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It’s all about the place we live.
The regular Council
meeting on June 25th addressed many issues that impact directly on the
place we live. The topics of clean air, affordable places to live,
comfortable and energy efficient homes, clean water and responsible
disposal of our waste and truly being a community, were all on Council’s
agenda.
Council heard from two
delegations. The first was from Chantel Keerak who advised Council of a
new program being offered by the Government of Canada called Ecoenergy
Retrofit which provides assistance to homeowners to reduce the energy
and water consumption for their homes. Through the program there is help
for qualifying homes to improve the efficiency of heating and cooling
systems, hot water systems, water using appliances, and doors, windows
and insulation. Of particular interest to Revelstoke is that the program
has the largest impact on homes that are at least 25 years old with an
average potential savings in energy use of 35%. We have many 100 year
old homes in Revelstoke and I see this as an opportunity to give those
homes new life, increase our housing stock and reduce energy
consumption, all at the same time. You can find more information about
the program on the link on the City’s website or at
www.ecoaction.gc.ca
Council also received a
report from the Air Quality committee. In addition to getting an update
on the proposed anti-idling by-law which would apply to the whole of the
City, Council also passed a resolution put forward by the committee to
move forward with the development of a program to improve the kind of
wood burning appliances that people use. This program may include some
incentives for people to exchange their old clunker for something a lot
more friendly to you and the environment.
Council gave first three
readings to bylaws dealing with the funding necessary to see some water
and sewer works move forward. These works are part of the City’s
commitment to make sure that we are keeping up with or even ahead of the
demand for these services. The works involved include the road on
Cleland Road and Pearkes Drive which is part of the project which joins
the golf course wells to the rest of the City water system and a new
sewer to replace the existing (100 year old) sewer on Track Street.
Council also gave first three readings to a bylaw that will authorize
the borrowing needed to move forward with sewer extension to a portion
of Clearview Heights that does not presently have sewer.
On the affordable housing
front, undoubtedly the single biggest issue facing not only Council but
every resident of Revelstoke, Council appointed the members of a newly
formed Affordable Housing Committee whose job it will be to try to find
solutions and see those solutions happen. Councillor Richardson and I
are the Council appointees on that committee and we welcome your input
anytime and anyplace.
Finally, it was Council’s
pleasure to grant a request by Cathy Cameron-Suchy for the closure of a
portion of 6th Street for a few hours so that the block residents could
have a “Neighbourhood-end of the school year-get-together “I think that
it is this kind of activity that really shows the community spirit and
makes Revelstoke a great place to live."
Submitted by
Councillor Johnston
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