The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has responded to criticism from two Big White groups about restricting service to the Big White Transfer Station.
That criticism was voiced in a press release issued Thursday (Feb.15) from the Big White Mountain Chamber of Commerce with supportive comments from the president of the Big White Community Development Association.
In its response, the RDKB says the Big White Transfer Station is currently operating as an unattended transfer station, which is open 24/7.
This operational model creates challenges with inappropriately dumped materials as well as maintaining a clean and tidy facility that balances fiscal responsibility, provides reasonable access and is environmentally sound.
“This is not a new issue, however, in 2023, the ongoing vandalism to the doors, the bins, and the facility in general made it impossible to continue to operate the Big White Transfer Station in a reasonable and acceptable manner as an unattended facility,” states the press release.
The RDKB says the option to move forward with transitioning the facility to an attended one with scheduled hours of access was discussed with the local area director and the regional district solid waste management plan steering and monitoring committee.
“A resolution supporting the transition was passed by the RDKB board of directors on September 27, 2023. The transition will happen on July 1, 2024,” reads the release.
In an effort to solicit community feedback, the RDKB has invited the residents of Big White and members of the public who use the Transfer Station to “Join the Conversation” and help the RDKB decide the scheduled hours of access at https://jointheconversation.rdkb.com/big-white-attended-transfer-station.
An initial survey closed Feb. 7, and a second survey was launched Feb. 9, which provides eight options of hours for further consideration.
The options include scheduled hours where estimated costs are within the current proposed 2024 budget and further options that would exceed current budget values.
The RDKB hopes the results from the second survey will provide further insight into which options the community prefers and whether the community feels additional hours and costs are warranted.
This second survey will have a closing date of Feb. 23, to allow for the results to be included in the regional district’s budget development process.
The RDKB area director has been in contact with the chamber of commerce and has a meeting scheduled with the president of the Community Association on Feb. 21.
There will also be another town hall meeting hosted by the RDKB at Big White on March 6, 6 p.m.
For more information on the town hall meeting, visit https://rdkb.com/Regional-Government/Town-Halls.
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