The Town of Gibsons has inked a deal with the Sunshine Coast Regional District to ensure a steady supply of potable water.
Council reviewed the terms of the deal at Tuesdays' council meeting and has signed off on it. Mayor Barry Janyk explained the deal following the meeting.
"We're getting water from the regional district. We're paying for it. We're not going to be a part of their regional water system," Janyk said. "We will retain our own. This agreement allows us to maintain our independence from the regional district but at the same time get their water to serve the Upper Gibsons neighbourhoods."
The terms of the deal include limits on how much water the Town can draw from the system and clauses to review the deal every two years.
RCMP loans
The Town has been granted all the necessary provincial and local approvals to borrow money to construct the new RCMP building on Sunnycrest Road. Council passed a loan authorization bylaw at Tuesday's meeting.
The project is getting off to a slow start, already behind schedule.
"Whether or not that can be caught up when they start digging and building, I don't know, but as far as the actual getting the equipment on site and digging in the ground, we're about six weeks [behind]," said Ian Poole, the Town's director of finance.
St. Bart's
St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church may be finding the solution it needs from the Town. Members of St. Bart's church approached the Town looking for a possible rezoning to allow the rental of office space in the fall when the church was facing impending bankruptcy.
Council voted Tuesday to begin exploring the possibility of changing the definition of public access, as the church is currently zoned, to allow for office space rentals. Town planner Michael Epp said he will begin consulting with other properties with similar zoning to see how a potential change to the zoning definition would affect them.
