March 11 Council Highlights

Pioneer Park Playground Upgrade

The play structure at Pioneer Park is scheduled to be replaced this year. $98,500 of funding was awarded from the Enabling Accessibility Program to aid in the design and installation of an all-inclusive playground at the downtown park.

The new structure will incorporate accessible features such as an “oodle swing,” “omni spinner” and ramps throughout.

With $22,591 in funds also received from the Tire Stewardship Program, the ground surface will be made of a rubberized pour in place material instead of traditional wood chips.

Council thanked staff and highlighted that $121,091 of the $159,440 total project cost has been supplied through successful grant applications.

The contract for the project was awarded to Habitat Systems Inc. The grand opening of the new structure is scheduled to coincide with National Access Awareness Day on Saturday, June 1, 2019.

Municipal Hall Energy Efficiency Study

HiH Energy was awarded the opportunity to conduct an energy efficiency study of Municipal Hall, and to prepare a  Clean BC Communities grant application to facilitate energy efficiency improvements to the building.

The study will examine heating systems, lights, fans and hot water, as well as the  efficiency of the building structure.  If successful, the grant would fund approximately two-thirds of the improvement costs.

The District is a signatory to the BC Climate Action Charter and regularly reports its green house gas (GHG) emissions to the Province. Energy efficiency  improvements have also been identified as a priority in the Official Community Plan. Many street lights within the townsite are LED bulbs, and an electric vehicle charging station will be installed soon at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum/Visitor Information Centre parking lot.

Proposed 5  Year Financial Plan

Two Budget Open House sessions were held on March 4 and March 5 to receive input from the community about the proposed plan. Those that attended provided positive feedback, and no changes for the proposed 2019 - 2023 Financial Plan were requested by Council.

More Stops Coming for Route 11

Council received a delegation from the Fraser Valley Regional District proposing expanded transit service options for the Agassiz/Harrison Connector (Route 11).

To address the gaps in service, seven additional northbound and two southbound stops are being proposed as identified in this map provided by the FVRD.  These expanded service options are available at no extra cost to the District, as no re-routing of existing travel paths are required.

An “on-request” service would also be available during the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm for the Golf Road corridor at no additional cost to the municipality.

District staff were also directed to submit grant applications to the BC Transit Bus Shelter Program, which would cover up to 80% of the cost of installing four new shelters along the routes.

BC Transit will be updating their Transit Future Action Plan and is hosting  a public engagement opportunity at the Municipal Hall on April 2, 2019 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. For more info contact chilliwackplanning@bctransit.com

Next Meeting

The next Regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, March 25, 2019 in Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m.