It continues to be a busy time in Area A. The West Fernie Servicing and Infrastructure Project is well underway. In early December, the City of Fernie’s boundary restructuring was approved by the Province for Phase 1 of the project.
Approximately 130 properties on the south side of Highway 3 in West Fernie officially became part of the City of Fernie.
While Phase 1 is largely complete, the spring will bring with it some underground infrastructure work in one particular area, south of the highway. In addition, some ditching, storm work, final grading, topsoil and hydroseeding have been put on the to-do list.
The detailed design for Phase 2 is complete and nine contractors have been qualified to bid on the tender. The tender is expected to be awarded at the March 3 RDEK Board Meeting.
Last Tuesday, the RDEK hosted an Open House for the community to provide an update on what is left in Phase 1, present the high-level design for Phase 2, answer questions and gather community feedback. The tender drawings for Phase 2 and a copy of the presentation from the Open House are posted on the West Fernie website at Westfernie.ca
There are a number of other things going on in Area A as well. The RDEK has applied for funding through Emergency Management BC’s National Disaster Mitigation Program to complete a detailed floodplain mapping & hydrology study for the Hosmer, Vanlerberg Road and Hill Road areas. The municipality is continuing to look for other grant opportunities for this project. Once funding is received and the study is completed, it will assist the RDEK in prioritizing mitigation projects in these areas.
In 2016, the RDEK completed a Flood Strategy Report with the Elk River Alliance (ERA). Last week, the ERA gathered local government, industry and other stakeholders together to discuss the establishment of an Elk River Flood Management Steering Committee. The goal of the Committee would be to bring the various government and industry partners together to work as a unit on flood mitigation and response as opposed to everyone working as separate entities. The ERA is taking the lead on establishment of the committee.
Nominations have now closed for the Electoral Area A Volunteer of the Year. The nomination deadline was February 15. Last year, Randy Cameron was the Area A Volunteer of the Year.
The Board is in the midst of its budget process and has its first detailed review of the 5-Year Financial Plan. This plan details how individuals’ tax dollars are being spent on services and the district encourages all residents to get a copy and stay informed. The plan will be available for public review this month and comments are being accepted until 10 a.m. on February 27th.