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Employees to test out new bus pass

A subsidized employee bus pass could get more locals out of their cars and onto public transit if the current pilot program proves to be a success.

A subsidized employee bus pass could get more locals out of their cars and onto public transit if the current pilot program proves to be a success.

At the beginning of December the municipality launched the employee bus pass pilot program to test the waters among a group of resort employees.

Sixty-one people signed up for the four-month program where they paid for an unlimited bus pass costing just $80 for four months.

Among the guinea pigs are employees of Coast Mountain Photography and Rogers Chocolates as well as some residents in Beaver Flats, a Whistler Housing Authority building.

"We do have people that said they never had a bus pass before," said Emma DalSanto, Transportation Demand Management Planner with the RMOW.

A recent survey of Beaver Flats tenants showed that one-third would take transit more often if a subsidized pass was available. This survey also showed that the average weekly travel costs for tenants who drive alone is $92.50 per week, while the weekly transit costs are $17 per week. In the pilot program, the weekly transit costs are $5 per week.

Rather than creating a deficit with public transit, the subsidized pass could result in a transit profit as more and more people choose to ride the bus.

"In the feasibility study it says... that there would be no net loss and possibly in the future when it gets expanded more, there would actually be a net gain because you would have more people riding even though they would be paying a lot less," said DalSanto.

At the end of the pilot program, the volunteers will be asked to fill out a survey and rate how happy they were with the program and how often they used the bus.

Ultimately if the program is a success, the RMOW would like to offer the subsidized bus pass to all resort employees.

"Our long term goal is to make it available to the entire community eventually," said DalSanto.

In his presentation to council Brian Barnett, general manager of engineering and public works, said that providing a discounted employee bus pass has long been discussed at the municipality. In all their research however, staff were unable to find another bus pass like this anywhere else.

"This would be a first," said Barnett.

If the pilot program is successful the employee bus pass program could be offered to more businesses in the fall and then expanded in the coming years.

RMOW to operate Alpha Creek Waterworks

Council has approved a deal that will see the municipality take over the operations of a local water utility for at least one year.

Under the deal the municipality will operate the Alpha Creek Waterworks system until December 2004.

The utility includes a water collection, treatment and distribution system that provides domestic water service to almost 400 residential units and properties. Those properties are in the Bayshores, Twin Lakes, Tamarisk and Alpha Creek Village area.

The operating costs will be $30,000 per year and the owners of Alpha Creek Waterworks will pay the municipality for the operating services.

Ultimately the municipality is interested in buying the system to add it to the overall municipal system. Negotiations for this sale have been in the works for the past two years.

Based on this long-term goal, council approved the operating agreement.

Councillor Marianne Wade added that the agreement was very important from a public health point of view, allowing the municipality to be in control of the water in those areas.

Council gives support to virtual history exhibit

A cutting-edge Web site detailing the history of Whistler’s resort development through the eyes of Franz Wilhelmsen could be the next online project for the Whistler Museum & Archives.

Curator Kerry Clark was before council on Monday night looking for support for a funding proposal for the Web site.

The project entitled "The Franz Wilhelmsen Story: The Man and his Mountain" will use digitized photos, archival film clips, scanned maps, audio files and video of community members speaking about Wilhelmsen, one of the key players in Whistler’s development.

Clark is currently writing a proposal to Heritage Canada to apply for funding for the online project. In the next month the museum will build a test site that will be submitted to the Applications Committee.

Council will also write a letter supporting the project, to be included with the test site.

Mayor Hugh O’Reilly asked if it was possible to include some First Nations history as part of the project.

The Whistler Museum already has another online project currently up and running about pioneer Myrtle Philip. It can be seen at http://collections.ic.gc.ca/myrtlephilip.

The museum’s next exhibit will be "Frozen Time: Glaciers in the Coast Mountains." This exhibit will look at glaciers and their importance in the natural eco-system. It will open on Feb. 13 in the museum as part of Celebration 2010. At the same time a satellite exhibit at Millennium Place called "Snowflakes" will look the science and different types of snowflakes, historic snowflakes and snowflake photography.

RMOW approves grant for environmental projects

Environmental projects in Whistler are getting boost again this year from the municipality’s Environmental Legacy Reserve.

Council approved a $300,000 payment from the reserve to the Community Foundation of Whistler on Monday night.

The principal portion of the donation will be held in perpetuity and invested by the CFOW, but the earnings will be distributed to support environmental protection or enhancement in the Whistler area.

The municipality created the Environmental Legacy Reserve within the solid waste utility fund in 1998. Since then, the municipality has made a $300,000 donation every year for a total contribution of $1.8 million to the Community Foundation of Whistler.