Abbotsford council will consider plans that include around $1 billion in spending on fire, water and other capital projects over the next three decades at its meeting today – although the city hopes other levels of government will bear much of those costs.
A new fire master plan, and new plans for Abbotsford’s water, sewage and drainage systems are among the major initiatives set for adoption this afternoon at council.
The plans will lay out how the city would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure over the coming decades. We’ll have more in Wednesday’s paper, but here’s a quick overview, if you don’t want to dig into the 1,100-page agenda now posted online. If you do, well read the 1,140-page agenda here.
Council’s executive meeting takes place at 3 p.m. at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium. Here’s what’s on the agenda:
• A presentation from Agrifair manager Melanie Kish on the event’s plans for this year.
• The final version of the new master plan for the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service. That plan includes the revelation that the number of firefighters who have missed time with a long-term illness has doubled in the past four years, to more than 20 members in 2017. Firefighters have also seen the number of incidents they are called to increase by around 66 per cent since 2013. The department is also falling behind on inspections.
The report also reveals that because it has no smaller vehicles built for two-person crews, large four-person engines are used to respond to all types of incidents, including medical calls requiring only a pair of firefighters.
The plan says the coming years will require the city boost the number of firefighters and enhance prevention work, in part by hiring a full-time emergency and safety program co-ordinator.
• The Joint Water Master Plan for Abbotsford and Mission’s water system. The plan lays out about $180 million of spending through until 2041, with a little less than half of that to go towards building, then expanding, a new collector well to function as a new source (see story here). The plan would also expand the Dickson Lake reservoir.
• The Joint Wastewater Master Plan for Abbotsford and Mission.
The plan sets out $155 million of spending through to 2041, along with around $250 million to build a new wastewater plant. A total of $47 million would be needed just to floodproof the expanded wastewater site.
• Adoption of the city’s own drainage, water and sewer master plans
The largest chunk of this plan focuses on upgrades to the city’s dikes, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but which politicians say should be entirely paid for by senior levels of government (see story here.)
• The results of an information meeting on a proposed expansion to a gravel mine on the northwest edge of Sumas Mountain.
• A request for money to develop a “Smart Infrastructure Foreign Direct Investment Readiness Strategy for Abbotsford.”
• Parasport funding from Canadian Tire.
• Applications to alter zoning or land use contracts at properties on Sandy Hill Road, Oakridge Cres., and Ridgeway Street.
• And a suggestion to rename a portion of Wagner Drive to Wagner Avenue to reduce confusion.
At a public hearing at 7 p.m. (see agenda here), residents can give council their thoughts on:
• The discharge of a land use contract for a home on St. Moritz Drive;
• Two-lot subdivisions on Redwood Avenue, Adelaide Street and Larch Street;
• The rezoning of the Mill Tower property (see story here);
• The creation of a new Secondary Commercial Zone;
• And a development permit and rezoning to allow the construction of a six-storey apartment building on Hillcrest Avenue.
The 7 p.m. regular meeting of council will include discussions on those items heard at public hearing, along with the development issues first aired earlier in the day at the executive meeting. (See agenda here.)
