1. DISCRETIONARY GRANTS 2018
Council approved the 2018 Discretionary Grant recommendations proposed by the Discretionary Grant Committee on December 13, 2017. The City of Fernie will provide
grants to 27 different community groups totaling $15,370. Successful applications will be notified by mail.
2. STATION SQUARE PUBLIC ART PROJECT
Council has approved and supported the Public Art Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to award the contract for the Fernie Art Project – 1908 Fire to Michael Hepher and Paul Reimer. This art piece will be installed at the Fernie Arts Station and is part of the Station Square Redevelopment Project. $50,000 in funding was received for the project through a joint grant application between the City of Fernie and the Fernie Museum to the BC Canada 150 Grant Program. The grant requires $10,000 matching funds from the City which will be allocated from the Station Square Project, funded by the Resort Municipality Initiative.
The grant stipulates that the art must commemorate a significant community story that has shaped the history of the city and the Great Fire of 1908 was chosen as a dramatic, defining moment for Fernie. The project must be completed by May 31, 2018.
Commemorating the 1908 Great Fire – Michael Hepher & Paul Reimer
3. BYLAWS
3.1 Bylaw No. 2335, 2017 Council Procedure Bylaw No. 1956 was adopted by Council. This bylaw will change the time frame for the inaugural Council meeting following a general local election from December to November 2018.This will enable the City to comply with a recent amendment to the Community Charter of British Columbia.
3.2 Bylaw No. 2336 Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, Amendment Bylaw No. 195, 2017 was given first and second reading by Council. This bylaw text amendment will reduce the
number of variances that accompany R1B – Single Detached Plus Residential rezoning applications by changing the minimum rear‐yard setback from 6.0 metres
(19.7 feet) to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet), a more feasible setback for development of secondary detached dwelling units in the Annex and Maintown neighbourhoods. This
change will free up staff time, reduce the number of applications that come before Council and make the process of developing secondary detached dwelling units easier for property owners. Council has directed staff to schedule a Public Hearing for a future Council meeting.
3.3 Bylaw 2337 – West Fernie Infrastructure Upgrade Local Service Area Bylaw was given first, second and third reading by Council. On March 6, 2015, the Regional
District of East Kootenay established a service area by adopting Bylaw 2588. This service area bylaw established the boundaries for which monies would be collected to cover the debt taken to finance the West Fernie Infrastructure Upgrades. As part of the letters patent from the Province authorizing the boundary expansion of the City to incorporate West Fernie, the City as been directed to adopt a local area service bylaw prior to January 31, 2018. Bylaw 2337 is a Local Area Service Bylaw that maintains the service area created by the RDEK and incorporates the changes that the Province made through the letters patent.
4. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
4.1 Next scheduled meetings of Council are:
– Monday, January 22, 2018 Committee of the Whole at
10:00am and the Regular meeting of Council at 7:00pm in
Council Chambers
– Tuesday, February 13, 2018 (Stat Holiday on the 12th)
Committee of the Whole @10:00am and the Regular meeting of Council @ 7:00pm in Council Chambers