Along with advancing exploration of the potential to take over the Hopkins Landing waterworks system, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board considered other matters at its Jan. 23 board meeting.
The unforeseen but necessary replacement of failed equipment meant a hike to the budget for Chaster well’s maintenance and upgrade project was in order. As of 2023 the budget sat at $128,500 and it nearly tripled, with an increase of $329,000 approved at the board session.
Staff outlined in a report on the agenda of the committee of the whole meeting held earlier that day, that after the upgrading project started, a submersible pump at the well site suffered a “critical failure." That happened last August. Staff proposed the replacement of that outdated pump with a high-efficiency model that includes an updated drive motor, along with improvements to the site’s electrical and control systems. That work had not been anticipated when the original budget was proposed and accepted.
At the board meeting, elected officials sanctioned funding those new costs from regional water service capital reserves.
Staff indicated the project had been slated to be finished in May, but with the added scope, completion is anticipated “optimistically in June, pessimistically in July." The focus will be on ensuring the work is completed before the date the Chapman Water system, which that well feeds, goes to Stage 2 water restrictions this year.
Advocacy on provincial matters
The regional board endorsed sending two resolutions to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention, slated to be held in Nanaimo April 11 to 13. That annual gathering is a forum where local governments discuss shared ideas and concerns, with a view to lobbying the province as a united front, to address those issues.
One proposal looks for a review of how the province funds volunteer fire departments in rural and remote areas, given the demands placed on those department to assist other provincial entities, such as BC Hydro, Emergency Health Services and the Insurance Corporation of BC. Often rural fire volunteers are called upon to handle duties like traffic control when hydro lines are down or to assist with moving patients at motor vehicle accident scenes. Given that the SCRD is looking to move to a paid on-call system for regional fire department volunteers in 2025, those types of call-outs will increase compensation demands on regional coffers. The SCRD is looking for greater fairness in how the costs of firefighter assistance to provincial service providers get paid for.
The second resolution asks that the Ministry of Transportation and Transit collaborate with local governments (on request) on emergency road access planning in rural areas.
Tax roll review hearing set
The 2025 sitting of the regional district’s Parcel Tax Roll Review Panel was set for Feb. 27. Directors Justine Gabias (Area B) Kate-Louise Stamford (Area F) and Leonard Lee (Area A) volunteered to take on the duties of hearing any submissions to that group this year.
Strategic plan updated
The 2023-2027 strategic plan was back before the board with updates on the progress made during 2024 on the plan’s identified focus areas. The update was received and can be viewed on scrd.ca.
