The Regional District has committed to fund fire mitigation prescriptions through the Community Wildfire Protection Program (CWPP) for two Communities and provide operational funding for fuel management work in several others.
The Board committed funds for prescriptions for Naramata Creek Park and Heritage Hills. It also approved operational funding for the Bankeir, Bankeir Palley Trout, Tee Pee and St. Andrew’s communities. The applications will now go to the Province of B.C. for evaluation.
The Community Wildfire Protection Plan allows the Regional District to define risk areas within the region for interface fires; identify measures necessary to mitigate those risks; and, outline a plan of action to implement the measures.
A Regional Heritage Strategy is one step closer after the Board endorsed a project to identify existing heritage sites throughout the region and define future directions. The $56,850 contract was awarded to Denise Cook Design.
It is expected that the final project report will be delivered to the RDOS Board by late spring 2014.
The Board gave three readings to bylaws administering untidy and unsightly premises in Area “H”. The bylaws provide the Regional District with the legal ability to deal with properties where garbage, standing water or noxious weeds have accumulated, where trees and plant material are overgrown such that there is a safety hazard, where there is graffiti and other unsightly conditions on the property or in a building or structure.
Electoral Areas “C”, “D”, “E”, “F” and “G” have similar bylaws.
Voters in the Village of Keremeos and Electoral Areas “B” and “G” can express opposition to a proposed service to partially fund the Similkameen Country Visitor Information Centre by signing and submitting an elector response form.
The Regional District has estimated the total number of qualified electors in the service area to be 4,088. Ten percent of that number (409 qualified electors) must submit signed forms to prevent the adoption of the bylaw.
The deadline for delivering the original signed Elector Response Form to the Regional District is 4:30 p.m. on Monday December 2, 2013. More information is available at http://www.rdos.bc.ca.
The Board gave three readings and adopted a bylaw administering water distribution and use on the West Bench. The bylaw was required to amend an existing water distribution and use bylaw to update restrictions on use.