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Council Briefs

Hydro Broncs coming to Fitzsimmons Creek
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Mayor was initially sceptical about this "seemingly innocuous inflatable device." Photo courtesy shapeupshop.com

Whether human-sized inflatable hamster cages should be allowed to run Fitzsimmons Creek provoked the most debate at Whistler’s May 29 council meeting.

Whitewater rafting guide Eric Ridington had applied to the municipality for approval for his company to float eight, eight-foot in diameter inflatable Hydro Broncs between the Day Skier bridge and the south side of Terry Rogers bridge at Lorimer Road throughout the summer. Individuals, who pay $59 for the 15-minute ride, will be harnessed into the free-wheeling device which will float and bob its way down to the catch point.

Although Whistler Whitewater had secured approval from appropriate government agencies and a recommendation from Whistler’s Parks and Recreation department, Mayor Ken Melamed was hesitant to allow what municipal staff called "the unusual and seemingly innocuous inflatable device" to get rolling down the river.

"Whistler has few sanctuaries within the village," Melamed said in an interview after council approved the proposal for a one-year trial period. "There are very few places where you can have a sense of being close to nature right in the village and that was my concern."

Melamed suggested there could be a conflict with the Shakepeare in the Park production that will be held in Rebagliati Park in August. He also expressed concern about the "amusement park character" of the proposal, noting he’d prefer that kind of activity be restricted to Blackcomb’s Base II.

"I’m just uncomfortable with the concept of that expanding out and taking over the village."

The Hydro Broncs will be on the creek only 15 minutes of each hour they operate.

Grants total $675,000

Community Enrichment grants totaling $675,000 were approved by council Monday night.

The grants – $360,000 for Maurice Young Millennium Place, $255,000 for the Whistler Arts Council, and $60,000 for Whistler Animals Galore – were originally presented to council last month.

The MY Millennium Place grant was for the amount requested. Of that total, $240,000 will cover operating costs and $120,000 will go to pay the interest on the outstanding $3.5 million mortgage on the building.

The Whistler Arts Council had requested $315,000, nearly twice the $165,000 the organization received last year. Of the $255,000 approved, $100,000 will go towards the creation of an office of cultural coordination with responsibilities as the lead agency for the arts, culture and heritage enhancement objective of the Whistler 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Strategic Plan. (More details are in the Arts section of this issue of Pique).

WAG had requested $73,500, half the annual operating costs for running the shelter. Only one-quarter of the animals coming into the shelter are from Whistler; the other animals come from communities to the north.

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler took the opportunity to suggest that Pemberton and Mount Currie should consider making financial contributions to WAG, as it would be cheaper than establishing their own animal shelters.

P3 costs requested

Van Powel presented such a detailed critique of the public-private partnership proposal for the Whistler sewage treatment plant at Monday’s council meeting that Councillor Nancy Wilhelm-Morton asked it be referred to staff and considered an addition to the P3 procurement costs expenses she raised. Council approved a motion to ask staff for expenses surrounding the P3 plant proposal.

Costs the councillor asked for are not likely to be gathered or released before the alternative approval process deadline of June 12.

For the P3 decision to be reviewed or overturned the alternative approval process requires 10 per cent of Whistler voters to sign a form and return it to municipal hall. If 10 per cent of voters oppose the P3 council will then decide either to hold a referendum on the P3 upgrade or scrap the P3 model and opt for a traditional in-house upgrade and operate option.

Natural gas line approved

Terasen Gas has received approval from the B.C. Utilities Commission to proceed with a $37 million natural gas pipeline from Squamish to Whistler.

Construction on the 50-kilometre pipeline that will shadow Highway 99 will begin this year, with completion scheduled for August, 2008.

Construction of the pipeline will allow the municipality to convert its fleet vehicles from diesel to natural gas, replace an aging propane system, and support geo-thermal applications for the athletes village.

Bill 30 anyone?

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler questioned the mayor about any response from the Union of B.C. Municipalities regarding the province’s Bill 30, which strips local governments of zoning authority over independent power projects on Crown land.

Mayor Melamed said he had to leave the UBCM meeting before the discussion took place. Melamed said he felt there was little to be done, even though some representatives felt there had been a breach of faith on the province’s part.

Four letters expressing opposition to Bill 30 were received by council, from the cities of Victoria and Coquitlam and from the regional districts of Sunshine Coast and Squamish-Lillooet,

Whistler had previously written a similar letter protesting the bill.

Omnibus bill approved

A housekeeping bylaw that covered a collection of miscellaneous items was given third reading by council.

The omnibus bylaw covers things like adjusting garage heights for auxiliary dwelling units and allowing one non-resident employee to work at home-based businesses.

Resident Chris Manuel queried one item about allowing boat storage, questioning whether this meant identifying a communal boat storage or individual storage on properties. Questioned by council, staff responded that individual storage would be allowed but would require sacrificing residence footprint space elsewhere.

Village Hosts on the move

Village Host coordinator Cathie Coyle presented a short power-point presentation regarding the program that has grown from a four-month pilot project two years ago to a year-round program in which more than 50 volunteers answered questions from 20,000 visitors in the Village Stroll area about how to get around Whistler.