City of Powell River transportation and waste issues were front and centre during a committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, July 5.
City director of infrastructure Tor Birtig presented a report on options to consider lengthening the city’s airport runway, the purchase of two city garbage/recycling trucks and expanding BC Transit service.
By changing the landing area on the runway, the city may be able to lengthen the strip without having to add more pavement, said Birtig at the meeting.
Instead of $1.6 million to add 90 metres of new runway, the displaced threshold option will reduce the cost to $480,000. Council already approved $320,000 for the project last year. That project would add overall length to the runway, but staff found that before it could be undertaken, a huge amount of soil would have to be brought in.
“As we went further and received detailed designs, we found the initial estimated cost was significantly undervalued and costs rose due to a large volume of fill,” said Birtig.
He added that close to $500,000 would go toward re-grading the east end of the strip, repainting the entire runway, moving the runway end and the threshold lights, lowering power poles on Manson Avenue and trimming trees. Funding will come from the city’s federal gas tax fund.
Mayor Dave Formosa said he was in favour of spending the additional gas tax funding to improve the airport.
“You all know my view on the airport,” he said. “Anything we can do to extend transportation options, we should.”
Formosa asked about the status on having GPS installed at the airport to improve functionality during seasonal fog. Birtig said staff have looked into it and have had discussions with Pacific Coastal Airlines, but said the technology would not guarantee the airport would see any improvement during extremely foggy days.
The runway extension will result in Pacific Coastal flights being able to handle more weight and passengers, said Birtig.
Later that meeting, Birtig presented a report on expanded transit service. In it, he laid out a number of options, but suggested that council consider improving evening service Monday to Thursday, an interim step before returning service levels back up to pre-2012 reductions.
The expansion is estimated to add 2,900 riders annually.
In April 2016, the provincial government announced its commitment to providing $12.7 million to support transit expansion initiatives and Powell River was identified as a candidate for potential expansion.
Birtig is also recommending the city proceed with the purchase of garbage trucks, each equipped with an automated lift-arm and split bins for both solid waste and recycling. Total cost of the trucks is estimated at $420,000.
