Council Briefs — Veterans’ Memorial Wall set to open next summer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/08/2013 (4584 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In addition to what has already been reported in the Brandon Sun, the following is a summary of the Brandon City Council meeting held on Aug. 19.

• Council received a presentation from Stephen Hayter and Archie Londry on behalf of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum regarding the Veterans’ Memorial Wall Project being planned for the museum site. The Royal Canadian Air Forces Second World War Memorial will honour all the Canadian airmen and airwomen lost in training and operations during the Second World War. The memorial is anticipated to cost $1.25 million and is scheduled for completion and dedication in the late summer of 2014.

Hayter’s portion of the presentation also included a request to have the City of Brandon, as a gift-in kind contribution, pave the road and parking lot that leads to the museum hangar. Council referred the request for discussion and consideration during the 2014 budget deliberation process.

• Council heard a delegation from Heiko Zinn, a member of the local taxi cab industry, with regards to a proposed fare increase in the drop rate fee for metered taxicabs of 60 cents, bringing the “starting” cost of a taxi trip (for the first 100 metres) from $3.20 up to $3.80. Zinn noted that the proposed increase by the local industry is the first to the drop rate fee in Brandon in five years and is required to address the fixed costs that have risen substantially in that time.

Following Zinn’s presentation, council gave final approval to the requested increase, noting the request is in line with rising industry costs. The fee increase will take effect on Sept.1.

• Council received a delegation from Brandon University professor and local environmentalist Bill Paton, relating to his various environmental concerns, including mosquito control, West Nile virus and Brandon’s water treatment and quality. A number of articles written by Paton on and submitted to city council as part of his presentation can be found at brandon.ca, under Minutes & Agendas.

• A public hearing was held with relation to a conditional use and variance application for the property at 1539 Princess Ave., approval of which would allow the Christian Life Centre on the corner of 15th Street and Princess Avenue to erect an electronic sign. Five individuals spoke in favour of the application, with one representative from the Christian Life Centre noting that their application had been modified so that the electronic sign would not shine directly into homes on the south side of Princess Avenue and would be auto-timed to turn off during the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Following closure of the public hearing, council approved the church organization’s application.

• Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine) presented council with a report on behalf of the city’s audit and finance committee, which met on July 25, with the main topic being the continuing budget review process. Fawcett noted that, as of June 30, a shortfall of approximately $148,000 in 2013 was forecast, due in large part to the unbudgeted costs associated with managing high river levels in the spring and the arrival of WestJet at the Brandon Municipal Airport this fall. Fawcett added that, as per legislative requirements, the proposed shortfall will have to be balanced by the end of the year. Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) also noted that discussions have started in earnest for the 2014 budget deliberations, will be certainly be impacted by it being a provincial reassessment year.

Fawcett also provided a brief report to council on behalf of the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council, which has recently conducted interviews for an aboriginal relations officer. The position, which is a new undertaking by the City of Brandon, will be funded by the federal government. The successful applicant, once in place later this year, will work directly with the BUAPC, much like how the city’s current heritage co-ordinator liaises with the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee.

• On behalf of the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee, Coun. Corey Roberts (Rosser) provided council with a brief summary of the 2013 Doors Open Brandon heritage tours held in Brandon on July 20 and July 21. Roberts reported that approximately 2,100 people took in the self-guided building tours, a significant increase in attendance from last year, however, attendance on the bike and bus tours were affected by heavy rainfall. A volunteer appreciation barbecue was subsequently held on July 28 for all those involved in the Doors Open event.

• Council approved the proposal from Toromont Cat for $281,249.50 (not including GST) to supply a motor grader, along with a five-year complete warranty and five-year maintenance and repair, for use by the city’s Operations Division.

• Council approved a motion to purchase land at 1901 Lyndale Drive from the Province of Manitoba for the sum of $20,000, with funds to be taken from the city’s land acquisition reserve fund. Acquiring the land will allow for an extended buffer zone between the Brandon Municipal Cemetery and the residential development to the south of the cemetery.

• Council approved a motion amending the 2005 development agreement with the property owner at 1600 14th St. East and 804 Richmond Ave. East to reflect additional landowners coming on board as part of the continued development of the city’s industrial park. The above lands, in addition to land at 2001 Douglas St., will be developed in two phases for industrial purposes.

• Council approved the proposal from C & C Construction Ltd., in the amount of $464,750 (excluding GST), for the replacement of existing plastic water services with copper water services, from the watermain to the property line of 51 buildings on Ninth Street, 10th Street and Maryland Avenue. The replacements are to replace failing plastic infrastructure in those areas.

• Council gave final approval to a bylaw to establish the continuation of Pacific Avenue between 18th and 26th streets. Connection of the avenue between the two streets will provide the residents of the Alaska Bay developments as well the other residents of Brandon with a direct east-west access in the area, will serve as a secondary access to the west end for Fire and Emergency Services and will allow for future development in the area.

• Council gave first reading to an amendment to the Vacant and Derelict Bylaw to allow for separate maintenance standards for vacant commercial, vacant residential and boarded buildings that will be administered through annual inspections. The changes would enable the City of Brandon to better enforce the maintenance of the vacant and boarded buildings. The proposed amendment also includes an expanded definition section and includes new permitting and fees requirements associated with vacant and boarded buildings to be enforced.

• Council gave first reading to a bylaw to rezone property at 337 Douglas St. from RSF Residential Single Family Zone to RLD Residential Low Density Multiple Family Zone. The rezoning request from Pro-Fit Renovations and Property Management Ltd. would allow for the construction of a two- dwelling unit semi-detached building on the currently vacant piece of property.

• Council gave first reading and second reading to an amendment of the borrowing bylaw for financial assistance to the Keystone Centre to aid in capital improvements. The amendment, which would reduce the amount of the debenture by term of debt from 10 years to nine years and would reduce the principal amount of borrowing from approximately $1.1 million to $947,960, is reflective of the fact that the city has already levied taxes on the project in the amount of $147,105 in the 2013 year, thereby reducing the necessary amount and term of the debt.

• Council gave first reading to a by-law to re-zone the land at 507 42nd Street from CAR Commercial Arterial Zone to RMD Residential Moderate Density Multiple Family Zone. The applicant, Keller Enterprises, is proposing to rezone the currently vacant property to allow for a mixed use commercial and residential development along Victoria Avenue, with a multiple-family residential development on the southern portion of the site.

• Council gave first reading to a bylaw to rezone 21 Willowcrest Ave. and 1640 Sycamore Drive from Commercial Arterial Zone to Residential High Density Multiple Family Zone. The parcels in question take in the current Kingsway Kort Trailer Park, however, the owner has proposed a multi-family development with a total of four 100-unit apartment buildings, 10 four-unit townhouses and an on-site amenities building and sales office. A public hearing on the matter will subsequently be held by the Brandon Planning Commission.

• Council gave first reading to a bylaw to close the public lane north of Victoria Avenue East between Park Street and Franklin Street. Though the property has long been the location of Rideau Park and houses a skating rink, the Brandon water tower and the Kinsmen Centennial Pool, the laneway in question has never been legally closed.

• Council gave first reading to a bylaw to rename the private road south of Richmond Avenue and east of Rainbow Bay as Chinook Way. The request has been proposed Waverly Developments Ltd. in relation to its condominium development located south of Richmond Avenue and east of Rainbow Bay.

• Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) gave notice that she will introduce a motion at the city council meeting on Sept. 3 to join with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in lobbying for a review of disaster financial assistance at all levels of government in order to allow more rapid and consistent access to funding.

» Submitted