600,000.
Sulfur dioxide concerns
Two members of the Kitimat Terrace Clean Air Coalition asked the city for $1,000 to help finance a third-party monitoring program to see if results gathered by citizens differ from the SO2 emissions reports from Kitimat’s Rio Tinto smelter and the Ministry of Environment.
Charles Claus and Steve Stannus proposed setting up three monitoring locations in Terrace over a four-month period. Their project last year, funded by the District of Kitimat, found there was 0.1-0.2 difference between their results and results gathered by the province and aluminium smelter. Though the amount of particulate matter was still well below the provincial threshold, and Terrace city council questioned whether more stations are necessary. The request was received for information.
PNGI memorial structure
The Greater Terrace Beautification Society (GTBS) is proposing a memorial project in the city in honour of Provincial Networking Inc. founder Chris Arnold, who passed away in 2017.
GTBS wants to build a “zen-inspired” structure to honour Arnold and his contributions to Terrace, with a bench and memorial plaque on the east end of the Grand Trunk Linear Pathway near the parking area and Chill soda shop. The project is estimated to cost between $15,000-$20,000.
The City of Terrace referred the request to staff to determine how they can become partners in the project.
READ MORE: PNGI founder Chris Arnold passes away at 48
Prince Rupert Port Authority expansion
The Prince Rupert Port Authority has the City of Terrace’s support for an application to the National Trade Corridor Fund (NTCF) for infrastructure enhancements to the port.
The initiative is “critical” to preserve the speed and reliability needed for its terminals to compete for cargo and add capacity and capabilities for future growth.
Asset management grant funding
The City of Terrace is seeking a $15,000 matching grant from the Union of BC Municipalities to start work on an asset management plan. The plan would define risks, service level requirements, and potential room for improvement for the city’s infrastructure over the next 30 years.
READ MORE: Health check of Terrace infrastructure vitals reveals need for improvements
brittany@terracestandard.com
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