Trail leaders had plenty of business to deal with last week after one month off from meeting in council chambers.
Several contracts were awarded during the Tuesday governance meeting, which preceded a public hearing and regular council.
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The largest contract approved was $84,000 to Dynamic Landscaping, the sole tender, for remediation of the Mountain View Cemetery gateway.
The original gateway structure was constructed in conjunction with highway improvements in the late 1950’s, and over time, has begun to deteriorate.
“As such, rather than make small spot repairs, a design was produced in order to bring a new vibrancy to the entrance of the cemetery while also replacing the old infrastructure,” David Moorhead, city works superintendent, noted in his staff report.
“In conjunction with the new walls that will be built, landscaping will be completed on the southern side of the entrance road which is currently a grass knoll. This new landscaping will be both low maintenance shrubs as well as new trees to line the road.”
Council members also awarded a $65,000 contract to BV Communications to step up video surveillance in the Trail Aquatic and Leisure Centre (TALC).
“The security camera system at TALC has not been substantially upgraded since the building was built in 1996,” department head Trisha Davison explained.
Several years ago, the plan to upgrade this particular security system was deferred when other priorities surfaced that required resources and attention.
“The number of incidents that have occurred in public recreational spaces over the last year has been increasing and has become a significant concern,” Davison said. “Unfortunately, the TALC has not been immune. In the past year, video footage has been used at both the Trail Riverfront Centre and the Trail Memorial Centre to help identify the individuals involved in inappropriate behavior,” she said.
“When the RCMP were called to respond, video footage was often requested to assist the RCMP in dealing with the individuals … however, this option was not available to them (in TALC).”
Davison recommended BV Communications for the job as the company has been the supplier and installer for all other municipal security camera equipment.
As well, during the governance meeting, council members agreed to a couple of grant applications to Columbia Basin Trust. First, staff was given the go-ahead to seek $25,000 from the “Basin Plays” program for replacement of playground features at Gyro Park. Further, they approved a jointly submitted application, with Rossland and Warfield, for money to hire a shared seniors coordinator.
As part of that age-friendly venture, the city agreed to contribute $6,000 in cash and $2,000 in-kind toward this pilot project.
“In talking with Trust staff, it was suggested that Trail, Rossland, and Warfield jointly make an application to the Social Grant program for this initiative,” advised Davison. “While multi-year funding can be applied for, the working group felt a one-year pilot program may be the best option as the concept of a shared position serving multiple municipalities is somewhat unique in this region.”
Essentially, the role of the seniors’ coordinator is to act as a conduit between seniors and service providers in the three communities. More so, the coordinator will help identify the needs and interests of seniors, offer social events, basic programming, and social engagement opportunities, outside of what is already being provided.
After going into a closed session, next on council’s list was a public hearing regarding a residential zoning change in East Trail. Later, during the council meeting, the panel had multiple bylaw contraventions to act on and a number of bylaw amendments to read and/or adopt.
One of those bylaw changes followed a requisite public hearing, which was held at 6 p.m. in chambers. Council gave owners of Rustic Crust Pizza the green-light to alter their single family dwelling on Columbia Avenue into an eating establishment.
Further, the group moved ahead with updating the city’s tax exemptions on certain properties, and it extended the tax sale redemption period by one year for a delinquent property on Rossland Avenue.
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