Trunk Sanitary Sewer Options -- by Maria G. Besso-Ockert

Delegation to Coldstream Council meeting, July 14, 2008

by Maria G. Besso-Ockert

Preamble:

"In case people reading this are not aware - the presentation below was made because Coldstream Council was going to vote ( at the July 14th Council Meeting) on the re-zoning of a parcel of land on Aberdeen Road to allow Sugoi Development to build Multi-Family houses. What most people were not aware of is that in approving that development Coldstream Council had tied the requirement that the new sewer line would have to be installed down Aberdeen Road, as per Option 1 of a Study done in 2004 by Urban Systems.

There was never any public discussion of the ramifications of the new Sewer Trunk down Aberdeen Rd. . At the public hearing a few weeks earlier only discussion regarding the re-zoning was allowed. Any comments on the Sewer were shut out - as Coldstream Council took the view that this was not on the Agenda.

For this reason, I prepared this presentation and gave it in vain, at the July 14th, 2008 Council meeting. As Gyula notes below minds were already made up, so it was no surprise later on in the meeting - when the 4th and final reading of the re-zoning bylaw came up, it passed. Unless you were really following this, you would not even have realized that something so monumental had just happened. "

Thanks,

Maria

Re: Trunk Sanitary Sewer Options

Thank you for this opportunity to address you tonight.
I have been trying for a few months now, to understand the sewer issues in Coldstream and I realize that the history and the technical nature of the issues, make them very complex and hard to understand.
I do not think that the majority of the electorate in Coldstream are aware of the magnitude and the importance of the decision to expand the sewer trunk line down Aberdeen Road. They have no idea how profoundly this decision will impact the future of Coldstream. And I also think that, IF they understood this impact, they would want to be consulted.
In the last two weeks I have met with your district Engineer Mike Stamhuis a couple of times, I have read the full Urban Systems 2004 Report ( all three binders) and I have read the August 2007 Golder and Associates Report.

I thank Mike for being so willing to explain his reasoning and conclusions to me, and now I think I understand why he is recommending Option 1 to Council. From a technical point of view I cannot disagree with him. However I still have strong reservations about the timing of this project, the financial impact, the lack of public consultation, and the philosophical direction of the development of Coldstream

As I now understand it, Urban Systems was contracted back in 2002 to examine the best ways to expand the sewer in Coldstream . They made recommendations to Council in their final report (Feb. 2004) and Option 1 ( put slide up ) was selected.

Option 1 consists of :

Kal Lake Rd Trunk Sewer-
Trunk along Kal Lk Rd Between Mclounie & Aberdeen Rd

Aberdeen Road Trunk Sewer –
Trunk along Aberdeen between Kal Lake Rd and high point on Aberdeen (180 m north of Middleton Dr.).

Forcemain and Coversion of the Trintec Lift Station-
Due to a topographic low at the intersection of Aberdeen and Highway 6 (Coldstream Estates ) priority are #3 on the map, needs a sewage lift station. The sewage lift station will pump from the existing Trintec Lift station. A new forcemain will follow the ditch of highway 6 and south along Aberdeen Rd until reaching the gravity sewer system.

The key objective of the District at the time was to expand the current sewage collection area for long term environmental health and growth of the Community. It was stated in the report that “it was a high priority of Council to extend the existing sewer trunk to protect the major regional water supply, provide capacity to accommodate failing septic systems and facilitate development of the Town Centre” (page 1-1 Urban Systems final report Feb.2004)

Four years later, in 2008, these aspirations are still pertinent however actions taken in between have not been consistent with the recommendations made in the Urban Systems report.
1) The Trintec Properties development immediately south of the NORD office was fed through a new lift station on Selkirk Drive (that is not shown on the map) and then pumped to an existing gravity main on the south terminus of Inverness Dr- that leads to the Sarsons Road Lift Station.

