The following are highlights from the District of West Kelowna Council meeting Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

2010-2014 Financial Plan - Council directed a further $265,000 be allocated to reducing the proposed tax increase of 3.75%, bringing the new tax increase to approximately 2.35%. Due to time line shifts in Engineering resulting from a recent sewer grant of $5.1 million, $65,000 had been made available for Council consideration and Council further agreed to reduce Council’s Contingency Fund by $200,000, both sums to be applied to reducing taxes. Council also approved immediate expenditure of the Supplemental Requests which include hiring the equivalent of 6.1 full-time employees. The new Financial Plan includes the collection of $1.8 million for the administration of Transit which the District is taking over this year from the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The District’s Reserves are estimated to be $28.8 million by 2014.

West Kelowna Transit - Council approved the hiring of one full-time employee to address the day to day maintenance needs of the transit system in West Kelowna contingent on the District assuming administration of the transit provision contract with BC Transit. Currently the Regional District of Central Okanagan administrates transit in West Kelowna, with the District slated to take over in April 2010.

Westside Health Facility - Council held a Public Hearing for the proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment to rezone the southern portion of property at Brown and Bering Roads to allow for the development of a public health facility. The property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve and the proposed comprehensive development zone permits both agricultural and institutional land uses that respect adjacent agricultural land on the northern portion of the property. Interior Health has purchased the property subject to this rezoning and securing Agricultural Land Commission approval for non-farm use of the site. However, Interior Health has indicated that funding is not in place to design or develop a facility and that its primary objective is the purchase of the property. Interior Health indicated it could be years before funding is secured and requested that Council consider an alternate approach to the rezoning by placing a covenant on the property. Interior Health asked that required site-servicing agreements and associated bonding be deferred to later stages of development. The Section 219 Covenant prohibits development of the site, other than agricultural uses, until adequate site servicing capacity reports and a site servicing agreement has been executed. Council agreed to institute this covenant citing special circumstances that the applicant is a provincial agency developing a public facility that has been identified in Council’s Strategic Priorities.

RDCO’s Parks Legacy Acquisition Program Funding - Mayor Doug Findlater reported that Regional District of Central Okanagan Board has adopted a resolution at its meeting February 22 to reduce previously planned funding of the Parks Legacy Acquisition Program for 2010. The rate that member municipalities will pay has been reduced to 3.5 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value from the proposed 7 cents. Mayor Findlater will provide a full report at Council’s next meeting.

Shannon Lake Road Multi-Family Development - Council gave first and second reading on Zoning Bylaw Amendment and OCP Bylaw Amendment applications for a 2.76 hectare property on Shannon Lake Road. The property is adjacent to the Crystal Springs Mobile Home Park and approximately 1 kilometre northeast of the intersection of Shannon Lake Road and Bartley Road. The property owners, Duck Lake Enterprises Ltd., is seeking a rezoning from Compact Housing (RC1), Manufactured Home Park (RMP) and Park and Open Space (P1) to Multiple Housing (Low Density) (R3A). The proposed zone would permit a maximum of 82 multiple family residential units. The current P1 zone covers an existing roadway and has been determined to be a mapping error. The applicant has indicated that two three-storey buildings housing 80 multiple family units would be built on the site with additional public amenities including a 3 metre wide rural public walkway, installation of a pedestrian bridge adjacent to the existing McDougal Creek bridge, protection of environmentally sensitive areas and slopes over 30% and traffic network improvements including intersection and access improvements. The Zoning Bylaw Amendment and OCP Bylaw Amendment applications will now be scheduled for a Public Hearing pending resolution of outstanding site servicing and road network conditions.

November 11 - Council unanimously approved the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 288’s request for a grant in aid for $1,520 in-kind grant to host the 2010 November 11 Remembrance Day event in Royal LePage Place.

Beach Access Improvements - Council gave the go-ahead for improvements this year to five more Road Ends/Beach Access. Improvements include general clean up, installation of garbage receptacles and signage and, in the case of Green Bay Road between 1339 & 1343, the creation of designated parking area. The beach accesses to be improved are:

Whitworth Road between 2496 & 2505

Green Bay Road between 1428 & 1434

Green Bay Road between 1339 & 1343

Sunnyside Road – North End

Casa Loma road between 2757 & 2761
Council also asked that a letter explaining these improvements be sent to all property owners residing adjacent to road ends/beach accesses that are slated to be improved. In 2009, three road ends were opened up for Beach Access: Hitchner Road, Pritchard Road and Whitworth Road.

Tree Program Grant - Council agreed to enter into an agreement with Tree Canada Foundation for fire-related reforestation. Tree Canada has made $15,000 available to reforest areas directly affected by the urban wildfires of 2009. Two areas have been identified for replanting, one on Glenrosa Road and one at Pebble Beach Park. Cash or in-kind contributions will be provided by the District of West Kelowna, the Mount Boucherie Rotary Club and the Lakeview Heights Scouts, bringing the total project value to $24,100. For the Glenrosa area, a .9 hectare section between Glenrosa Road and Woodel Road will be reforested with large established stock encompassing a variety of species. The replanting will resemble an arboretum in appearance and would act as an entrance feature to the Glenrosa area. Trails will be constructed to allow for equipment access during the reforestation process and will remain as part of the District’s trail network.

Entrance Signs - Council approved the construction and installation of two District of West Kelowna Entrance Signs at a cost of $29,001.20. One sign will be placed at the south side berm of Highway 97 approximately 400 metres west of the Boucherie Road Intersection and the other on the east shoulder of Gellatly Road approximately 450 metres north of the Glenrosa Road overpass. In keeping with Council’s direction to keep the costs to the $30,000 budget, the new signs will be constructed to replicate Council’s desire for a wood theme but built out of aluminum with vinyl graphics. Council further asked staff to provide Council with lighting options and costs for the Boucherie entrance sign.