Public Works Facility Funding

Spring 2022:

An important conversation has been taking place at Council and within the community about how to fund a critical piece of infrastructure that is foundational to support the ongoing maintenance and growth of the community - the Public Works Facility.

The Public Works Facility is one of three critical facilities identified in the Real Estate & Facilities Master Plan for immediate replacement. The two Firehalls (Valleycliffe and Tantalus) are the other two and both are currently underway. 

These three facilities were prioritized because of life safety issues and their importance in delivering the essential services of our community – water, wastewater, infrastructure renewal and safety.

Below is a Q&A to answer community questions regarding this topic.

The number of elector response forms received for Bylaw No. 2845, 2021 was more than 10% of the electors, determined to be 1,469. 1,695 valid response forms were received in opposition to the bylaw. 

In accordance with s. 86 of the Community Charter, approval of the electors by Alternative Approval Process was not received and Council must not consider adoption of Bylaw No. 2845 unless assent of electors is obtained through Assent Voting (referendum).

Read the full Report to Council (March 1, 2022).

 

An AAP is a tool used by local governments to seek approval for borrowing. It is an alternative process to a referendum and requires electors to formally submit their opposition via a signed form. If electors are in support, they do not have to do anything. An AAP reduces the costs, time and resources associated with a referendum.

Borrowing is a valuable and effective financial tool that is taken on annually to spread the cost of large capital projects over the life of a project, allowing a project to be paid for by current and future taxpayers. Borrowing is used in addition to grants, cash from reserves, Development Cost Charges and property taxes. The District runs AAPs annually to engage electors in approving the borrowing related costs.

Citizens are urged to seek out factual information directly from the District about the implications of supporting or opposing a bylaw. The District works to provide information through Squamish.ca, social media platforms, a weekly e-mail newsletter and weekly advertisements in the Squamish Chief. Staff are also available via telephone or email. The main Municipal Hall phone number is 604-815-5217.

 

The Public Works Facility is identified as one of the highest priority facility replacements in the Real Estate and Facilities Strategy and Master Plan due to its importance in delivering the essential services of our community – delivery of safe drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment, snow and ice control, stormwater collection and drainage, as well as emergency response such as water line breaks, hazard spills, flooding and extreme weather events. Its replacement cannot continue to be put off. It is this ‘pushing to the future’ that has resulted in today’s challenge of being faced with $150M+ in facilities replacements and upgrades. (Read the backgrounder: How we got here).

Not undertaking the facility replacement reduces community resilience and will impact the ability of the Public Works Department to maintain service levels in the future. 

  • A 2018 consultant’s review noted numerous concerns including seismic instability and flood risk. For example, the SCADA system, which automates and monitors crucial functions such as the wastewater and drinking water systems, is required to be moved above flood level.
  • The current facility consists of a vehicle and equipment maintenance and repair building, an administrative trailer, lunchroom trailer, large yard for equipment storage, sand and salt shelter, and a number of shipping containers and sheds.

  • The facility is critical to day-to-day operations (including the wastewater treatment plant) and supports activities related to emergencies and weather. 

  • The inadequacy of the aging, inefficient and insufficient space also causes operational delays, scheduling challenges and incurs additional costs.

The challenges of this under-equipped facility will exponentially worsen as the community grows and service demands increase.

A Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan (REFMP) was adopted in 2019 after three years of extensive work by Stantec, other third-party experts and the District of Squamish. The REFMP addresses the “what, when and how” to replace or upgrade many end-of-life or insufficient District of Squamish facilities totalling an estimated $150M+ (in 2020 dollars). The REFMP identifies a lack of available funds to complete all facilities (see backgrounder), and so prioritizing the facilities must take place.

Three critical facilities were identified to be replaced within three years: the Valleycliffe Fire Hall, Tantalus Fire Hall and Public Works Yard. Critical facilities are defined as the assets we cannot live without, such as those associated with the operations and governing of our community, providing safety and basic essential services, some of which are also legislated by the Community Charter. The Public Works Yard is at end-of-life and doesn’t meet the operational needs of the growing community, and key systems to monitor and automate public works functions are in the flood plain.

