The contractor who did the work on the 9th St. revitalization project will be back at the location this spring to fix cracking in the sidewalks.
Local subsidiaries of a larger company called Terus successfully finished the work involving civic works replacements underground, resurfacing the roadway and replacing sidewalks and adding amenities to improve pedestrian walkability two years ago.
District of Houston chief administrative officer Michael Dewar told council, when it met Feb. 7, that the sidewalk work will be covered by warranty.
He said the contractor supplied a two-year warranty but that ran out last fall, prompting District workers to record and document any deficiencies before the end date.
“The intention was always to have the warranty work completed in the spring. The two-year warranty expired in the fall, which we recorded any potential issues issues early on,” said Dewar following the meeting.
Those issues were monitored and that determined final warranty requests for in the fall, to be completed this spring, he added.
Also to be replaced are several plants which have not performed as expected.
Recreation support plan fine tuned
Work has started to establish exactly how tax monies to be collected within the Bulkley-Nechako regional district for rural recreation will be distributed.
The work flows from bylaws that have now passed to support rural recreation amenities owned and maintained by the regional district and to assist non-profit groups who have established other recreational outlets over the years.
The rural recreation support program is divided into four areas within the regional district boundaries so that taxation and spending decisions for each of the areas are made only by the regional district directors and directors appointed by municipal governments within those areas.
That means, for instance, Houston is gathered with the rural area surrounding Houston and the Village of Granisle in one of those four groups.
The suggested framework was presented to council members at their Feb. 7 meeting with a request they prepare and submit any comments to the regional district so that a final plan can be put into place.
Emergency grant plan adjusted
Council has changed how it wants to apply to the provincial government for a grant to buy equipment for its emergency support services team.
Instead of applying directly, the District of Houston will apply under the umbrella of the Bulkley-Nechako regional district.
The equipment to be purchased will bolster Houston’s emergency support services team’s tasks.
During an emergency it will handle matters such as registering people who have to leave their homes during an emergency, arranging accommodation and meals for people who have been temporarily displaced, providing for pet care and helping reunite families.
The Houston group meets once a month under the guidance of District of Houston protective services director Jim Daigneault.