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Kimberley homeowners should look at radon mitigation
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On October 10, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Sue Cairns, Woody Maguire, Sandra Roberts and Steven Royer were present along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Jason McBain was available by telephone. Coun. Kevin Dunnebacke was absent from chambers.
An archive of the meeting can be found on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.
Radon Test Results
Last winter, 100 radon test kits were made available to homeowners in Kimberley. The testing campaign was undertaken by the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (CARST).
Andy Christie, Building Inspector, reported the campaign was a “national initiative funded by Health Canada to collect radon baseline data in communities all over Canada.” Similar to carbon dioxide, radon gas is “colourless, odourless and inert.” Thus the need for detectors to measure “the concentration of gas.”
During winter 2022, 69 Kimberley homeowners picked up a free test kit. Each homeowner received “an individual report of the radon levels detected in their home.”
According to the test results, 59% of these homes recorded radon levels “above
Health Canada’s guideline of 200 Bq/m³.”
Based on these results, homeowners should look at “radon mitigation” within the next two years. The full report is available on the city’s website.
Building Permit Update
Troy Pollock, Manager Planning, presented building permit numbers to the end of third quarter. He said 105 new dwelling units of all types had been given approval as of the end of September. In 2022, the total number of dwellings permitted was 52 for the whole year.
The construction value of all permits stands at $35 million. Pollock added, “The total construction values, up to the end of September, have pretty much reached where we finished off the year last year (2022).”
Commenting on the diverse housing types, he said “it shows a real positive trend with the increase in the multi-unit residential units that are being created here this year.” It’s the first year when this type of construction will be higher than single family homes, “which is great to see.”
Enthused by this development, Mayor McCormick said, “It is so good to see, finally, the multi-unit rental will be coming into inventory.”
The Mayor singled out three builders, Tyee, Harvest Management and Westcastle, for their commitment to build this type of housing. “I really appreciate the confidence they are showing in the community to make those types of investments.”
To end the discussion, Coun. Roberts said, “Thank goodness we can finally see something’s gonna happen.”
Gymnastic Club Reconstruction Budget Increases
Nik Morissette, Senior Manager of Operations, presented council with a request to modify the 2023-2027 Financial Plan that would see an increase in the construction budget for the new gymnastic club building.
The budgetary increase came in two parts. First, a $10,572 allocation for geo-technical costs associated with the increase in building size. Morissette clarified that once excavation was done, it was determined the sub-surface would “not support a building of its size.” Further excavation was required and then “built up with engineered fill.”
An additional $25,600 was requested for a fire alarm system. Morissette pointed out that a building of this size did not require a fire alarm system, only smoke alarms. However, given the past, staff “recommend[ed] it would be prudent to have that system in place.”
Answering Coun. McGuire’s question about the type of alarm, Morissette said, “its a 24 hour system that will automatically notify the fire department if it is triggered.
Council unanimously voted to support the increased costs.
Kimberley city council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting: October 23.
e-KNOW file photos
e-KNOW
