Major decisions at RDKB monthly board meeting
By RDKB
A general overview of discussion items and major decisions from last month's Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) Board of Directors meeting.
The next board meeting was held Thursday at the Grand Forks office.
Emergency Alerting Software Launched
The RDKB Emergency Alerting System was officially launched on April 10. Nearly 1,000 people have already registered to receive notifications about emergencies in the region. To sign up, visit this link.
RDKB partners with RDCK in organics composting program
The regional districts of Kootenay Boundary and Central Kootenay have agreed to partner to divert organic waste from landfills. Food waste generated in the McKelvey Creek Wasteshed will be taken to a shared composting site at the RDCK Central Landfill near Salmo. Construction of the organics processing facility is dependent on the RDCK receiving grant funding under the Organics Infrastructure Program. Diversion of organics from landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions, saves space at landfills, and reduces leachate, while composting produces a beneficial end-product.
This new partnership means that RDKB member municipalities in the McKelvey Creek Wasteshed (Rossland, Warfield, Trail, Montrose and Fruitvale) need to be ready and willing to begin curbside organics collection programs by 2022 when the planned organics processing infrastructure will be constructed and operational.
Once this program is in place, RDKB residents in the Greater Trail area and electoral areas A and B will have access to an organics waste collection and composting service similar to the program residents across the
Boundary already benefit from, where collected organic wastes are composted at the RDKB Grand Forks Regional Landfill.
Major appliance recycling now free at designated depots – beginning May 1, 2019
The RDKB has entered into an agreement with the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable (MARR), an industry-based stewardship group, to host free drop off depot services for
major appliances. Any staffed RDKB solid waste facility will accept non-ODS appliances, such as stoves, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, for no charge during regular opening hours.
In the Greater Trail area, appliances containing Freon or other ODS, such as fridges, freezers and air conditioners will continue to be required to be taken to Tervita Metals in the Columbia Gardens/Waneta Industrial Park, where a fee may or may not be charged.
In the Boundary, all staffed RDKB solid waste facilities will accept both ODS and non-ODS major appliances free of charge.
New Watershed Planner hired
Kristina Anderson has been hired as the RDKB’s new Watershed Planner. She is currently employed with the Province of BC as the Senior Licensed Authorizations Officer, for Boundary Flood Recovery. Kristina is actively involved in many applications and permits that remain in progress for residents of the Boundary and Grand Forks, and she will work to complete many of these files before starting her new role with the RDKB in Grand Forks in July 2019.
Grand Forks Aquatic Centre pool deck tiling contract awarded
The RDKB Board approved a contract award up to $122,300 to Igor Construction Ltd. for the installation of new deck tile for the Grand Forks & District Aquatic Centre. The project will take place during a scheduled pool shutdown between August 20 and the end of September 2019.
New chiller for Grand Forks Curling Club
The Board of Directors approved financing up to $35,000 for the replacement of the chiller that failed on March 7 in the Grand Forks Curling Club refrigeration plant. The new chiller will meet Technical Safety BC recommendations and reviews for safe ice plant operations. The RDKB expects the rink to reopen in fall 2019 for the next curling season.
Emergency Preparedenss Fair a success
The second Annual Rock Creek Emergency Preparedness Fair took place at the Rock Creek Fair Grounds on March 31. Local residents came out to discuss and learn about about flood and wildfire preparedness, safety around powerlines, the RDKB Emergency Alerting System, RCMP emergency programs and arson investigation, the history of wildfire in BC, landscape level fuel management to address wildfire risk and intensity and the role of Emergency Management BC in supporting emergency preparedness and response.
The RDKB thanks all agencies, volunteers and community members who supported and participated in the event.
Be sure to register for the RDKB Emergency Alerting System that was officially launched on April 10.
