Wednesday, November 9, 2016

November 7th, 2016 Council Meeting Notes: Engineering, Parks, Recreation Updates. Millions of dollars worth of projects on the go.

Today, I’m continuing my post about Monday night’s council meeting. After hearing about Tourism Langley, Rick Bomhof gave an update on Engineering in the City.

Bomhof noted that DreamRider Productions is currently presenting a live play at elementary schools within Langley City called H2Whoa! over the next month. This play is about water conservation, and you can find more information about it at the production's website.

The City’s engineering and parks departments have been extremely busy this year. One of the most visible projects is along the 203rd Street Corridor which will result in making walking and cycling safer, and calming traffic. Earlier this year, water and sewer mains were also upgraded along a section of that corridor.

New sidewalks and bike lanes along 203rd Street under construction. Select image to enlarge.

Sendall Gardens has also been significantly upgraded. If you’ve never been to the Secret Garden of Langley, or haven’t been there in awhile, I suggest that you check it out.

Last month, I posted about Laminated Root Rot in Hunter Park. To combat the disease, the City is currently in the process of removing all infected trees, and trees that could be infected from that park. Unfortunately, Laminated Root Rot has spread throughout the whole park. There are some trees, such a cedars, that the City is currently planning to retain. The City also plans to have a public consultation process to determine the next steps for the use and restoration of Hunter Park.

The City recently completed the upgrading of 51st Avenue east of 209th Street with new water mains, sidewalks, curbs, and paving. The City is also in the process of upgrading traffic signals throughout the community. Traffic calming is continuing throughout Langley.

There has also been improvements in the Nicomekl Floodplain including trail upgrades and culvert replacement along Baldi Creek.

Some future projects in the pipe include upgrading Production Way, the replacement of the 200th Street Bridge in the floodplain, and renewing 56th Avenue from Glover to the Bypass. I’m hopefully that these projects will result in improved walking and cycling infrastructure as they progress to being built.

The City is also studying what to do with the 200th Street/Grade Crescent/50 Avenue intersections. One of the options include extending Grade Crescent through to 50th Avenue. One of the other options is to look at traffic signal synchronization. One of the concern that I have is that 50th Avenue/Grade Crescent could become a short-cut route into Surrey. This is something that I don’t want to see as I know there are strong feelings in our community about traffic calming.

Later on in the meeting, council authorized staff to seek federal funding for the $3.7 million Douglas Crescent Utilities Project which would see water, sewer, and road renewal between 204th and 208th Street.

Our City’s engineering and parks departments are extremely busy, and with required infrastructure renewal, will only get busier. It may be time to look at increasing the amount of staffing resources available to that department.

Kim Hilton next gave a recreation and community events update. I suggest that you check out the City’s website for a full list of recreation options and upcoming events. I did want to highlight the upcoming Remembrance Day Ceremony in Douglas Park, and the Magic of Christmas on December 4th.

Hilton noted that the sound quality will be improved for the Remembrance Day Ceremony. There have been some challenges in the past with sound.

The Magic of Christmas will start with a craft fair and live entertainment in McBurney Plaza at 4pm. There will be a parade starting at 6pm, and it will finish with tree lighting and carolling in the Plaza around 7pm.

Hilton also noted that the Al Anderson Memorial Pool boiler system has been upgraded to be more energy efficient, and that a new flooring system has been installed in Douglas Recreation Centre.

There were many other items on the council agenda which I will cover tomorrow.

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