Keremeos Village Council approved a request from the Seniors Centre for a letter of support relating to a grant application to the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The Senior Centre Society would like to extend the entranceway cover at the front of their building.
Kars Under the “K” requested council’s permission to hold the Collector Car Apprciation tour at Memorial Park on July 19. Kars also asked for some minor services to be performed by the village, including allowance of parking of cars on the grass, use of traffic cones, and unlocked washrooms in the tourist infocentre.
The office of the Auditor General for Local Government informed council an audit would be taking place this year with the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen regarding the local government’s role in ensuring clean drinking water. The audits are not all encompassing, generally focussing on a particular issue of local government.
Chief Administrative Office Laurie Taylor provided information to council regarding gas tax funding.
She told council the Community Works Fund, (a non application based fund that provides money twice annually to all local governments) will provide $537,968 to the village over the next five years, at a rate of approximately $105,000 each year.
A new Strategic Priorities Fund has been created out of the previously known General Strategic Priorities Fund, the Innovations Fund and the Regionally Significant Projects Fund. Funding grants are probably not going to be approved until late fall this year.
Taylor further informed council engineering design work on the village’s downtown water supply main replacement project was progressing. The project is estimated at 1.6 million dollars and involves installation of a new water main in the alleys on both sides of Seventh Avenue to service the area between Fourth and Eighth Streets. Taylor asked council to identify the project as its number one priority for application for funding under the Strategic Priority Fund.
Taylor also informed council Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure approval had been given to the village to use a portion of ministry right of way for the village dog park. She said work on the park had already started with staff ordering fence. She expected the park to be operational by early summer.