WFC Construction Update

Arena 1 Demolition:

 The demolition of Arena 1 is complete. Crews have begun civil works and are preparing the site for construction of the new parking lot. Construction of the new vestibule for Arena 2 has also started. 

 Construction Update:

 Crews poured the concrete slab for the arena floor on Monday; it was completed in one continuous pour that took over twelve hours. The wood ceiling is complete, including the painting of trusses, installation of ceiling fans, ceiling lighting, and installation of ceiling mounted speakers. Glass installation is ongoing for interior and exterior windows and automated glass doors. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and refrigeration equipment installation continues. Radiant heaters have been installed and the sprinkler system is complete. Crews have started installing the elevator. Interior work is proceeding with painting and drywall continuing.    

 Schedule and Budget:

 The project continues to be on schedule for completion by September 2017 and on budget for $20.6 million. This project is a joint initiative of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and City of Quesnel under the CRD’s North Cariboo Recreation and Parks function.

 Infrastructure Work:

 In preparation for the opening of the new arena, the City is undertaking a series of paving and infrastructure projects around the arenas.  Crews are currently working in the lane that runs past the Seniors’ Centre and Arena 2 and the connecting parking lot between the United Church and the Legion.  A new sidewalk has been installed alongside Arena 2 and the parking lot between the United Church and the Legion. The laneway from Carson Ave to Barlow Ave is being prepared for paving. Work in the area will continue through the spring and summer as crews move onto similar paving and infrastructure projects in the area, including Barlow Ave, Vaughn St, and Callanan St. 

 With High School Graduation ceremonies taking place in LeBourdais Park on Friday, June 23, everyone is reminded to allow sufficient time to park and walk to the event site if you are attending an event in the area. People are encouraged to car pool or use alternate transportation like transit, walking, or cycling where practical and available.  Drivers are encouraged to drop passengers off, particularly those with mobility issues, prior to parking.  There are a number of public parking lots within walking distance of Arena 2 and LeBourdais Park (see attached map Parking Lot Locations Grad 2017 here). 

 Fundraising:

 Time is running out if you want to sponsor a seat or be a part of the mural project before the facility opens.  In order to ensure your donation is recognized when the facility opens in September, donations must be made by June 30.   If you haven’t sponsored a seat or made a donation to the project, contact the fundraising coordinator by email at: arenaproject@quesnel.ca.

 Grand Opening:

 The Official Opening of the West Fraser Centre is planned for the weekend of September 16 & 17.  Planning for the event is underway. 

City Council News – June 14, 2017

Recognition, reconciliation, and partnerships

Next week’s regular Council meeting will be preceded by a long overdue ceremonial and celebratory special open session during which Council will formally recognize that the City of Quesnel is on the traditional territory of the Lhtako Dene (Red Bluff Band) and we will enter into a formal protocol agreement with the Chief and Council of the Lhtako Dene Nation.

This process started in 2015, after I had attended my first public session as Mayor and realized that I could not state, even pro forma, that I recognized we were meeting on the traditional territory of the Lhtako Dene and the Southern Carrier people. The simple reason for my reluctance to make this statement as Mayor was that, at that point, the City of Quesnel did not recognize the traditional territory of the Lhtako Dene in any civic property, green space, or in any formal agreements with the Lhtako Nation. So, it would have been hypocritical for me to verbally claim, on behalf of the City and Council, that we recognized Lhtako territory, when in fact we did not.

In order to redress this issue, Council passed a resolution during its 2015 strategic planning session to begin the work of recognition and reconciliation with all four Southern Carrier nations, starting with the Lhtako Dene, who originally settled the area we now call the City of Quesnel. In fact, the Lhtako Dene once had a population of 15,000 in the area surrounding the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers and Baker Creek (Lhtako means “where the three rivers meet” and Dene means “people”), the second highest concentration of aboriginal people in the province of BC next to Haida Gwaii.

The advent of settlers to this area brought western diseases and the Lhtako, like so many aboriginal communities and populations, were devastated. It is not a stretch to state that the City of Quesnel is built on the bones of the Lhtako Dene, as there are known graves, including mass graves, scattered throughout the downtown core and along the banks of both the Quesnel and Fraser rivers.

Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with the elected leaders, elders, and community members of the Lhtaho Dene. I’ve listened to their stories and we’ve enjoyed meals together, beginning the process of establishing a relationship that will help the City and the Lhtako Dene forge new partnerships and productive working relationships. During those meetings we worked with the elders and leaders to develop recognition symbols and language that will be displayed in the City’s buildings, the Lhtako Dene developed a new flag that will be flown on the set of flagpoles beside the Visitor Center, and we jointly drafted a protocol agreement in which the City formally recognizes the traditional territory of the Lhtako Dene and which lays out a framework for government to government partnerships and communications.

The signing of a protocol agreement and the placement of recognition greetings and symbols in civic properties is only the beginning. It is Council’s intent to deepen our relationship with the Lhtako Dene and eventually build a new cultural center at the confluence of the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers. Initial dialogue has also begun with the other Southern Carrier bands in an effort to achieve similar formal relationships with these nations too.

This week the topic of recognition and reconciliation is also on the agenda of our joint Regional District (Northern Directors), School Board, and Council meeting (we’ve started to meet together regularly). It’s Council’s desire to see our local first nations heritage celebrated and recognized throughout the City and integrated into our school curriculum.

Council recognizes that we are merely taking the first steps on the road to true reconciliation, but the journey has begun.

