During their Aug. 1 meeting, Sechelt council officially adopted a new bylaw to phase in the regulation of open air burning in the District.
Under the new bylaw, open air burning of land clearing waste is permitted until Jan. 1, 2014 with a valid permit. After that other methods like chipping will need to be used.
Council drafted the new bylaw after hearing about the negative effects land clearing burns were having on some citizens’ health. Following the meeting, council was praised by the Clean Air Society and the West Sechelt Community Association for the move.
Wastewater contract
An in-camera resolution was released showing Tetra Tech has been named as the technical consultant for the waste water treatment facility project. Their winning bid for the position came in at $322,378.
RV parking
Council directed staff to look at recreational vehicle parking needs in the District while they continue an ongoing review of the street and traffic bylaw.
The bylaw is expected to be ready for review early in the fall.
UBCM discussion
Councillors came up with six things they want to talk about this year at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention in September. The list includes policing, infrastructure financing, marijuana production, library financing, broadband Internet service for the Sunshine Coast and clean energy.
Staff also suggested council meet with the Minister of Transportation to talk about the airport, highway improvements and the Davis Bay parkway.
Traffic study
Council agreed to spend $20,000 on a traffic study for the Davis Bay area in part to see if a four-way stop at Whitaker and Davis Bay roads could be beneficial.
A request for the four-way stop came to the District earlier in the year, but in discussion it was noted that it would cost between $8,000 and $10,000 to install the new stop signs and a larger traffic study for the entire area is preferable.