Brennan Park Recreation Centre is recognized as a vitally important facility to upgrade, but it does not meet the threshold of the definition of critical. It is therefore prioritized after the three critical facilities due to funding and resource constraints. Brennan Park Recreation Centre can also take advantage of funding opportunities (grants and partnerships) not available for public works buildings.

 

The Real Estate and Facilities Strategy identifies the following three categories and primary criteria for prioritization:

  1. Critical assets—the assets we cannot live without, such as those associated with the operations and governing of our community, providing safety and basic essential services.

  2. Core assets—the assets that are crucial to our mandate as a local government that we must deliver (or find others to deliver on our behalf).

  3. Support assets—the assets we want and need in our community, but that do not fall directly in the local government’s mandate. These are the assets we continue to advocate for and partner on to ensure residents have access if possible. 

In applying the primary criteria, recreation was prioritized as Core.

 

It all comes down to funding. The REFMP identifies that the District needs external funding (such as grants, sponsorships, leasing or user fees) to advance all of the facilities in a reasonable time frame. The District does not have the necessary finances available, and so trade-offs are required.

The Public Works Facility will not attract external funding (grants and partnerships) and therefore a different funding plan is required (i.e. borrowing). Brennan Park Recreation Centre is an excellent candidate for grants or partnerships, and the District is actively applying for and seeking out relevant grants and other funding opportunities. The REFMP calls for external funding to be identified and in place prior to advancing the Brennan Park projects. With a maximum borrowing capacity annually, if the District borrowed for recreation facilities, it would not have the ability to borrow for the critical facilities.

 

Obtaining financing requires a long lead time, and so approval to borrow takes place in tandem with the finalization of the design and final cost estimates. Once the final budget is known, the District would then only borrow what is necessary (up to the maximum amount authorized through the bylaw). The objective is to build this critical facility in a short timeframe to safeguard and improve community safety and delivery of basic essential services.

 

External funding (from provincial or federal grant programs, sponsorships and partnerships) will be required to fund the Brennan Park upgrades, and the District is actively searching for this external funding (and applying for grants as opportunities present). Work is also underway to finalize scope for the specific projects (such as the rink or pool) to be in a position to seek out and apply for specific grants and be prepared to provide the necessary matching municipal funds. The District expects to make progress on this work in 2022, and will keep residents apprised. Work to engage user groups is getting underway.

 

A new bylaw (2915, 2022) has been created and a new Alternative Approval Process will take place. The District has made extra effort to ensure that members of the public have access to detailed information about the Public Works Facility project and other projects (such as Brennan Park Recreation Centre) within the Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan. Learn more at Squamish.ca/Public-Works

 

Additional information can be found via the detailed staff Reports to Council, linked below (from the March 1, 2022 Special Business Meeting):

 View the Council discussion (select Committee of the Whole - March 1, 2022, items 1 to 3i) 

View the Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan

Residents are urged to seek out factual information directly from the District about the implications of supporting or opposing a bylaw.

  • The District works to provide information through Squamish.ca, social media platforms, a weekly e-mail newsletter and weekly advertisements in the Squamish Chief.
  • Staff are also available via telephone or email. The main Municipal Hall phone number is 604-815-5217.

 

Administrative Offices

 

Maintenance Building

Maintenance Building

 

Public Works Yard Storage Buildings

Public Works Yard Storage Buildings

 

Photo of Emergency Spill Response Equipment Storage Shed

Equipment Storage Shed

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Comments

  • David J Lassmann Apr 2, 2022, 12:24 PM (24 months ago)

    It is not surprising that the District of Squamish is financially challenged. Squamish has gone from being a small town with a large industrial base to a much larger (10 x the population) town with little remaining industry. For example, the pulp mill at Woodfibre used to contribute about 15% of the District's tax revenue. The existing Public Works buildings are laughable. Public Works is not the only department with inadequate buildings. Part of the problem is that in the past the District has paid for buildings that have soon become unusable, largely as a result of poor design and construction. Times have changed and we have no alternative but to adapt to them however we can.

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