1. BYLAWS
1.1 Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2231, 2014, Amendment No. 3, Bylaw No. 2272, 2014 & Bylaw No. 1750, Amendment No. 175, Bylaw No. 2278, 2014 Council gave first and second reading to Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2231, Amendment No. 3, Bylaw No. 2272, 2014 as well Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, Amendment No. 175, Bylaw No. 2278, 2014 and referred both bylaws to a public hearing. \
2. OTHER INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
2.1 Maiden Lake Area Cleanup Council supported the request to loan Wildsight the equipment to clean up the area around Maiden Lake to eradicate invasive weeds in the area. Council also directed staff to investigate installing additional bear proof garbage receptacles along the City sidewalks at either end of the property similar to the high school and other locations in town.
2.2 Business Retention & Expansion Survey Council agreed to support the spirit of the Business Retention & Expansion Survey application and allocate $2,500 to help execute the survey to allow for a larger data base.
2.3 Floodplain Exemption – 691 7th Avenue Council agreed to exempt the property at 691-7th Avenue, in accordance with Section 910(5) of the Local Government Act, from the application of Section 5.a.(i) of Floodplain Management Bylaw No.1780, requiring that a Flood Construction Level of 998.25 metres be established to enable the use of the lower level of the building for human habitation with the underside of the basement slab being at an elevation of approximately 997.64 metres as noted in the attached Flood Hazard Assessment dated June 4th, 2015 prepared by Groundtech Engineering.
2.4 Appointment to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Committee – Council agreed to amend the Terms of Reference for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Committee by increasing the members from the Community-at-large from two (2) to three (3) and appointed Mr. Yori Jamin to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Committee as a member of the community-at-large.
2.5 Clean up of Unsightly Properties Council authorized that Officers, employees or agents of the City of Fernie be authorized to enter onto the propertys located at:
– 4 Silver Ridge Way
– 621-8th Avenue
– 861-11th Avenue
– 1 St. Margaret’s Road
– 34 Silver Ridge Drive –
– 36 Silver Ridge Drive
after giving reasonable notice to the owners of the property, to take the required action to cut and remove all long grasses and weeds on entire property at the expense of the owners of the subject property, and recover the costs incurred from those owners as a debt in accordance with sections 16 and 17 of the Community Charter.
2.6 Station Square Public Washroom Facility Council directed staff to commence a competitive bid process to select a suitable contractor to undertake the construction of a public washroom facility in an appropriate location in the City owned parking lot across 6th Street from the Fernie Arts Station, and
THAT the public washroom facility conform with the Downtown Design Guidelines as defined in City’s Official Community Plan and be designed to be a unisex facility that includes a tap to fill water bottles, infant change tables, handicap accessibility and a charging station for electronics, and
THAT the costs associated with the construction of the public washroom facility not exceed $80,000, the funding source for which will be the Province’s Resort Municipality Initiative, and more specifically, the Festival and Event Development category of the 2012-2016 Resort Development Strategy.
2.6 Community Business and Excellence Awards Council authorized continued support of the Awards which recognizes key people and businesses in our community.

2.7 Fernie Color Crawl Council granted the requests for road closures and the use of barriers for the upcoming race to be held on Saturday, September 26, 2015.
2.8 BC Hydro’s Community Champions Program, 2015 Council authorized the information to be forwarded to local Wildsight office via Councillor Schafer. On August 18, BC Hydro will launch the 2015 edition of our Community Champions Program. BC Hydro is looking for non-profit organizations from across B.C. to submit video entries that tell us what they are doing to make their community more sustainable. Results of the public voting will determine three of the winners, who will each receive $10,000 to continue their sustainability-based project. They also encourage all participants to share the story of their conservation initiative or show support for their favourite non-profit on social media using the hashtag #BCHCommunityChampions.
2.9 Association of Kootenay Boundaries of Local Government (AKBLG) re: Aging in the Kootenays Council authorized any member of council to attend the workshop which will be held in on October 7, 2015 in Trail, BC.
3. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND OTHER NEWS
Monday, August 10, 2015
Committee of the Whole (COTW) @ 10:00am
Regular Meeting of Council @ 7:00pm
Council meetings are streamed live and can be viewed on-demand on the City’s website or watched on Shaw TV Channel 10 at 3:30pm on Tuesdays and 11:00am on Thursdays.
3.2 Ridgemont Park located at 200 Ridgemont Lane will be open to the public on Friday, August 14, 2015.  New equipment has been installed over the last few months resulting in a park that will be enjoyed for years to come. 
3.3 Water Restrictions in Effect Residents are advised that due to extreme summer temperatures and dry conditions the City has implemented a Watering Restriction Program effective immediately. These restrictions apply to lawn watering and other uses. Residents are urged to adhere to these restrictions until further notice.
For details download here: 2015-08-10 Council Connection