Sechelt Briefs: Grant sought for active transportation network

The District of Sechelt is trying for a federal COVID-19 grant that if approved, could cover 100 per cent of the costs to expand Sechelt’s active transportation network.

Staff said the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure grant would be used to widen roadways to add multi-use paths as well as lighting on Mason Road from Highway 101 to Norwest Bay Road. Similar widening and path additions and upgrades would be made along sections of Mason Road, Reeves Road, Crowston Trail, Ripple Way, Burnett Road and Sechelt Inlet Road.

As part of the application, staff were able to confirm the district’s status as a “remote community” for the purpose of the grant, which affords them an extra year to complete the project, if it’s awarded – putting the deadline at the end of December 2022.

The staff report noted there would be asset management and operating costs associated with the infrastructure once completed.

Staff gave a “Class D” estimate of $3.2 million for the project – $2.8 million for the West Sechelt and West Porpoise Bay sections and the remaining for East Porpoise Bay.

Budget timelines updated

New dates have been prepared for the District of Sechelt budget process.

“Due to the busy fall we weren’t able to keep to that timeline,” said financial service director David Douglas of the original dates, adding staff feels “very comfortable” with the new rollout.

Originally, two dates were set in December to present the draft general operations budget and early approval requests but those have been moved to February and March. Early approvals will occur in February.

Capital purchases and projects presentations will occur at the end of February and beginning of March.

Rather than in December, sewer operations and capital budgets will be presented Jan. 27.

Douglas also updated council on the questionnaires underway, and said they will be brought before a committee of the whole budget presentation.

A public meeting is also expected to be held in the next three months, Douglas said.

Mayor Darnelda Siegers said she wanted more public meetings to engage with the community as the process moves ahead “while the information’s fresh.”

Coun. Brenda Rowe agreed breaking down meetings by topic would be better, as did Coun. Janice Kuester. “It will make it less confusing for the community,” she said.

Siegers acknowledged a number of grants released by B.C. and the federal government at the end of 2020 related to COVID-19 “with really short turnaround times” caused “angst and work” for departments as they applied.

“The community will see all the work that happened,” she said. “We understand why it’s delayed and we’re hopeful that we’ll get a majority of those grants.”