Kimberley City Council Report

By Nowell Berg

On September 11, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.

Councillors Sue Cairns, Woody Maguire, Jason McBain, Sandra Roberts and Steven Royer were present along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Kevin Dunnebacke was absent from chambers, but available by telephone.

An archive of the meeting can be found on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.

Parks and Facilities Master Plan Project

Council received a presentation from RC Strategies who are currently conducting research for the Parks and Facilities master plan.

Project Consultants Steve Slawuta and Fiona Bell laid out the process for reviewing current facilities and engagement with the community regarding recreation priorities and concerns.

According to Slawuta, the plan will assess the “current state of parks and facilities” and recommend “priorities and focus areas” that “will help inform future decision making.”

Bell outlined a series of events to gather information from residents. There are several ways to provide your input to the project. Feedback can be given anytime by going to Engage Kimberley.

Households should have already received a resident survey postcard that allows them to access an online survey that will gather feedback until September 29. Once the community engagement and research is completed by end of October, a visioning process will take place in November.

After that, the consultants will prepare a draft master plan that will be presented to the community for additional feedback in early 2024.

Transit System Update

Council received a presentation from Daynika White, Manager, Government Relations, Thompson-Kootenay Region. White introduced herself as “the main point of contact for local government partners regarding transit.”

After reviewing BC Transit’s operations, partnership model and local paratransit services, White said, “Local governments keep 100% of transit revenues which helps off-set a portion of the operating costs.”

In a blended cost model like Kimberley Transit, the provincial share of costs is 61.69%. The city’s share of funding is, she said, “about 38% of total transit costs which is a deal for the city.”

Ridership on the Kimberley Transit system has just about returned to pre-pandemic levels. According to White, 7,380 total service hours include over 22,000 trips generating $72,880 in revenue. Learn more about local transit services here.

White said the transit system needs at least one more vehicle in order to provide uninterrupted service when a bus is removed for maintenance.

Council identified the need to expand the Kimberley-Cranbrook (KC) commuter service that would require additional vehicles beyond the current fleet.

Mayor McCormick noted the KC commuter route is “a really high priority.” Feedback he’s received from residents is that they would use the commuter, but there is “a fear by people they won’t be able to get home from Cranbrook” because the bus is full.

Other councillors also supported the push for an expansion in the commuter route.

White concluded her comments, saying, “I’m working with colleagues who manage the provincial transit fleet to explore any opportunities to bring an additional vehicle into the Kimberley Transit fleet prior to the upcoming ski season.”

Centre 64

City council recently made changes to the Five-Year Financial plan that will see Centre 64 get a new boiler and furnace to replace the old system.

To make this happen, council had to “defer” the project to assess the condition of the curling rink building, and “re-direct’ that funding toward the Centre 64 project.

Council awarded the $157,500 contract for the new Centre 64 boiler/furnace to True Constructible Solutions.

Kimberley City Council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting is September 25.

e-KNOW file photos

e-KNOW

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