Kaslo council, June 11: Newly planted trees are “healthy and thriving”

Flowering plum, Japanese tree lilac, snowbird hawthorn, and horse chestnut are just a few of the tree varieties the Village is planting on boulevards around town.

A May 6 report from Deputy Clerk Stephanie Patience updated council on the new trees, which are part of the Village’s Tree Planting Plan and Adopt-a-Tree Program.

Patience reported that most of the trees are “healthy and thriving,” though some have aphids and will be treated with Safers End-All insecticidal soap. One tree didn’t make it and it is now too late to reorder and plant, so another will be ordered next year if the same species is available.

Adopt-a-Tree volunteers who stepped forward to care for the new trees were notified of their planting, and received thank you letters. Patience wrote that a Village Facebook post about the trees sparked an interest in the Adopt-a-Tree Program. Tree locations for 2025 have been planned and the Village will likely put out a call for new volunteers next spring.

The trees were purchased through ACE Building Centre and cost $2,734.13. For the past two years, the Village has applied for a Tree Canada grant to support the program but has unfortunately been unsuccessful. It will continue to apply and will also seek out other funding avenues.

The Tree Planting Plan was created to guide location and species selection for new trees on public property. The plan also instructs how and when to deal with problem trees.

Kemball building taxation

Council agreed that all 2024 property taxes and parcel taxes for folios/tenants in the Kemball Memorial Building will be paid for by the Village of Kaslo. Total expenses are $4,480.44 for 11 folios.

Tenants in the Kemball Building are facing some uncertainty due to ongoing renovations in the building. Long-term rental agreements have not been finalized, so to avoid unfair taxation, staff recommended that the Village cover the expenses. This applies to folios that will become long-term rentals in the future, and that have not received permissive tax exemptions.

Parcel taxes for water and sewer apply to the building as a whole.

Rental revenues will offset these expenses.

Kemball building upgrades

The structural engineering contract for the project to develop the Kaslo Rural Innovation Centre in the Kemball building was awarded to BBA Engineering Ltd. The contract is for a fixed fee of $33,201 plus tax.

CAO Robert Baker said the services will address two major components: a crack in the foundation wall in the northeast corner of the building, and pointing – or grouting – of all the exterior masonry.

The project is partially funded by the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP), which requires completion by March 31, 2025. Staff requested proposals from five engineering companies, and all but BBA declined due to their capacity and schedules, and the construction deadline.

BBA, previously known as Austin Engineering, recently supported flood mitigation work along the Kaslo River and did an inspection report for the Kemball building in 2018.

Land use bylaw

Council gave third reading to amendments to the Village’s land use bylaw, and is expected to adopt the bylaw at the June 25 meeting.

The amendments bring the bylaw in line with certain provisions of provincial Bill 44 that require local governments to permit secondary suites or accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in residential zones normally limited to one single-family detached house or duplex.

Only lots connected to municipal water and sewer are affected by Bill 44. For Kaslo, that’s any R-1 (single and two-family residential) zoned land within Sewer Specified Area 1 (SSA1).

Property owners in Kaslo in the R-1 zone are already allowed to have secondary suites or ADUs, subject to certain conditions. The amendments remove the condition of minimum lot size restrictions for R-1 properties connected to water and sewer. For unconnected lots, the minimum size will remain, but be changed from 510 metres squared to 500 metres squared.

Rachael Lesosky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice