From city staff completing certifications in local government programs to ice time, Trail council had plenty of housekeeping duties to check-off during the governance meeting on Monday, July 18.
Presentations
Bryan Maloney, purchasing and mechanical superintendent with Trail public works completed the Capilano University Local Government Administrative Certificate Program.
David Moorhead, grounds and roads superintendent with Trail public works completed his BC Board of Examiners Local Government Service Delivery Certificate.
Mayor Pasin congratulated Maloney and Moorhead for completing their respective certification.
Ice time
Council members considered a July 11 report from Trisha Davison, director of Trail parks and recreation, regarding a request from the Trail Smoke Eaters to keep the ice in the Cominco Arena until the end of April. Council agreed to allow the main ice to remain in operation until April 30 for the 2022-2023 season and direct staff to increase operating budgets accordingly. This decision will be later reviewed to understand the cost benefit to the city in deciding if the arrangement should be continued. Council also recognized that the service enhancement of an extended ice season will have impacts on other events traditionally held in the Cominco Arena, such as Silver City Days, requiring annual review and consideration.
Sunningdale ‘Y’
Council members considered a recent report from Trail public works regarding pedestrian improvements at the the Sunningdale ‘Y,’ then awarded a contract for the work to Rokform Solutions Limited, with the base price of $27,000.
This contract follows citizens in the neighbourhood of Sunningdale expressing concerns, in early 2020, about the ‘Y’ intersection of Charles Lakes Drive, Hazlewood Drive, and Hillside Drive in Sunningdale. The intersection is said to create an often-confusing predicament for vehicles, but more importantly, the intersection creates a predicament for pedestrian users.Currently, there is a sidewalk letdown at the end of the Charles Lakes Drive walkway, a popular walking route, and encourages crossing at this intersection, yet there are no pedestrian facilities in the area to manage this crossing.
To help identify and address these issues, city staff consulted with an ICBC Road Safety Engineer, who provided a draft plan outlining the installation of a raised curb median. During the 2021 capital budget deliberations, council funded the infrastructure project, which was then put out for public bid. At the end of the tender process, the city received no bids, and the project was placed on hold. As the project was not progressing, an opportunity presented itself to use the capital monies to contribute to the development of an Active Transportation Network Plan. Staff again requested the funding in 2022, and the project was tendered in May. At the conclusion of the process, again, no bids were received. Staff then reached out to a contractor specializing in concrete construction to ascertain their interest and availability. The firm, Rokform Solutions Limited, provided a price to complete the concrete portions of the work this summer, but as they are not a general contractor, they had not placed a bid for the project in its entirety. Remaining work, such as; line painting, signage, traffic control and surveying, will be managed by city staff and other contractors.
Tadanac tennis
Council members considered the application from the Trail Tadanac Team Tennis Society requesting a cash grant in the amount of $20,000 towards improvements to the tennis courts. The decision was deferred pending further information. The tennis society, a non profit, is looking to secure or replace perimeter fencing, fill cracks, seal, and repair the court surface, and improve access to the courts.