During its Feb. 1 meeting Clearwater council approved a recommendation from director of finance Scott Coulson to apply for a $10,000 grant to undertake a road investment strategy planning study.
The roads in the municipality are being serviced by the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for the first five years after incorporation, Coulson noted. That period will end in 2013.
“It is essential that the district make plans for the takeover of operations of the road system,” he said.
Such a plan should include:
• appropriate service levels for snow plowing, ditch clearing and pothole repair with consideration for public safety, road lifecycle costs and allowable finances;
• how to best deliver those services by considering the contracting out of works compared to developing in-house capacity; and
• understanding the long-term capital investments related to sustaining a suitable road quality.
The grant, if approved, would come from the B.C. Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development’s infrastructure planning grant program. The municipality would pay one-third of the cost of developing the plan.
Council to set goals
The councilors agreed to hold a one-day workshop to revisit and update the existing strategic plan and set out the district’s priorities for the next five years.
The workshop will be held sometime in February, with the exact date to be determined.
Councilor Brent Buck noted that several members of council are also involved in the process to develop a new official community plan (OCP) for Clearwater.
Bert Walker suggested that a draft version of the OCP be available during the workshop.