Stolen plaques to be replaced
Memorial plaques stolen from two Houston parks last fall will be replaced but they won’t be made of bronze as the ones that were taken.
Instead, the District of Houston council voted to replace the 19 stolen bronze plaques with laser-etched black granite ones. At $5,999.15, the cost is the least expensive of three options under consideration — the other two options were $10,931 for bronze replacements or $6,199 for laster-etched metal ones.
The actual cost will be less because council has directed staffers to submit an insurance claim which carries with it a $2,500 deductible.
“Staff recommends that the laser-etched black granite option be chosen as the sample looks nice and will fit well in the recessed areas where the bronze plaques were originally installed and that the an insurance claim be made to cover the cost in excess of the deductible,” a memo from interim finance director Jennifer Larson stated.
The expectation is that plaques made of bronze are more valuable to thieves than ones made from other material.
The original bronze plaques were affixed to items such as benches an picnic tables to recognize the monetary contributions of families and others made to purchase the items to honour loved ones.
The thefts from Steelhead Park and Newgard Park was reported to police Oct. 27, 2021.
Air monitor locations proposed
The District of Houston is continuing to piece together its campaign to find out more about air quality in the area by coming up with locations for eight new monitors headed this way.
Called PurpleAir monitors after their manufacturer, three are being purchased for the Houston area by the provincial environment ministry and five by the District itself using a grant from the provincial government.
Houston already has two such monitors but the addition of eight more will help the District assemble information on air quality and the what effect that quality may have on people.
Houston is already known for being prone to higher than normal emissions of fine particulate matter.
The monitor can, for instance, measure the amount of microscopic particles in the air, including ones referred to as PM2.5 which have a width ten times smaller than the width of a human hair.
These particles, mainly from the burning of wood and fossil fuels, are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs where they have the potential to cause respiratory and cardiac problems.
Proposed locations are the municipal office, the public works shop, the water treatment plant, the leisure facility, Silverthorne Mobile Home Park, Houston Secondary School, Fellowship Baptist Church and St. Anthony’s parish.
District staffers will now approach property owners to request permission.
The District already has two monitors in place, one at the library and the other at Home Hardware.
Councillors suggested two more locations should two more monitors be acquired — one around the Beanstalk Daycare area and the other around the CityWest building. That would provide broader coverage within the community.
Hatchery sign plan approved
The District of Houston council is writing a letter of support for the Buck Creek Canfor Hatchery and Nature Centre to use in grant applications to pay for a series of interpretive signs.
The signs would be placed at the centre and along the west trails of North Side Park, property that is owned by the District of Houston.
Council’s letter of support comes with District approval for the project as it involves District land.
Six signs are being proposed for the hatchery/nature centre and up to 15 along the trail. District staffers will work with the hatchery/nature centre on an agreement for the signs on District property.
Signs would “teach locals and tourists alike about the natural history of the Houston area and encourage ways of protecting wildlife and our natural resources,” read one part of the project proposal submitted by hatchery/nature centre coordinator Cindy Verbeek.
Once a design and message has been decided upon, the signs would be professionally done on waterproof panels and affixed to treat posts.
The proposed budget for the project is $4,100.
Story walks given thumbs up
Houston Link to Learning and the Dze l K’ant Friendship Centre have sought council’s approval to revive its Story Walk program in which laminated pages from a children’s book are placed on sign frames spaced along District of Houston walking trails.
“A story walk is an innovative and enjoyable way for children and adults to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time,” the two organizations wrote in a letter to council considered at its March 1 meeting.
Houston Link to Learning and the Dze L K’Ant Friendship Centre have cooperated on similar ventures in past years.
The story boards would be of a plastic corrugated material similar to election signs and placed on the kind of portable and easily-removable sturdy H-frames used to display election signs.
“These story signs would be enjoyed by schools, daycares, tourists and families of Houston,” the two organizations noted in their letter.
Their plan is to place signs for specific one-week periods throughout the year and rotate through Jamie Baxter Park and the Duck Pond trails. Proposed locations at Steelhead Park were not approved by council.
First up would be Jamie Baxter Park from April 11 to April 18.