Mayor Bob Simpson

Email: bsimpson@quesnel.ca

Quesnel City Council Highlights

Council Highlights

June 6, 2017

Quesnel Independent Builder & Homeowner Protection Act

Mr. Reg Meisner, a Quesnel Independent Builder, appeared as a delegation to Council to express his frustration with the costs, the lengthy process and the overall red tape involved with the Home Owner Protection Act regulations for Owner-Builders wanting to build their own home(s). Mr. Meisner asked Council to lobby the Provincial government to reduce the costs, lengthy process and red tape around the Home Owner Protection Act regulations requirements originally put in place as a quality control measure for the construction of new homes. Next steps include a future City staff report outlining what lobbying efforts Council may wish to consider around the Home Owner Protection Act regulations and how the Home Owner Protection Act regulations process may be improved upon for owner-builders. Since 2012, approximately 50% of new homes in Quesnel have been built by owner-builders.

Reid Street/Barlow Avenue Revitalization

After multiple public consultation sessions, Council has approved the general concept design for the revitalization of Reid Street (Blocks 200 – 400) and a portion of Barlow Avenue (Front Street to laneway between Reid Street and Mclean Street) that was initiated because of an aged-out watermain that requires replacement. Urban Systems, on behalf of the City, will now proceed with finalizing the detailed design for the Reid Street/Barlow Avenue Revitalization project. A brief summary of the design concept features are:

  • 1 single extra-wide vehicle travel lane
    • Single lane is wide enough for two pickup trucks to pass even if a 6 m truck has angle parked
    • Delivery vehicle pull-out spot has been designated on each block
    • Small car parking has been designated for the first four spots of each block (small cars can backed of angle spots quicker if their views are not impacted by larger vehicles)
    • A mid-block pullout has been provided on each block where vehicles can pull over out of the single lane for short-term passenger drop off and pickup.
  • Parallel and angle parking similar to the current parking layout.
  • Improved street lighting
  • Wider sidewalks (3 meters for Blocks 200 – 300 and east-side of Block 400; and 2 meters for west-side of Block 400)
  • Parking capacity will see a decrease of 7 total parking spots, from the existing conditions, for Blocks 200 – 400
    • Provides a balance of space between providing wider sidewalks, drop-off pullouts and parking stall spaces.

Project costs will are dependant on construction market value costs, but the preliminary design for this project is estimated up to $5.3 million. Next steps include the detailed design going back out to the public for consultation and work on an overall strategic parking plan for the downtown core.

Curling Club Exterior Refresh

Council approved $10,500 from the Council Initiatives Fund for the exterior west and south walls of the Quesnel Curling Club to be painted. The west wall is now fully exposed unpainted masonry due to the demolition of Arena 1 that is to become the new parking lot for the new West Fraser Centre. In refreshing the West Fraser Centre immediate area, Arena 2 has been painted and, through a City Capital Works project, new sidewalks and paved parking lots/laneways/roadways are also underway.

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Issues

Council has been dealing with ongoing issues with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding:

  • The west-bound right-hand turn lane from Highway 97 at Carson Avenue/Kinchant Street will be reinstated. Expect road marker and signage to be installed sometime this month.
  • Highway’s electronic digital sign has been relocated from Chuck Beath Park to the bottom of Dragon Lake Hill.
  • Council issued a new request to change parking, along the 100 Block of Front Street, from truck-only parking to automotive parking that aims to provide tourists and visitors convenience parking to visit Heritage Corner.

Security Cameras – Downtown Community/Accessible Space at Spirit Square

Council approved the costs and installation of three new security cameras for the new community/accessible space, that includes public/accessible washrooms, located off of Spirit Square. There will be two security cameras located on the exterior of the building overlooking the facility’s entrance and one security camera overlooking the facility’s public front lobby space.

Next Meetings

June 13, 2017, 5:30 pm
North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee

June 20, 2017, 7 pm
Regular Council Meeting

WFC Construction Update

Arena 1 Demolition:

 Demolition of Arena 1 started last week and is nearly complete.  Once the demolition clean-up is completed, civil works in the area will begin, including construction of the new parking lot.

 In preparation for the demolition, a number of mechanical, electrical, IT, and refrigeration systems have been relocated or installed to ensure that Arena 2 continues to operate without service interruption.

 Construction Update:

 The wood ceiling is complete including the painting of trusses, installation of ceiling fans, ceiling lighting, and installation of ceiling mounted speakers. Work has begun to prepare for the installation of the arena concrete slab.  Over the next few weeks, the refrigeration piping and insulation will be installed before the concrete slab is poured in mid-June. Glass installation has started on exterior windows. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration equipment installation continues. Radiant heaters have been installed and the sprinkler system is complete.  The cooling tower support and refrigeration condenser have been installed.  Interior work is proceeding, with painting and drywall continuing.

 Schedule and Budget:

 The project continues to be on schedule for completion by September 2017 and on budget for $20.6 million. This project is a joint initiative of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and City of Quesnel under the CRD’s North Cariboo Recreation and Parks function.

 Fundraising:

 Time is running out if you want to sponsor a seat or be a part of the mural project before the facility opens.  In order to ensure your donation is recognized when the facility opens in September, donations must be made before June 30.   If you haven’t sponsored a seat or made a donation to the project, contact the fundraising coordinator by email at: arenaproject@quesnel.ca.

 Grand Opening:

 The Official Opening of the West Fraser Centre is planned for the weekend of September 16 & 17.  Planning for the event is underway.