It seems even governments suffer from government red tape.
Construction of proposed eco-depots to be built in Clearwater and Barriere is being held up because the Thompson-Nicola Regional District can't get the necessary permits signed off by other agencies, according to Clearwater mayor John Harwood.
Speaking at a town council meeting last Tuesday, Harwood said construction has not started, even though the contracts for the buildings and weigh scales have been let.
TNRD staff has said last spring they hoped to have the Clearwater eco-depot operating by this fall.
Total estimated cost of the facility was about $1.5 million. Three full-time jobs would be created.
The mayor made his comments during discussion of a proposal to amend Clearwater's zoning bylaw to include a definition of an eco-depot.
According to background documents from staff, the proposal was a housekeeping amendment that would explicitly list eco-depot as a permitted use in the I-3 (General Industrial) zone and would provide clarity regarding the proposed use.
According to the new definition, an eco-depot "... means a fenced and gated facility where municipal solid waste and recyclable materials are accepted into containers and stockpiles in accordance with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District regional solid waste management plan and approved under the Environmental Management Act. These sites generally function as both terminal collection and reload centers for smaller transfer stations, recycle depots and local curbside collection services but do not include any discharge to the ground. Eco-depots can also serve as locations where provincial product stewardship programs are located and where yard waste and organic material is composted."
The proposed eco-depot would be located on the former Camp Two sawmill site next to Forest Service Road Two. A portion of the property is within the Agricultural Land Reserve and council has applied for approval to have that portion for non-farm use.
The majority of the property is outside the ALR and within the existing I-3 zone.