The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors had a busy agenda on Thursday:
Ness Lake rebuilding
The board unanimously approved an amendment to the development permit for the Ness Lake Bible Camp to allow them to rebuild their gymnasium, which was destroyed by fire on Dec. 31.
A new permit was needed because the new gym will be over twice as wide as the former structure. The old gym was 40 feet wide by 120 feet long, while the proposed new structure is 90 feet wide by 120 feet long.
Pipeline public hearing
Apache Canada is seeking to rezone a parcel of undeveloped Crown land near the intersection of the Highway 97 and Summit Lake Road to construct a compressor station for the Pacific Trail Pipeline. Apache is seeking to build a compressor station, offices, operations buildings and shop
facilities on the 16-hectare site.
Apache received federal approval to construct the 463 kilometre-long natural gas pipeline in 2008.
The $1 billion pipeline is slated to be operational in 2015.
The project is expected to connect an existing pipeline at Summit Lake to a liquid natural gas terminal in Kitimat.
A compressor station on the existing pipeline is located a short distance from the proposed site.
A public hearing, which has not yet be scheduled, will be held at the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board office prior to the board considering final approval of the rezoning.
Landfill gas
carbon credits
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George has successfully completed an agreement with the Green Municipal Corporation to sell carbon credits for the capture and burning of methane from the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.
The sale of carbon credits is expected to generate $525,000 in revenue for the regional district this year, according to a staff report to the regional district board of directors.
"It's been an 11 or 12 year process," regional district chairperson Art Kaehn said.
More information on the program is expected to be released today.
Landfill lease
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors approved the district to enter into a 30 year lease of Crown lands to allow the Legrand Landfill, near
McBride, to expand to the southwest.
The district's current lease with the provincial government ends on March 21, 2013. The cost of the 30-year lease is one dollar.
Ness Lake park renaming
Salmon River-Lakes director Warren Wilson requested regional district staff investigate how Ness Lake Regional Park could be
renamed.
A group of area residents are seeking to rename the regional park Edward Jago Memorial Park in honour of long-time resident Edward Jago.
The park, 35 kilometres northwest of Prince George, includes 14 hectares of park land, 1.2 kilometres of trails, beach access and picnic area.
Mutual aid deal considered
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and City of Prince George will examine developing a regional mutual aid agreement for fire departments in the regional district.
In 2008 the regional district considered, and rejected, such an agreement. However, the Central Interior Fire Chiefs Association has asked the two governments to reconsider the issue. A mutual aid agreement would allow fire departments to call on neighbouring departments when faced with major fires which require more resources than are available locally.
