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SLRD to conduct organizational review

Changes and growth in the region have prompted the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to undertake an organizational review.

The last review was done in 1999 but staffing levels and workload have increased significantly over the past five years.

The objective of the review is for an outside consultant to provide recommendations on ways and means to improve organizational effectiveness at the regional district.

The organizational review will look over the administrative structure of the SLRD, the workload and management processes, current policies and practices and customer service, including communication in-house and with the public.

At Tuesday’s regular board meeting Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly called for the review to also examine the relationship between staff and the board. He said the board can always ask themselves how to do their job better.

"I think we can always do a review of our own practices," said O’Reilly.

The consultant will work with the chair of the board, Susan Gimse, and the Administrator, Paul Edgington, to develop the report.

Gimse said this review is not intended to be as big or all encompassing as the 1999 review.

"We don’t want a complete overhaul," she said.

The review is to be completed by mid-August.

Meanwhile the municipality of Whistler is still working on its governance review.

Council first asked for the review of their governance structure in November. It is designed to look at how council and staff work together, among other things.

The review is expected to come before council some time this summer.

SLRD kicks off logo contest

Calling on all creative residents of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

The SLRD is looking for a new logo to reflect the growing dynamic region, which is made of Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet and all the wild backcountry in between and beyond to the Bridge River Valley.

All residents of the SLRD are invited to submit a logo to the Regional District no later than Monday July 19 at 4 p.m.

The board will choose the winning design the following week at the July 26 regular meeting. The winner will also receive $2,000.

The SLRD has come up with a series of guidelines for the logo designers.

The new logo should be appropriate to the character of the area, be unique to the SLRD, be flexible for a variety of uses, like business cards and outdoor signs, and be one main colour with a maximum of two additional colours, among other things.

The logo design can be sent to the SLRD at Box 219, 1350 Aster Street, Pemberton, B.C., V0N 2L0 or via e-mail at info@slrd.ba.ca

For more information contact Allison Macdonald at 604-894-6371 or 1-800-298-7753 or e-mail

amacdonald@slrd.bc.ca . All inquiries should be at least three days prior to the closing date.

Region considers hiring an environmental co-ordinator

The regional district board is considering hiring an environmental co-ordinator.

At Tuesday’s regular board meeting Lisa Helmer, a fish habitat technician, pitched the idea to the board for a position that would take on a variety of roles for the regional district.

"I believe there is a serious gap in terms of environmental presence in this valley," said Helmer.

As a habitat technician, managing the Birkenhead River Fish Hatchery, Helmer said there have been a number of mistakes in the region in the last few years simply because a third party environmental steward has not been on hand.

She added that other communities in the Sea to Sky corridor, including Whistler and Squamish, have environmental co-ordinators on staff.

"Pemberton is missing that person," she said.

The co-ordinator would do things like review development projects for environmental concerns, conduct ecosystem planning and management as well as project monitoring and environmental assessment.

A letter of support form Hugh Naylor, director of the Pemberton Wildlife Association, outlined reasons why the SLRD should support the position.

"The current rapid pace of development in the Pemberton Valley is placing severe demands on the fragile riparian environment," he wrote.

"Trends toward utilizing fish bearing streams for irrigation are impacting salmon habitat. Developers see riparian habitat as valuable real estate."

Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland raised concerns that the position would just focus on the Pemberton area but he admitted that the role of the environmental co-ordinator in Squamish has been invaluable.

"It’s paid for itself in Squamish every year we’ve had it," he said.

Board Chair Susan Gimse said she asked Helmer to speak at the meeting as a way to get the ball rolling and have discussion about the possibilities for the regional district.

She said: "Clearly there are a number of different options that we could explore."