Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr will head the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board for the fourth consecutive year.
Nohr was acclaimed chair at the Dec. 12 board meeting after being the only director nominated. West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull nominated him.
Frank Mauro, director for Pender Harbour/Egmont, was likewise acclaimed vice chair after being nominated by District of Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers.
Mauro replaces Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar in the position, and Nohr thanked Shugar at the meeting for her years as vice chair and chair of the board.
In a brief acceptance speech, Nohr said one focus for the next year will be to keep any tax increases as low as possible.
"We should look at every opportunity to reduce the tax load by renewed efforts for economic development and build our relations with First Nations," he said.
While the first priority with Squamish Nation is to finalize a protocol agreement, the SCRD should "look at opportunities for economic development with Sechelt First Nation to start with, and maybe Squamish later on."
Another big job in the coming year will be completing and putting into action the 20-year transit plan, the parks and recreation master plan, the recycling and waste management plan and the agricultural area plan.
Nohr said he would also like to see the board give more credit and appreciation to staff for their accomplishments, refine the strategic plan into a more readable document, and find ways to shorten the length of committee meetings.
In keeping with the board's recently established practice, Nohr started the meeting by acknowledging it was being held in the traditional territory of the shíshálh Nation.
Tower options
Staff will assess the options to replace the North Road 9-1-1 tower after Gibsons council declined the free tower replacement offer from Rogers.
Community services general manager Paul Fenwick said the estimated cost of the tower replacement has climbed from $120,000 to between $150,000 and $200,000 or higher, so the department is "looking at all possible options."
One option is to use the tower at the new RCMP building on Sunnycrest Road and make relatively minor modifications to the existing tower at the Gibsons fire hall site. That option, however, is "very preliminary," Fenwick said. "We may still build our own tower on that [North Road] site, if that's the only viable option."
Since the Rogers offer included a $12,000 annual rental fee that would have been earmarked for firefighter training, Gibsons council has requested the SCRD board consider allocating that amount for the fire department in this year's budget.
Fenwick said he would also be putting in a proposal to the board next year to conduct engineering assessments of four other towers that are coming due for replacement.
Landfill gas
The SCRD has not given up on a million-dollar innovation project that would convert gas from the Sechelt landfill to energy.
The project was funded in 2008 by the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM), and three studies were conducted that year. Faced with technical challenges, the SCRD requested an extension of the funding to explore the potential to use the landfill gas as a fuel source for heating purposes, and in 2011 UBCM amended the agreement with an April 30, 2014 deadline.
With that date approaching, staff have been directed to provide a status update to UBCM's management committee and request another extension. If the extension is granted, the SCRD will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to gauge industry interest and ensure costs are within budget.
Presenting the request to the infrastructure services committee on Dec. 5, corporate energy manager Shane Laye said it would likely take an extra two years to conclude the RFP process, reach an interconnection agreement with BC Hydro and bring the project to completion.
Elphinstone cemetery
The SCRD will make an offer to take over Elphinstone Cemetery at a nominal price, the board decided after an in-camera meeting on Nov. 28.
The motion directs staff to ensure the dissolution of the existing society "happens appropriately," that the society's assets are included, "and that efforts are made to ensure that the transfer occurs as expeditiously as possible."
