Jan. 23
BC Transit working on 25-year plan for Mission-Abbotsford
BC Transit’s senior urban transportation planner, Michelle Orefield, made a presentation to council about the long-term future of Mission-Abbotsford transit. Phase one was completed in April and May 2011, which involved public consultation. Phase two will begin in February and run through March, which will work on goals and an implementation strategy.
Future transit improvements will be focused on a tiered priority system with the most frequent service connecting Abbotsford to Mission over the bridge, followed by local transit on major Mission roads, and then transit exchanges at the Junction and West Coast Express train station bringing up tertiary priority. Lastly, connecting interregional transit between Mission and Maple Ridge or Harrison.
“I was very disappointed that the Mission-Maple Ridge link was so low on the priority list,” said Coun. Jenny Stevens, adding with the UFV campus expanding it should take advantage of Maple Ridge student enrolment.
“We do need some sort of link that’s better than just catching the train early in the morning and then waiting to come back in the evening,” she said.
Orefield said because it’s still in the study phase, there’s no estimate of what these changes might cost the municipality. A report will come back to council in the spring with the results of Phase two.
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New light on Cherry
Council approved the addition of one street light to be installed on Cherry Avenue between Terris and Charman Streets at a cost of about $750 following complaints from local residents.
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Jan. 30
Fraser House receives $1,000
Council granted Fraser House $1,000 from its contingency fund to help with the $4,000 costs of putting on the annual Challenge Day Youth Event. The international program works with youth who have mental and substance abuse issues, and helps educate about topics like violence and racism. Typically 100 youth are expected to attend, and Fraser House is seeking 30 adult volunteers for this year’s event, to be held on March 1.
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Chamber of Commerce receives $2,000
The Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce was granted $2,000 from council for its Building Community Leadership for the Future Project, which is holding four seminars over the next year to cultivate leaders in the community. The contribution represents 10 per cent of the project’s roughly $20,000 cost. The money will be taken from the council’s contingency fund.
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Old courthouse will get daycare centre
A proposed commercial and retail building at the corner of Cedar Connector and Seventh Avenue at the site of the old courthouse has been granted approval to amend its temporary permit use to allow for a private school/daycare operation. The project received a two-year permit Aug. 22 by the previous council, which was amended to allow the daycare and extended to a three-year temporary permit to accommodate potential tenants since leases are usually signed on three-year agreements. Municipal planners fully expect the developer will come back for a full rezoning application within those three years.
