New corporate services director named
Jennifer Bruns has been officially designated as the District of Houston’s Director of Corporate Services and also responsbile for the District’s freedom of information and protection of privacy functions.
The designation and appointment was made at the District’s Sept. 3 council meeting.
A Houston resident since 2015, she became the administrative assistant for the Village of Telkwa in 2016 and from Feb. 2018 onward was the District’s deputy corporate officer.
Bruns replaces Jessica Bagnall who hired on with the District in March 2018 and who has now moved on to become the corporate officer with the North Coast Regional District in Prince Rupert.
“We appreciate the service Jessica provided to the community and wish her the best of luck in her new role,” said District Chief Administrative Officer Gerald Pinchbeck.
He also welcomed Bruns to her new position saying her “passion for community development and public engagement has positively impacted the District and community, and we look forwqrd to continuing our working relationship with her in her new role.”
Ice resurfacer advertising approved
Council has accepted a leisure services department recommendation to sell advertising on the arena’s ice resurfacer.
Selling ads on one of the resurfacer’s sides, its hood or its front would help the “ongoing attempt to support community development and expand on cost-recovery mechanisms for the District’s recreation program,” leisure services director Tasha Kelly said in a memo to council.
Under the proposal, leisure services staff estimate that selling advertiser on the resurfacer will “generate $64,000 minus the cost to produce the advertisement over the 20-year life expectancy of the ice resurfacer, or approximately 54.4 per cent” of its capital costs, Kelly noted.
Advertising costs will vary depending on location on the ice resurfacer and staffers recommend lease agreements of three or five years starting at $2,400 for an advertisement on the hood, the smallest of the three advertising spaces.
No fees to use arena floor
Council has approved a plan to provide free use to minor age sports teams of the dry floor of the arena to help make up for the lack of ice due to the installation period of new refrigeration equipment.
Essentially, council approved of an internal expenditure of $2,460 to cover the cost of having an attendant on site for 20 hours a week (four hours a night for five nights) over six weeks.
“Faced with a later opening date than hoped for, regular ice users are reaching out to neighbouring communities to procure ice rentals for practices,” wrote leisure services director Tasha Kelly in a memo to council. “To continue the support of our local minors’ sporting programs, staff are recommending free dry floor usage to regular minor ice users.”
“Dry floor usage is still beneficial to the local user groups. Teams can work on their skills, cardio and team building,” Kelly continued.
Most current projections place the arena operational date at Nov. 8.
