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| If the funding comes through for Tourism Prince Rupert, kayaks and canoes may be launching out of Cow Bay this summer season |
Council members are on board with providing a letter of support towards a marine initiative for the Cow Bay Marina area, one which if successful in gaining funding would see Tourism Prince Rupert put in place a Canoe and Kayak launch area.
The topic came up as report to Council from Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller, which has Tourism Prince Rupert seeking support for their application to Northern Development Initiative Trust to seek out Recreation Infrastructure Funding.
As the final paragraph of the report notes there is no cost to the City, with the exception of responsibility for maintenance of the structure at an estimated cost of $500 dollars annually.
That cost it was recommended should be considered for approval as part of the 2023 Budget process later this Spring.
That element made for some observations from Councillor Barry Cunningham who asked about the recommended approach to the Maintenance fees.
"Shouldn't the five hundred estimate for maintenance annually be under Enhancement Grants, not under the Budget"
Corporate Administer Rosa Miller advised the Councillor that the request had not been received in time for the current Community Enhancement Program, which is why it was decided to attach it to the Budget Process for 2023.
That answer provided for a follow up question for Councillor Cunningham towards how the maintenance cost was going to be handled and potential unforeseen circumstances.
"Are we setting a precedent here when, because it's too late for the Enhancement Grant were going to put this into the budget and other groups can come forward that were too late for the Enhancement Grant and say well can this be put into the budget also?"
That was a concern that City Manager Robert Buchan noted was a risk, with Mayor Pond observing as to how Council could approach the topic at Budget time.
"I note that the third bullet is, that it is contingent upon Council's approval of that Budget, so you know Council can always say no at that point in time"
Which means residents will have a better idea as to how the city will approach the topic of the 500 dollar cost this Spring and depending on the decision, the line up for similar access to the Budget from other community groups may begin around the same time.
The only other discussion to the topic was a question from Councillor Adey, who noted that no information page towards the location was included in the Agenda package he had.
The Councillor then asked as to where in the Cow Bay Marina area that the launch would placed, with Ms. Miller observed that something could be put up online to alert the public towards that location and the initiative.
So far, there's no notice to direct those looking for a sneak peek for the project as to where to find it on the city's online portal.
Councillor Randhawa also provided some background to the project from the Tourism Committee view.
The full discussion of the topic can be reviewed from the City's Video Archive at the 12 minute mark.
More notes from the Monday Council Session can be explored from our Session archive page.
A wider overview of Council Discussion themes can be found on our archive page here.
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