2009 March Final Minutes

Crescent Beach Property Owner’s Association
March, 2009 General Monthly Meeting

Date: March 5, 2009
Time and Location: 7:30 PM Beecher Place, Crescent Beach
Directors in Attendance:
Mark Nelson – President
Malcolm Stewart – Secretary
Bruce Friesen – Membership Chair
Karen MacPherson - Past President
Directors Absent:
Don Sinclair – Acting Treasurer

Mark Nelson as chair, called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. It was established that a quorum was present. The normal order of business was altered to allow a small delegation to provide information and look for our feedback on a Sullivan Street development proposal.

09.03.01 12159 Sullivan Street
The site, 12159 Sullivan Street, is currently zoned C-4 and the owner is seeking to broaden the building’s use by applying to the City for a C-4 CD (Comprehensive Development). A small delegation including Allan Edworthy (Realtor), Rita de Raadt (Applicant/Owner) and Oleg Verbenkov (Pacific Land Group) collectively provided the following background to the rezoning application:
Background
o The current owner, a long time area resident, purchased the building about 2 years ago.
o Since that time, the owner has found it difficult to find a suitable tenant given the restrictive nature of the C-4 zoning. The C-4 zoning generally limits use to a bakery, restaurant, florist, barbershop, cleaning/repairing of clothing and/or shoe repair.
o The building is currently for sale or lease.
o The building, which includes 2 suites and is overbuilt for the site based on current bylaws and standards, is described as legal non-conforming and a C-4 CD zoning is favoured over a C-5 zoning.
o Under the C-4 CD zoning, uses would be expanded to, General Office Space (Mortgage Broker, Lawyer, Insurance Office), Professional (Physician, Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Physio Treatment or Counselor, Veterinarian) and/or Unique Community Services (Home Brew Wine Shop, Travel Agency, Catering Business, Childcare).
o The owner wants to attract a tenant that is a fit with the Crescent Beach community.
Discussion
o Several members expressed concern over future use once the C-4 CD zoning was in place. While the current owner may want to find a tenant that is a fit for the community, a future owner may not have the same interest and with the C-4 CD zoning in place could, for example, the building be torn down and replaced by a two story structure. The primary concern of nearby property owners was that any future use of the building under any new zoning not diminish or restrict the use of their property. Oleg indicated that he expected the City would write the bylaw to reflect and limit any structure to the current square footage, lot coverage and expanded uses spoken to earlier.
o There was a general endorsement by the members present for an expanded use in order to attract a tenant. However, nearby property owners expressed concern over potential Veterinarian or Childcare uses because of noise.
o Oleg indicated that the application for rezoning was made in October, 2008. Following a review by City staff, notices would go out to adjacent property owners. Once the adjacent property owner input was received, a recommendation would go forward to Council with a public hearing to follow. The meeting with the CBPOA was one of courtesy intended to provide information to the CBPOA membership and get feedback.
o There was strong interest on the part of the members present to see and comment on the bylaw once it was prepared by City staff.

Errors/Omissions to the February 4, 2009 Minutes
No errors or omissions noted.

Adoption of the February 4, 2009 Minutes
Motion to adopt the minutes: Karen McPherson
Second: Lisa Richardson
Motion carried

Treasurer’s Report – Mark Nelson

Activity in January 2009:
Credits: $0.49
Debits: $0.00
As of January 31, 2009:
Term Deposits: $21,579.09
Cash: $11,562.29

Adoption of the Treasurer’s Report
Motion to adopt the Treasurer’s Report: Allan Edworthy
Second: Ron Sorensen
Motion carried

Membership Report – Bruce Friesen
Bruce indicated that 2 more members have been added bringing the total membership to 359.

Old Business

General
Mark Nelson provided a brief update on the progress of some of issues that fell out of his December, 2008 meeting with Mayor Watts.
o Emergency Access: The Fire Chief’s report on emergency access to Crescent Beach has been sent to the City Manager. We are awaiting comment.
o Beautification of the east entrance: The focus of the City has been on the west side of the tracks and in particular Heron Park. The sign on the east side of the track is not owned by the City and is not on City property (the sign was commissioned by the CBPOA years ago and is erected on property is believed to be owned by Metro Vancouver). The City will look at new sign and east side entrance design in 2009.
o Beach Erosion: No projects are planned and any work on the dyke will be associated with the drainage work currently underway.

