Council email update, 25 Sept, 2011

Wow, what a bonus!  Having a weekend of “summer” at the end of September is really something!  I guess it makes up for those weekends of “winter” that we had in June. 

Welcome to new members to my email list!  Just a reminder to existing members – if you find these updates useful, take a moment to send an email to a few of your friends and suggest they join the list.  Growing the list really helps me to get the word out about what’s going on at council and opportunities to get involved.

LAND USE BYLAW WORKING GROUP

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered for this group!  Here’s a list of the membership (alternates are people who step in when others are away):
• Public members: Scott McElhone, Marc Ledwidge, Patrick Roi, Allan Buckingham, and Elizabeth Hogg (alternate)
• Town of Banff Councillors: Brian Standish and Stavros Karlos;
• Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association: Gord Lozeman and Frank Denouden (alternate);
• Commercial landlord representative: Graeme Nunn and Ossi Treutler Jr. (alternate);
• Food and beverage industry representative: Nigel Walker and James Sachkiw (alternate);
• Retail industry representative: Suzannah Patmois and Bec Johnson (alternate);
• Municipal Planning Commission representative: David Bayne and Jay Harris (alternate)

The meetings are open to the public.  This 11-member committee is not dealing with the whole LUB.  They will make recommendations back to council on three very specific issues, as directed by council:
• A proposal to reduce the number of permitted uses for Grocery Store and Service Station properties in Banff.
• A proposal to enact distinct regulations for formula fast food businesses in Banff.
• Providing feedback to Council on required housing and parking for commercial development in Banff.
Everyone in town will have the opportunity to comment on the recommendations when they come back to council – there will be at least one public hearing on these items.

MONDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the whole package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-110926.pdf

Construction waste diversion

Starting on page 3 of the package, you can see information about how construction waste in the Bow Valley is diverted from landfill, thanks to the work of the Bow Valley Regional Waste Management Commission. 

Skateboarding at night – have your say!

Council asked for a revised bylaw to come back for consideration.  The revisions would lift the ban on skateboards as a mode of transportation between 11 pm and 7 am.  Council is being asked to approve three readings tomorrow.  However, I have heard from several of you who would like to make presentations to council about late-night skateboarding, so I will be asking council to just give first reading at this meeting, and to wait until the next meeting to consider the bylaw further.  That will give you a chance to have your say at the October 10 meeting of council.  You can find the information about how to express your opinion to council at this link:  http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/banff-town-council/connect.htm  The most effective way to be heard is to get yourself on the meeting agenda as a “delegation” – that means you get to make a brief presentation to council before they consider the bylaw amendment.

2011 Municipal Census 

You’ll find the full report of this fascinating snapshot of our community, starting on page 28 of the package. If you’re like me, you’ll want to compare these numbers with those from the 2007 survey, which you can find at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Business+PDF/2007+Banff+Census+Report.pdf

Here are just a few of the fascinating factoids (Banff By the Numbers!)

Total population:
2007:  8721
2011:  8244

Percentage of males:
2007:  49.57%
2011:  50.5%

Number of people who identify themselves primarily as homemakers:
2007:  125
2011:  93

Percentage of total population that is 19 or younger:
2007:  14.2%
2011:  17.8%

Number of retired people:
2007:  413
2011:  402

Percentage of people who walk or bike to work in summer:
2007:  55%
2011:  48.9%

Population numbers affect our ability to access some provincial grants.  And trends in census figures for housing, age groups, and so on, help the town and others plan for future needs of the community.

Illegal dumping

I know that many of you are as distressed as I am when you see the mess that some people leave beside our community waste containers.  The Town has tried hard to make it easy for people to get rid of unwanted and over-size items.  Every Friday, there is an over-size item pickup – all you have to do is book ahead at 403-762-1240.  Here’s the link with info about the program:  http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/social-services-programs/waste-garbage/unwanted.htm

However, in spite of this effort, the illegal dumping problem continues to grow.  A report starting on page 66 of the package proposes some ideas for next steps we could take.  I’m inclined to try the intermediate solution (putting special pickup bins out once per week at problem locations) before we go to the recommended solution (an extra staff member and specially equipped truck to provide more door-to-door and roaming pickup).

The town’s website

A briefing report starting on page 71 of the package gives some interesting information about current use of the town’s website (600,000 unique visitors per year!) and some thoughts about what we should consider in updating the website.

Completion of the Recreation Centre project

Read this report, starting on page 75, to find out all the great things about this project:  the major items that were re-used, the ongoing energy and water efficiency, and the benefits to 40-mile Creek.  AND $1.6 million under budget, requiring less borrowing than was originally planned.  Many people worked very hard to make this project come out so well – huge kudos to all involved.  Pat them on the back next time you see them around town!

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post presents my point of view only.  It does not purport to represent the opinions of the Town of Banff or its Council.  I welcome your comments or questions on any of the items!