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Clean air, clean water and a place to live; these were on the agenda for
Council’s July 23 meeting.
On the development front,
Council gave second reading to amended bylaws for the proposed
Revelstoke Crossing Development planned for the old highways maintenance
site between Victoria Road and the Trans Canada Highway. This
development received some attention a year or so ago and has been
revised since that time. A second public hearing with respect to the
project was set by Council for August 21st, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. in Council
Chambers. There are a number of fairly minor changes from the original
bylaw but there are some significant ones as well which include reduced
maximum building height and reduced floor area ratio (how much building
goes on the site).
A second public hearing
was also scheduled for 3 p.m. August 27th in Council Chambers for a
proposed development on Centre Street. This is a 20 unit residential
complex which came before Council and the public a couple of months ago
and received quite a bit of public feedback. Since then, the developers
have made substantial changes from the first incarnation including less
site coverage and there will now be another opportunity for the public
to have their input. This project and the Revelstoke Crossing
development are significant and I think different from what Revelstoke
has been used to but are indications of where things are going for our
City. It’s important that they are done right.
On the clean air side the
City has received an Air Quality advisory from the MOE indicating that
air quality for the Kootenay region including Revelstoke is poor. This
is a temporary situation and is due primarily to wildfires in the
western US combined with a high pressure system. What it does tell us is
that what happens in my backyard, affects my neighbour. On that note,
Council authorized preparation of revision to the bylaw that deals with
open air burning that would eliminate burning of yard waste (leaves,
grass clippings, branches) and commercial wood waste. That bylaw will
come back before Council for consideration in the future. Part of what
makes this proposal feasible is that the City has been able to provide
another means to dispose of this material and that is the composting
facility just north of the landfill on Westside Road. You can take your
yard waste (NOT GARBAGE) there at no charge and the cost to the
environment is a little exhaust from your car or truck to get it out
there. If you haven’t used this facility, I urge you to try it. It is
great. Hours are 8.00 to 4.00, Monday through Saturday.
Also about air, I give
credit to Downie Timber for shutting down their burner as they have been
planning for some time. I personally will miss it because I liked it but
I didn’t have breathing problems and didn’t live close enough to be
bothered by the ash. I am hopeful that they will be able to find a long
term solution to dispose of the waste material in an economic and
environmentally sound manner.
Council also implemented
a wellhead protection plan to ensure the safety of the Golf Course wells
which feed into the City water supply. This is a very thorough plan and
among other things, protects the aquifer from which the water is drawn.
It makes one realize how an action a long distance away, a fuel spill
for example, can effect what could come out of my tap.
Finally, I can’t let an
opportunity pass to comment on the need for attainable housing.
Revelstoke and many other communities have a challenge here and so far
it is not being met. I recently had the personal experience of trying to
find decent housing on a short term basis at an affordable cost. I
didn’t end up under a bridge or in a tent, but I also had a Visa card
with lots of room on it. There are many pressures on the housing market
including some pressure from some large corporations looking for housing
for their employees. I urge those parties to act responsibly and be
mindful of others who do not have such quite deep pockets.
Submitted by
Councillor Johnston
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