09.02.03 Artesian Wells
Bruce Wood had committed to follow-up and report back to the membership on the status of the artesian wells. Bruce prepared and presented a comprehensive backgrounder on the wells with a view to putting forward a motion at the April, 2009 meeting. In his opinion it would be in the best interests of property owners to initiate discussions with the Municipality on the restoration of some or all of the wells for emergency use. The background and notice of motion follow:

More than 30 years ago, The Crescent Beach Area water was supplied by artesian wells owned by the Ryall Waterworks. Just two wells at 25th and 128th Streets were able to supply both household and garden water needs of the Village. When Surrey replaced the old system with GVRD water, the 5 artesian wells in the area were capped and mostly forgotten. Since the Lower mainland is subject to periodic earthquake activity, one might wonder about emergency water supply.

Unfortunately, the South Surrey Water system is prone to disruption by earthquake damage for several reasons. First, the water supply system needs to transverse several geological hazards, including: an inlet crossing, several river crossings and most severe, the feeder pipes need to traverse zones that are prone to liquefaction. Pipe lines suffer greater damage in areas that are prone to liquefaction. Second, since South Surrey is at the end of the line and it's supply would be truncated by leaks along the length of the system.

A rough calculation yields a requirement of 100 emergency water truck tankers per day for Surrey's Population. After a severe earthquake, assuming that damage to bridge and road systems are minimal, which is improbable, the question that needs to be asked, “where would one get 100 tankers of relativity clean water per day?

Should there be interest on the part of the CBPOA to pursue an emergency water supply, then a letter of concern should be directed to Mr. Vincent Lalonde, P. Eng., and City of Surry General Manager of Engineering. Topics for Discussions may involve questions: of the feasibility of reactivating a few old artesian wells as emergency water sources or the drilling of a few new small artesian wells and the additional cost of a few earthquake proof systems that would store emergency water provided by these wells.

Notice of Motion for the April General Monthly Meeting: Bruce Wood
Whereas there is an interest on the part of the Crescent Beach Property Owners Association to establish an emergency supply of water for the community as part of an overall emergency plan, it is resolved that the Crescent Beach Property Owners Association ask the Municipality to enter into discussions about local emergency water and the development of alternate emergency water sources.

Discussion
Mark Nelson indicated that the City of Surrey has an emergency plan, but it is not community specific. He will arrange for a presentation at an upcoming meeting.

New Business

09.03.02 Community Disaster Planning
Margot Thomson provided a thoughtful presentation and handout sharing her perspectives on the need to establish a disaster plan for Crescent Beach. As a 39 year resident of Crescent Beach, she has not seen a cohesive strategy around emergency/disaster planning. Her call to action is driven by an expectation that the safety of residents and visitors to Crescent Beach must receive the highest priority. Margot recommended that the CBPOA send a letter to the Mayor of Surrey urging that alternate car and/or foot exits and emergency/disaster planning specific to Crescent Beach be immediately undertaken.

Discussion
o There is agreement that an emergency plan is needed. The early indication from the meetings Mark Nelson and Karen McPherson have had with the Fire Chief, RCMP Transport Canada, Ambulance Service and the BNSF is that there is a keen interest in resolving the emergency access issue. Both Karen and Mark emphasized the meetings have been positive and expect an emergency plan would evolve.
o There was general agreement that we wouldn’t want to detract from the discussions underway and that there is a need to have the City meet with the membership about emergency/disaster planning with a view to developing a plan specific to the unique aspects of our community.