2) The sewer line was extended beyond Aberdeen Rd. through the Gilles Dr. and Pine Drive Area to accommodate the new Coldstream Meadows development prior to continuing with the option 1 plan that would have seen the sewer extended north up Aberdeen, to the more environmentally pressing areas in the Rendell Drive, Shamanski Drive area.( as shown on the Golder Associates 2007 report) ( show map)

These two things were inconsistent with the Urban Systems Report Recommendations, however they happened and they now have an impact on this next decision.

It is unfortunate for Sugoi , the new developer that they have come along at this point and may be caught in a philosophical dispute about the future development direction of Coldstream.

One of the concerns that I raised with Mike Stamhuis was about potential development pressure on the ALR. As you all know from the recent results of the Spicer Block referendum, the people of Coldstream do not want to see erosion of the ALR , they voted overwhelmingly not to send the Application for Non Farm use of the Spicer Block Land to the ALC. At the time many of the people that were in favor of the Sport Complex development stated that “ if it was going to go to houses anyway ( as indicated on the plan) then they would rather see it go to playing fields”. I remember being perplexed by this and looking into why this showed as residential development on the Official Community Plan. I was told that this land was part of Coldstream Ranch – and prior to the establishment of the Agricultural Land Reserve in 1978 some large parcels of the Coldstream Ranch had been subdivided - the ALC had indicated ( in prior correspondence ) that it may consider removal of this parcel from the ALR in exchange for Coldstream Ranch amalgamating its subdivided parcels ( ie a net gain to Agriculture).
When the owner of Coldstream Ranch was asked about this, during the Spicer Block referendum – he stated flatly that he had no intention of ever doing this. So it bothers me when I see this block shaded on the map as future development and I have my doubts about the resolve or abilities of future councils, faced with pressure from developers, to safe guard the ALR.

So when I asked Mike Stamhuis about the 190 properties slated for future development on the blue part of the map and how not having those in the picture (since they are in the ALR) would affect the viability of the sewer trunk down Aberdeen . He reassured me that it was councils intention to safe guard the ALR. Mike also pointed out that the sewage for the existing Trintec development would eventually be re-routed ( the Selkirk lift station would be eliminated) to the force main on Aberdeen etc. ( adding numbers that way) as opposed to development in the ALR.

He also told me that time is of the essence, the district has to take advantage of the opportunity presented by this developer (Sugoi), this is a chance to get the full ? cost of the sewer line down Aberdeen paid for by development, and because the infrastructure is in Coldstream, it will be less costly and more beneficial to the community in the long run.

As I said before I cannot argue the technical recommendation, so my argument is more on a philosophical basis:

I believe that the people of Coldstream are not ready timing wise for this sewer expansion.

There are still so many unresolved issues with the sewer expansion to Coldstream Meadows.

Many resident living along the new sewer line have yet to be convinced of the benefits of hooking up.

The new Town Centre development, that was used as a partial justification for the sewer line, has yet to materialize.

Council still has to decide and disclose to residents the rules and costs they will be faced with to connect their properties to the new sewer line.

In the mean time present sewer customers are left paying more than their fair share of future sewer expansion costs.

I urge you to inform and consult your constituents – we are at a crossroad and should not be rushed into a decision we may regret later.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments: Maria has spent considerable time researching the subject and she deserves commendation for her diligent work. Having done all the work she made this excellent presentation to Council to no avail. Mayor Corner prevented anyone to make a presentation on the potential problems and it appears that the five members (Corner, Taylor, Williams, Dirk and Mallerby) have made up their minds before the public hearing.

The problem is that Council is not supposed to hear any more input following the public hearing. Since the Mayor did not allow any input on the sewer issue, whatever presentations were made after that fell on deaf ears (and closed minds).

As you may note, there is the argument again that "...time is of the essence...". Why? It is worth taking the time for such important decisions. True, this Council only has four month in office but Councils are considered to be a continuum. The next Council should be just as capable of making decisions as this is.

There is absolutely no need to rush this decision through without adequate public input. You will hear the argument from the Mayor that there was ample opportunity for public input except for the fact that he did not allow it. It is becoming painfully obvious that does not share the vision of the majority on Coldstream's future.

The Eagle

******************************************************************************