Trail Bay restoration
A group headed by Dianne Stanford of Moonstone Enterprises is hoping to launch a project that will beautify and protect the Trail Bay Seawall in Sechelt.
The public works, parks and environment committee heard Jan. 27 that Stanford, who’s well known in the area for her work mapping eelgrass, wants the initiative to be part of the larger Salish Sea Marine Riparian Project, which includes a total of five communities.
The project would see dune grass and Nootka rose planted along the rip-rap between Trail Avenue and Inlet Avenue in the area between the Watermark and the Driftwood Inn.
Local elementary students would help with the work, along with parents and family, and the Sechelt Garden Club will offer expertise to guide the volunteer planters.
A report on the project from district staff presented to the committee said the area is “a sterile environment lacking in biological diversity,” and the plants would help restore that diversity, as well as provide natural filters for storm runoff
Coun. Darnelda Siegers had one worry.
“I like to see this going ahead, but I don’t know how feasible it is and how it will stay, given the potential storm surges that we see at that area,” she said.
Parks supervisor Perry Schmitt agreed that’s always a risk, but a worthwhile one.
“If we can get a winter or two for these plants to establish – especially the dune grass and Nootka rose is very deep-rooted – they should be able to hang in there. Having said that, there’s no guarantees,” he told the committee.
Veolia Water
Sechelt’s public works, parks and environment committee was given the results of the latest review of operations at the Water Resource Centre on Jan. 27 – and while it shows some issues, the overall tone is positive.
The report is part of the district’s service contract with Veolia Water to run the plant until public works staff are fully trained, and the district has hired a Level 4 operator for the plant.
“It’s been a very steep learning curve for our operators,” superintendent of public works John Devison told the committee. “It’s a whole new world for them. Without Veolia’s help they would be totally lost.”
Under the contract, Veolia has helped establish training, daily routines, maintenance and standard operating procedures.
The report noted some issues with record keeping, routine preventive maintenance and handling of chemicals, but concludes that overall, “the plant is generally clean and well maintained.”
Devison also told the committee the plant continues to produce treated water that meets provincial drinking water standards, and the public works department expects to have a Level 4 operator hired for the plant very soon.
The contract with Veolia allows 24 months to bring on a Level 4 operator, and there are still 12 months before that deadline
Odour bylaw
Sechelt council’s planning committee has recommended moving ahead with amendments to the property maintenance bylaw to deal with odours.
The move comes in response to a petition presented to council late last year.
A draft of the potential bylaw went before the committee Jan. 27.
Interim corporate officer Gerry van der Wolf told the committee that because Sechelt already regulates noise, dust, and other nuisances through the property maintenance bylaw, amending it makes more sense than creating a special bylaw for odours.
The draft bylaw is also being framed so it can be used to address complaints around medical marijuana production, according to van der Wolf, but not vehicles or wood stoves.
“If we have cross-jurisdictional issues we will deal with them through dialogue between the jurisdictions,” he said. “Bylaw enforcement staff really don’t think it would be hugely problematic to enforce this.”