09.03.03 Metro Vancouver Waste Export Amendment
Mickey Rogers provided a copy of a Waste Export Amendment notice whereby Metro Vancover is seeking to amend its Solid Waste Management Plan to allow for the annual export of up to 600,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste to the United States for a period of up to 5 years, beginning in 2010. Metro Vancouver is currently assessing strategies, one of which will increase rail traffic through the Crescent Beach rail corridor. Further information can be found at http://www.metrovancouver.org/planning/WasteExport/Pages/default.aspx and a copy of the notice is included at the end of the minutes. Public meeting times and locations follow:
Time for all meetings
Registration: 6:30 – 7 p.m.
Public Meeting: 7 – 9 p.m.
March 25, 2009 – Chilliwack
Venue: Evergreen Hall (Cheam Room)
9291 Corbould Street, Chilliwack
March 26, 2009 – Abbotsford
Venue: Abbotsford Banquet Centre
22738 Laurel Street, Abbotsford
March 31, 2009 – Surrey/Delta/New Westminster
Venue: Compass Point Inn (Ballrooms B & C)
9850 King George Hwy., Surrey
April 1, 2009 – Surrey/White Rock
Venue: Pacific Inn and Conference Centre (Costa Brava Room)
1160 King George Hwy., White Rock/Surrey

General
o Brian Lauder wanted to ensure the membership was aware of the electoral boundary changes in place for the upcoming election.
o Steve Chitty also reminded the membership that a referendum on electoral reform is scheduled for May 12, 2009. It will be held in conjunction with the general election. In this referendum, voters will be asked: “Which electoral system should British Columbia use to elect members to the provincial Legislative Assembly?”
o The existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post) or
o The single transferable vote electoral system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
o Brian Lauder also wanted to make the membership aware that he had written to the Corporation of Delta with his concern over the light pollution associated with greenhouses.

Meeting Adjournment
Motion to Adjourn at 9:10 PM: Allan Edworthy
Second: Carol Abernethy
Motion carried

Next Meeting
Date: April 1, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Place: Beecher Place

President: Mark Nelson @ 604.531.4999
Vice President: Vacant
Acting Treasurer: Don Sinclair @ 604.541.3931
Membership: Bruce Friesen @ 778.292.1954
Secretary: Malcolm Stewart @ 604.541.9004
Past President: Karen MacPherson @ 604.535.5938

EXCERPT FROM METRO VANCOUVER WEB SITE
Waste Export Amendment
Metro Vancouver is seeking to amend its Solid Waste Management Plan to allow for the annual export of up to 600,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste to the United States for a period of up to five years, beginning in 2010.
The Cache Creek Landfill, one of three solid waste disposal facilities used by Metro Vancouver, is scheduled to close in 2010. Until Metro Vancouver establishes further waste management facilities, there is an immediate need for an interim disposal solution. 

Metro Vancouver is assessing strategies provided by Rabanco Companies and Waste Management for waste export to disposal facilities in the United States.
Rabanco’s proposal consists of shipping waste to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill in Washington via:
Loaded shipping containers delivered by truck to Rabanco’s Surrey facility located at 10610 Timberland Road, then transferred to rail, and transported south through Surrey, Delta and White Rock, into the United States.
Loaded shipping containers transported along Highway 1, then south to the United States via Highway 11 in Abbotsford, and to Rabanco’s facility in Sumas, Washington, where the containers will be transferred to rail.
Waste Management’s (WM) proposal consists of shipping waste to the Greater Wenatchee Landfill in Washington, or the Columbia Ridge Landfill in Oregon via:
Loaded shipping containers delivered by truck to WM’s Annacis Island facility, located on the southwest side of the island, then transferred to rail, and transported south through Surrey, Delta and White Rock, into the United States.
Loaded shipping containers delivered by truck along Highway 1 and Lickman Road to WM’s Chilliwack facility, located at 44450 South Sumas Road, then transferred to rail, passing south through Abbotsford, and into the United States.
Solid waste will be transported to facilities in sealed, hard-top steel shipping containers. There will be no open handling of waste at any of the facilities.
We welcome your feedback. Metro Vancouver is providing a comment period from March 1 to April 7, 2009 on the proposed amendment and export strategies. Send your comments by April 7, 2009 to: 
Mail: Metro Vancouver, Public Involvement Division 
4330 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4GB 
E-mail: icentre@metrovancouver.org 
Fax: 604-432-6297
Following consideration of the comments received, Metro Vancouver will forward its amendment application to the Ministry of the Environment for approval.
In a separate process, Metro Vancouver is updating its Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP). For further information, visit www.metrovancouver.org/services/solidwaste/planning.