MINUTES
of a regular meeting of COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE of the Municipal
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PRESENT: |
Councillor H.
Braithwaite Councillor S. F. B. Carson Councillor
P. Copley Councillor J. D.
Herbert Councillor N. B.
Jensen |
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STAFF: |
Municipal
Administrator, W. E. Cochrane Director of
Engineering Services, D. |
Councillor Herbert called
the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
PUBLIC WORKS
SECTION:
(Chairman – Councillor Herbert)
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1. |
2008-34 2008-34-1 |
DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING SERVICES,
January 31, 2008 SMITH DESIGNS, [Undated] Re Boulevard Encroachment Application – |
Jeff Smith,
Smith Designs, on behalf of the applicants, said that the topography of
Responding to
a question from the Committee, Mr. Smith acknowledged that clearing of brush
from the boulevard had already been carried out. He noted, however, that the gravelly surface
suggested that the area may in fact have been used for parking in the past and
had become overgrown in recent years.
Councillor
Jensen observed that the plan submitted with the application showed a strip of
plantings adjacent and parallel to the road, which tended to enclose the
proposed parking area and would likely create the visual impression that it was
not public property. He said that there
may be alternative layouts that would provide the enhancement of safety sought
by the applicants without having this privatizing effect.
MOVED by
Councillor Carson
Seconded by
Councillor Braithwaite, That it be recommended to Council that it consider
approval of a boulevard encroachment application for 151 Denison Road subject
to examination of a revised plan, excluding the proposed border planting, to be
submitted by the applicants, and subject also to the applicants taking out any
required irrigation permit and executing an encroachment agreement in a form
satisfactory to the Municipality.
The Director
of Engineering Services suggested that without the border planting, an
ornamental surface treatment would be appropriate to distinguish the area from
the already over-width driveway, and to present a more pleasing appearance than
an expanse of gravel or brushed concrete.
The question
was then called.
CARRIED
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2. |
2008-35 2008-35-1 |
DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING SERVICES,
January 31, 2008 ALIX FREIBERGER et al, August 7, 2007 Re Traffic Concerns – |
Noting that she
had a relative who was an owner and resident of property on
The Director
of Engineering Services advised the Committee that the restricted visibility
attributable to horizontal and vertical curves at the north end of Mountjoy did
create some potential safety issues for pedestrians. On the other hand, the pedestrian volume was
not high, nor was Mountjoy part of the designated walking route to
With no sidewalk,
no provision for parking, and with the grassed boulevard bordering directly on
the paved roadway, Mr. Marshall said that Mountjoy presented one of the more
attractive streetscapes in the Municipality.
The difficulty with this configuration, however, was that pedestrians
and motor vehicles shared the same space.
Mr. Marshall
presented plans showing two alternative sidewalk configurations. The installation cost, he said, would be in
the order of $70,000 for one side, although it might be feasible to phase the
work over several years starting with the area of the bend in the road.
With the cost
of a sidewalk likely to be a hurdle, Mr. Marshall said that he had also
considered the possibility of speed humps as a traffic calming measure. Mr. Marshall said that although he did not
generally favour this type of traffic calming, primarily because of the
potential to divert vehicles to other streets, in this case it might be appropriate
as the parallel streets on either side were much more suitable for through
traffic. In particular, Mr. Marshall
said that speed humps would be worth considering at the north end to slow
traffic through the bend where visibility was limited.
Responding to
a question from the Committee regarding the possibility of installing chicanes
to constrict and slow traffic, Mr. Marshall said that these devices would be
dangerous at the north end due to the visibility problems. He said that a chicane could perhaps be
considered on the straight portion of Mountjoy further south, although he was
not sure how practical such a device would be given the already narrow width of
the roadway.
Alix
Freiberger,
Michael
Sharlow,
Addressing
the bus route issue, Councillor Carson said that rather than imposing a weight
limit for traffic on the street, which might have some unintended consequences
for residents, it might be worthwhile for the Municipality, perhaps through the
Councillor Carson
went on to say that although the sidewalk option appeared cost-prohibitive at
this point, he agreed with Mr. Marshall that the peculiar situation of this
street, which was clearly less suitable for through traffic than those on
either side, might warrant an exception to the Municipality’s general practice
regarding speed humps.
MOVED by
Councillor Carson
Seconded by
Councillor Jensen, That the Director of Engineering Services report back to the
Committee with two traffic calming alternatives for Mountjoy Avenue, one
involving the use of speed humps alone, and another featuring a combination of
speed humps and one or more chicanes, with costs estimates for both options.
It was noted
that when it received the report, the Committee would then decide if it wished
to recommend a referral of one of the options to Estimates Committee for
consideration of funding.
The question
was then called.
CARRIED
Councillor Braithwaite
returned to the meeting at this point.
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3. |
2008-36 |
MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATOR, January 29,
2008 Re Sewer and Storm Drain Connection Fees |
While
acknowledging that an increase in the sewer connection fees appeared to be warranted
from a cost-recovery point of view, Councillor Herbert remarked that the
discrepancy between Oak Bay’s fees and the much higher charges in Victoria and
Saanich may reflect at least in part the fact that those municipalities, along
with others in the Capital Region, assumed responsibility for maintenance of
the public portion of the lateral after the initial connection has been made.
It was noted that
there might have to be some compromise between recovering costs and maintaining
an incentive for the installation of new storm drain laterals for the purpose
of eliminating cross connections. In
this regard, it was suggested that the effective date for the new fees be
pushed back to May 1.
MOVED by
Councillor Jensen
Seconded by Councillor Copley , That staff prepare an
amendment to the Public Sewer Bylaw increasing the sewer connection charges to
the levels set out in Item No. 2008-36, with the amendment to take effect on
May 1, 2008.
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT:
MOVED by
Councillor Braithwaite
Seconded by Councillor Jensen, That the meeting of the
Committee of the Whole be adjourned.
CARRIED
The meeting adjourned at
8:10 p.m.
Certified Correct:
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D/Municipal
Clerk |
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Chairman,
Public Works Section |
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