A West Sechelt resident went away from the Jan. 13 finance, culture and economic development committee meeting without a commitment from the District to build, or even consider building, a legal access road to her property.
Jeri Patterson told the committee that she and neighbouring property owners, the Pollocks, have been dealing with several issues as a result of the situation at the top end of Norwest Bay Road.
As well as maintenance and other problems, Patterson said confusion around road access is impacting their property assessments. Some maps show a completed Lewarne Road, even though it’s only a future right-of-way, or a road called Pollock Drive, which is a driveway.
Patterson said BC Assessment has been valuing the properties as though they were on District-maintained roads.
“We’ve been asking repeatedly, as have the Pollocks, that this issue be addressed and that either Lewarne Road or an alternate access to those properties be put in place,” Patterson told the committee, adding they want to see the project in the 2016 budget.
Patterson also asked the District to address the issue with BC Assessment.
Mayor Bruce Milne, who chairs the committee, was fairly blunt on the question of a road.
“The District of Sechelt will not be building roads while I’m mayor,” he said. “Private developers and private owners build roads and when they’re built to code and built to our definitions we can take them over and maintain and keep them in the future.”
Milne did promise the District would do its best to follow up with BC Assessment but can’t guarantee the agency would make the corrections, and he encouraged Patterson to appeal her assessment.
Library expansion
Coun. Mike Shanks, the liaison to the Sechelt Public Library board, told the finance, culture and economic development committee on Jan. 13 that discussions continue between the library and the District on a renovation and expansion project.
Library officials outlined the project, which would be done in four phases and cost about $462,000, at the committee’s December meeting.
Shanks said he and Coun. Darnelda Siegers, along with District staff and representatives from the library, met on Jan. 13.
The meeting revolved mainly around “getting things back on track with the building committee and other concerns that we have moving forward.”
There’s a follow-up meeting set for Jan. 27.
Public works
Councillors had to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on an already-approved truck purchase. The District is going to finance the $84,000 cost of the new Ford F-550 through the Municipal Finance Authority.
Even though councillors voted in favour of buying the truck last December, the MFA requires a formal motion before it will issue the loan.
Summer students
Sechelt’s parks supervisor is hoping to hire two summer students this coming season, and he’d like to get some help to cover their wages.
The finance, culture and economic development committee gave the go-ahead to apply for a Canada Summer Jobs grant at its Jan. 13 meeting.
If the grant comes through, the federal government would cover half of the equivalent of B.C.’s minimum wage, or a little over $5 an hour. The District would have to cover the rest of the planned $16.21 hourly wage.
