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New Village CFO and more on Nakusp Council agenda

A lot of ground and water was covered at the last Nakusp Council meeting on May 28.

ALESS suggests boat station

Hans Dummerauf from Arrow Lakes Environment Stewardship Society (ALESS) and Margaret Hartley from Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee gave a brief presentation about the “Clean, Drain, Dry” campaign to prevent spread of invasive species. The pair brought a sign to council to be placed at the boat launch in town explaining how to rid boats of any unwanted hangers on that could contaminate our lakes. Another recommendation was for a boat wash station to be set up at the marina to clean vessels of invasive invaders like zebra mussels and milfoil. Hartley pointed out that BC Hydro may be interested in helping stop the spread of zebra mussels because they can affect the functioning of hydroelectric dams, as well as turn beaches into smelly messes.

New CFO reports for duty

New Chief Financial Officer Rob Richards made his first appearance at council, giving a quick report about the upcoming audit scheduled for the week of June 11. CAO Linda Tynan contributed that this year they’re well prepared even though a month behind schedule, compared to last year when they were six months late or 2010 when they were one and a half years late.

Waiver or not, guidelines necessary

Next up on the agenda was a request for a permit waiver from School District 10 for a covered loading ramp on 7th Ave. The waiver was approved, although CAO Tynan said SD10 didn’t really need to ask the Village as they were considered a senior level of government.

The permit waiver request brought up the need for better guidelines for the waivers. Couns. Tom Zeleznik said he didn’t have time to read through all the rules, and CAO Tynan said that was exactly why they needed to be gone through in order to see what needs to stay and what can be removed.

No wavering on waivers

The request for a fee waiver for the gazebo rental for a heatstroke awareness day was denied, with council deciding to follow Coun. Mueller’s advice to keep the fee in place and buy advertising in the event pamphlet instead.

Non-conformer doesn’t win approval

A request from a waterfront resident for a development variance was referred back to staff to work with the homeowners. The main concern was that the building is a non-conforming structure, which can’t be added on to, according to the Community Charter.

Staff get permit power

The next motion was to allow staff to process, review and approve or deny development permit applications.

“A lot of communities do this,” commented mayor Hamling. She also said that if the application is unclear or there is a concern or the applicant is unhappy, the application would then go to council.

Zeleznik asked to clarify what happened if the application was rejected, and Tynan replied that it could be appealed to council. She also clarified that all development variants would still need to come to council.

Gas funds to stop leaks, algae

Seven pages of forms made up the next portion of the agenda (fortunately, the Village office now sends out electronic agendas to press before the meeting, which saves a lot of paper) which was the application for gas tax funds.

Council is applying for General Strategic Priorities money to repair leaks in the water reservoir, which have become significant, said CAO Tynan. Couns. Zeleznik asked if the reservoir was currently cement-lined at the moment, and Tynan confirmed this was the case. She said they were looking to implement repairs with a product similar to the one used at Cultus Lake.

Another application is being sent out for Innovation Funds to buy a cover for the sewage lagoon that will reduce algae. The cover is a new cutting-edge product made in Norway that could be the answer many communities are looking for in terms of algae control. Nakusp will be one of the first to see how it works. Both projects will be 100 per cent funded by the Gas Tax programs.

Boat station to prevent contagion?

The final item for the night came in response to the ALESS presentation: a request for staff to do a report on a washing station at the boat launch. Mayor Hamling stated there is no money in the budget for a boat washing station at this point, but council can plan for it in the next budget or they can talk to Columbia Power Corporation, who are now responsible for the wharf project, about funding possibilities.