Four Seasons, Fire Hall #1, Bob Harkins Branch get funding, Tax Levy jumps to 3.18%

Prince George City Council finalised the 2017 – 2021 Financial Plan on Wednesday night. Here are some of the highlights:

Four Seasons Pool

Council agreed to fund the reconstruction of the Four Seasons pool. The project will cost about $35 million to demolish and replace.

An audit of the city’s pools was conducted last summer. Upon completion, the report stated the Four Seasons had poor accessibility for those with mobility issues, inadequate changerooms, unsafe deck tiles, and lacked out-of-pool exercise equipment. At nearly 50 years old, the pool was also considered nearing the end of its service life. The audit also stated the Four Seasons failed to meet many code and design standards.

A positive the audit found was there was a lot of support for the pool’s downtown location. If it were to be rebuilt, the audit recommended doing so in the same spot.

Projects over $5 million involve public input on how it will be funded. This decision will either be made through a referendum, where residents can vote on a payment method and length of time, or an Alternative Approval Process (AAP), where residents can choose if this project should be funded at all. Council will choose a method at an upcoming regular meeting.

Fire Hall #1

Fire Hall #1, located at Dominion Street and 7th Avenue, was built in 1956. Since then, it’s coverage area has expanded to include most areas east of Highway 97 and north of Ferry Avenue, the BCR industrial area, the airport, and the Blackburn / Giscome area. The way the city has developed over the past 60 years, the station is no longer central to the area it covers.

The station houses the Fire Operations Communications Centre (FOCC), which is the centralised call answer and dispatch centre for 79 fire/rescue agencies throughout the Fraser-Fort George, Cariboo, Kitimat-Stikine, and Bulkley-Nechako Regional Districts.

A recent building evaluation found Fire Hall #1 is in an area that is prone to flooding; the building’s size, location, and post-disaster structural requirements don’t meet standards, its bay doors and inside height aren’t large enough for modern vehicles, it’s not accessible to those with disabilities, and, ironically, doesn’t meet fire separation and fire-resistant building codes. Power supply to the call centre is also sometimes compromised.

Council weighed either spending $1.29 million in renovations over 10 years ($128,800 per year) or $15 million on a new building. The 10-year plan doesn’t include betterments such as post-disaster structural requirements for seismic events, fire wall separation between occupancies, accessibility improvements and other code upgrades. It’s expected the seismic upgrades alone would cost more than a new facility.

Councillor Albert Koehler noted that council isn’t obligated to do anything about the hall at this time. He recommended leaving it instead of dealing with the debt of both this project and the pool simultaneously (which will cost about $50 million combined).

Other councillors felt differently. Councillor Frank Everitt strongly supported the project, citing public safety is “paramount.” Mayor Lyn Hall also said his support for the project was a matter of public safety, citing Monday’s three fires.

Just like the pool, if and how this project is funded will be decided through either an AAP or a referendum, whichever Council decides.

Prince George Public Library – Bob Harkins Branch Entrance

After years and years on the unfunded list, Council agreed to fund the Bob Harkins branch’s new entrance.

The renovated entrance will have a new vestibule, elevator, and stairs from parking level to the second floor, which will increase accessibility (an upgrade on the current concrete stairs), and beautify the Canada Games plaza. This will cost $2,472,000.

Councillor Jillian Merrick pointed out the library is the most used public facility in the city. Councillor Terri McConnachie is on the library’s Board of Trustees and reminded council both library branches are city-owned assets that need to be looked after. Council unanimously decided to fund this project.

Staff will now find a way to fund this project, which is expected to be a debt paid off over 20 years.

Roads / Sidewalks

Sidewalks were a concern that council heard many times in 2016, especially during Talktober.

Last year, road repairs were set at $7 million: $5 million from Road Rehabilitation Levy and $2 million through the Community Works fund.

This year, city administration recommended the Community Works fund be split evenly between sidewalk projects and parks capital projects. In reducing road rehabilitation to $5,000,000, local roads will be excluded from this year’s work plan.

Council struggled to make this decision. Mayor Hall admitted the city desperately needs to catch up and create new sidewalks but didn’t feel comfortable cutting road funding.

Council agreed to this funding model this year and will revisit it again in 2018.

Tax Levy

The needed fee to maintain all the city’s services, or the “tax levy,” sat at a 2.72% increase before Monday’s meeting.

Council decided to spend $247,478 on new lifeguards to meet updated BC Lifeguard Society safety standards. The RCMP’s funding for two new officers was approved at a cost of $113,273 (September – December). The city will hire a seasonal property maintenance team to get rid weeds from sidewalks, trails, medians and boulevards at $81,051. Council also put aside $6,000 for the Student Mentorship Program.

These new programs increased the tax levy to 3.18%.

This increase isn’t set in stone. If the tax levy is finalised, the residential, commercial, and industrial contributions will be calculated in April.

Both Councillors Brian Skakun and Murry Krause were absent from Wednesday’s meeting. Councillor Garth Frizzell joined via telephone.