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Dec. 16 Council Notes: Rec centre update, new waste collection plan

Dec. 16 Council Notes: Rec centre update, new waste collection plan

Integris Recreation Centre update

Vanderhoof’s district council is currently applying for two government grants for Integris Recreation Centre renovation.

The latest cost estimate for the centre’s renovation is $636,982.50,

A grant from the Child Care Major Capital Funding, part of the provincial government’s Early Years Strategy, would help offset the costs for a section on the building’s first floor where the local YMCA will be housed.

The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, from the federal government’s Canadian Heritage department, would contribute towards the building’s Arts wing, as well as the building’s large second-floor room planned for the performing arts.

With grant application deadlines in February and results to come in the following months, the district council is moving forward with the project, with a target to finish construction by fall 2016 and programs to move in by September, said Tom Clement, the district’s CAO.

 

Kwik Safe

The district council will be discussing on Jan.14 the future usage of the Kwik Safe building located on Highway 16 by Kenney Dam Road.

One of the ideas suggested during council meeting was to transform the building into a tourism office, taking advantage of the building’s central location and proximity to downtown.

Meanwhile, the building will be temporarily shut down for protection, at a cost of $8,000.

 

Solid waste collection and recycling

A new solid waste collection and recycling system is coming to the district of Vanderhoof.

Joining other municipalities in the province, the district is committed to establish a bin system for solid waste collection and is looking to increase the district’s service coverage, said Tom Clement, the district’s CAO.

Compared with private waste pickup companies, the district of Vanderhoof is found to be able to provide the service at a cheaper cost.

Though only for solid waste at the moment, the bin system would allow the district to incorporate recycling in the future as well.

Considering costs and availability of resources, the district is working on a viable plan, including potentially adding a financial incentive for residents to decrease waste and recycle.

It’s timely for the district, as its current garbage collection truck is due for replacement, and a cardboard ban from the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako’s landfills or transfer stations will take effect next July, Clement said.

The new solid waste collection system will be in place as soon as possible, with an expectation to be done in 2016, he added.

For recycling, the regional district is working closely with the municipality on the new plan, as solid waste management is the responsibility of RDBN, said Jerry Petersen, the regional district’s director of Electoral Area “F”.

A one-stop-shop depot is in the works, a piecemeal setup that would work for everybody, he said.

 

- with files from the District of Vanderhoof