Tying up loose ends
I will be away for the month of April and have been doing my best to deal with all of the projects that I have started at the Regional District (RD) and all of the issues that have arisen in the past months. I will give you a quick update on what those projects and issues are.

Heriot Bay sewer
The engineering firm has completed the study and are compiling the results for the final report on the options and the feasibility of a community sewer system in Heriot Bay. They will be able to plan to meet with the community in May to present the report and we can then see where to go from there. At the same time a $10,000.00 grant has been applied for to deal with treatment plant options / disposal options. Public notice will be given for the meeting in May.

Quathiaski Cove sewer, expansion of boundaries
A study grant is being applied for and will go to the April board meeting. A full report will go to the board at that time explaining the concept. Basically, there have been many enquiries from residents who are adjacent to the existing boundaries and that want to join the system rather than try to install new septic systems to replace old ones. So the feasibility and logical extensions are being looked at and will be reported on to the board. If there is a desire to go ahead then there will need to be a petition process, much like the one that established the sewer service in the first place, to either approve or deny the expansion. That will not happen until at least May.

Pump out stations at Q Cove and Heriot Bay Wharves
I have been promoting this to the RD for years and it is finally getting closer to being a possible reality. Discussions will still need to take place with the Harbour Authority. I had our Chief Administration Officer (CAO) write to the Harbour Authority last week to set up meetings. The one in Q. Cove would be a part of the expansion of the system if it goes ahead and the one at Heriot Bay would be included in the plans for the new system if it goes ahead. Still lots of "ifs" but in the end a real bonus for the boating public, the commercial fleet and the environment.

School District 72 property at Heriot Bay
The property that the pre-school has occupied for years is owned by School District 72 and has recently been slated for divestiture. I am proposing that the RD purchase the property to keep it in public hands for the public benefit. The building is also being sold and I would like to see it remain where it is for public use, rather than being sold and moved. I have received numerous wonderful ideas from islanders for the use of the property and the building and all uses will be discussed. I have once again asked our CAO to write to the School District staff to arrange the appropriate meetings to discuss the details of this proposal. I have also spoken briefly to our School District Trustee, Helen Moats, to let her know of the interest. I look forward to working with Helen to make this work for us as an island. My main reason for acquiring the property was to do with the Heriot Bay sewer proposal and the desire expressed by many to not have the effluent pumped to the marine environment. There are so many good examples of constructed wetlands that deal with treated effluent in an environmentally conscious manner that it seemed logical to at least explore this option due to its proximity to the proposed treatment plant. This would eliminate the need for and the cost of a marine outfall. There will undoubtedly be many more discussions that will need to take place before this goes anywhere, but we must start by getting a "right of first refusal" for the property. So, in the interests of the community, I am exploring all options with the RD. I will not go into the many uses that we could have for the building on its existing site at this time. First things first. More to follow.

Granite Bay wharf upgrade
As I have reported many times before, we are in the process of trying to replace the sinking floats at the Granite Bay wharf. I have all of the new floats donated by Marine Harvest, the trucking donated by TTL trucking of Campbell River (CR) and the terminal fees donated by CR Marine Terminals. The towing will be done by local vessel owners and the welding and other miscellaneous labour will be donated by our incredible volunteers in this community. However, we are still waiting for the final word from the engineer who must certify the structures before I can have everything moved into place. A meeting was to take place with our CAO and the engineer last week in CR. I will find out tomorrow if we are still on track.

Budget
The annual budget bylaw will be before the board this Thursday for approval. As I told all of you when the Regional District split was being discussed and fought over, costs will go up for the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). That's us, folks! And sure enough, they have, due to a provincially mandated, unnecessary division of our previous RD. Although costs have gone up, our financial staff have done their level best to try to mitigate the impact to taxpayers and I think they have done a really good job. We will see the result when we get our tax notices in June. More on this after the final budget is passed and we know the exact figures that we will be dealing with.

These are only the main topics that I am dealing with this week. There are many, many more and always will be. I just wanted to highlight a few of the most current issues and let you know where we are at with them.

Since I will be away for the month of April, I would ask that you send any non-urgent requests to me by email at abramfamoberon.ark.com
Please do not phone and leave messages since no one will be checking them. I will not have a cell phone nor a laptop with me, so email will be best since it will be here upon my return. Any RD issues that you need answers to can be directed to the planners or administration at 1-800-331-6007. My alternate director will be attending meetings on my behalf in April, so we will be well represented at the board table.

I look forward to getting on with all of the above projects upon my return.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Abram
Director, Discovery Islands - Mainland Inlets, (Area J), Strathcona RD