Summer recap from the Grand Forks council
By Contributor
This summer City Council focused on making improvements throughout the City for residents and visitors to enjoy.
We all know that if you want to survive in the Grand Forks heat you need to get into the water to keep cool. Access to one of the most popular swimming holes in the City, “the Corner” was upgraded with stairs down to the beach, Porto potty and picnic tables added.
Council is very pleased to announce that Phase One of the Trans Canada Trail upgrade will be underway at the end of September. The trail system upgrades incorporate 1.09km of City trail and .53 km into Area D –from the new Roxul parking lot to the Nursery Bridge Trestle. The trail upgrades are particularly exciting for individuals with mobility challenges and disabilities who will now be able to enjoy the trail. Congratulations to the Grand Forks Trail Society for making this important project happen.
Summer events in the city are at an all time high. Our goal is for Grand Forks to host several special events throughout the summer to enhance the more regular happenings like the farmers market and Music in the Park. Our public works crew were very busy setting up and supplying equipment for special events like the BMX Provincials, the Show N’ Shine car show, Grand Forks Fall Fair, Airport Appreciation Day and the Kettle River Festival of the Arts. City Council would like to thank all the volunteers who make these events such a success!
There were a couple of substantial additions to the community this August. In partnership with Grand Forks Rotary, Grand Forks Credit Union and Community Futures Boundary the downtown core is now home to free WiFi. There are currently 6 access points installed that connect through the Grand Forks Fiber Optic Network to the internet. The Rotary Free WIFI zone covers the campground and City park area, as well as a good section of the downtown core.
If you are driving into town be sure to check out the new City of Grand Forks signs. The signs utilize the new brand that was developed in the spring and are simple with clean lines, incorporating the new City logo and tag line “settle down”. The signs are located at the east and west entry points on Highway #3 and are lit up at night using solar power.
News from Council Chambers – September 2013
The City is continually upgrading its infrastructure. Sidewalk repairs have been happening all summer and will continue into September and October. Tenders for crack sealing and repairs are currently open. The infield repairs at James Donaldson Park will be complete mid September and ready for the 2014 baseball season.
Council would like to bid farewell to our two summer Interns; Priscilla Novella and Valeria Flora Ramos. The girls are from Brazil and are studying at the University of Guelph this fall through an exchange program with Engineers Without Borders. They did extensive work on riparian areas this summer. Thank you for all your hard work and good luck in the new school year!
Speaking of school, children are heading back to school next week! Let’s keep them safe by watching for school zones and traffic pattern changes.
Several members of Council will be attending the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Conference in September. This is Council’s opportunity to meet with Ministers and lobby on behalf of our community on issues such as asset management. Council has four meetings with Ministers scheduled and will provide an update to the City in October.
Watch for more information on water conservation and water metering in the future!
— submitted by the City of Grand Forks
