School District No. 46 (SD46) was among those who got tickets because of the heightened enforcement of Gibsons’ snow clearing bylaw last week.
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe singled out SD46 when the issue of infractions came up at a Feb. 7 committee meeting. Under the bylaw, SD46 is responsible for the sidewalks along the Elphinstone Secondary and Gibsons Elementary properties.
SD46 officials say their maintenance teams went above and beyond to meet the challenging situation created by the weather.
“We’ve been ticketed with some bylaw infractions, and that’s fair,” Nicholas Weswick, SD46 secretary treasurer, told Coast Reporter. “We do what we can with respect to snow clearing. The thing you have to keep in mind is that we have 15 sites that we’re trying to keep the heat and the lights on, as well as clearing the snow and making sure the roof drains are free from obstruction so that we don’t have flooding.”
Weswick also noted that it’s unusual to have as much snow as the Sunshine Coast had over such a wide part of the area, and he said that kept SD46’s 13-person facilities crew busy – especially the three workers designated for site maintenance – including on weekends and days when the schools were closed.
“They were up on our rooftops, when the snow was coming down, making sure the roof drains weren’t blocked and clearing channels for the water to disperse. It kept us from having any water intrusion issues. In the past we’ve had leaky roofs because of water pooling,” he said. “This time around they did a great job at making sure those schools weren’t damaged so those kids could be in warm safe spaces.”
School district officials took time out during the Feb. 10 professional development day to recognize the workers for their efforts during the storms.
“We have 15 sites and three guys to try to make it out there and make sure the sites are safe for kids and for the public,” Weswick said. “When we have an unusual snowfall like we’ve been having this year, it puts a lot of strain on them.”
Weswick said other than the bylaw infraction tickets from Gibsons, he was not aware of any concerns about snow clearing from the other local governments. The District of Sechelt also has a bylaw that requires commercial property owners to clear sidewalks.
The ticket will cost the school district $50, with an early payment option of $40 or $60 for late payment.
