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Pedestrian walk and yearly updates dominate Golden council

The Town of Golden answered questions about why the pedestrian walkway next to the Trans Canada Highway has been closed possibly until May.

Golden Pathway update

After some questions in Golden in regards to the Golden Hill Pathway Seasonal Closure representatives from the Town explained why, after a recommendation provided by the Municipal Insurance Association (MIA), the closure was in place. It was explained it was never staff’s intention originally to have the new pathway being operated as a seasonal path.

The plan originally was to have limited maintenance performed on the path so that it could be used for part of the winter.

As the time neared for the town to take over control of the pathway an insurance company was contacted to look at the situation.

The feedback from the insurance company was to sign the pathway closed starting in November and going until Spring conditions warranted the signage being taken down.  It was at this point the decision was presented to council to keep up the signage for the rest of the winter season. The acknowledgement was made it is not the perfect situation but it is good overall for the Town.

Mayor Christina Benty stated she felt “it would be irresponsible (for the town) to go against the (MIA).”

 

New equipment for Fire Department

Town staff also brought forward a report from the Fire Chief and suggested for the purchase of six new self contained breathing apparatus SCBA, Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) air cylinders, and new pagers. Currently six of the SCBAs are not up to certification and the pagers are outdated. Councillor Mike Percora felt this was a wise plan moving forward for the fire department.

Council voted on the new equipment and authorized staff to proceed with obtaining updated quotes and, based on the best proposal, proceed with the replacement of the equipment at a total cost not to exceed $60,000; and that the necessary funds be taken from the Town Fire Department reserve.

 

Golden Area Initiatives update

Suzanne McCrimmon presented to council an update on the GAI 2011 and 2012 work plans.

McCrimmon started her presentation by explaining what the GAI does.

“The GAI leads and facilitates community priorities for local economic development in Golden and Area A,” McCrimmon said.

She explained that going forward the GAI will be working on a program which will track local businesses which are coming to or leaving town.

“This is a task in 2012 that GAI is planning on implementing,” McCrimmon said.

The group will also be working with many different local groups to develop social media sites that will help network and build alliances to further promote the area along with other goals.

The GAI is also working on a business guide for Golden which will aid people who have questions about setting up a local business.

“All of the research of the community profile has been completed however the format is still being reviewed as to whether we continue with a printed piece, an online piece or create two pieces. One based on community and one based on investment,” she said. The guide in 2012 will be more open to the community as the GAI intends to use different ways to get the information out to the community.

 

Golden Municipal Campground year end report

Joy Guyot gave a presentation about the Golden Municipal Campground year end report.

Guyot said that even though numbers at the campground were slightly down this year the money the town received from the business would still be near what it was during the previous season.

She explained the opening of the store on site had been successful and other than a few incidents things have been going well.

The campground won an award from the Kootenay Business Magazine. The grounds are dealing with a couple of issues that have come up over time. Noxious weeds and gophers are causing some problems at the site but the current owners are looking at the best way to deal with the problems moving forward.

 

Golden Bear Aware Program year end report

Sadie Parr, Golden Bear Aware Co-ordinator presented the Golden Bear Aware Program year end report to council.

Parr said the Golden area has come a long way over the last number of years.

“There are several things the community has done. We have come leaps and bounds,” Parr said.

She said that by increasing the number of bear resistant containers and using bylaws which will limit the ability for the bears to find easy food in Golden the town is helping to make the town less attractive to the bears that surround the area.

She said that people have been reporting siting of bears on a regular basis even though some people are reluctant to call at times. Going forward she explained that staying out in the community and making sure that younger people understand why the program is important is a key. She also said that garbage may be an issue forever but people are helping keep it to a smaller problem in the past. Even though garbage has become less of a problem, fruit trees have caused more issues in recent times. Parr explained this is a problem she is working on getting the word out to people going into next year.

 

Golden Farmers’ Market Grant in Aid Application

In a tie vote (3-3) council turned down a request from the Golden Farmers’ Market Grant in Aid request for $1,750 to support the Winter Farmers’ Market. Councillor Caleb Moss stated before the vote was held that he wished to reiterate his objection to this request. Councillors Moss, Pecora and Hambruch voted against the request while  Councillors Jaswal, Magnusson and Mayor Benty all voted to support the request.