Here's what happened at New West city council on Monday, Aug. 29

For a full recap of last night’s council meeting, visit this thread on Twitter.

Outdoor pool operations update

It looks like outdoor pools will be open a little longer this year: staff have suggested extending the hours at the Moody Park and Hume Park pools. The extension will go to Oct. 10. The latest staff report noted that operations would be dependent on the weather.  

Moody Park outdoor pool: 

• Monday to Friday: 8-10:30am, noon-8:45pm

• Saturday and Sunday: 12:15-7:30pm

• Hyack Swim Club rentals: Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday am, Wednesday/Friday pm

• Swimming lessons: Tuesday and Thursdays (both pm hours) and private lessons Saturday morning 

Hume Park outdoor pool

• Monday to Friday: 3:30-7pm;

• Saturday and Sunday: 11:45am-7pm

Staff say one of the reasons for extending the hours is because of the closure of the Canada Games Pool. 

Council received the report for information. 

Massey Theatre renovation and update

Costs to update the Massey Theatre have increased since 2015, when it was thought it would cost $9.5 million to fix the building so that it can continue to be used safely. Right now the estimate is at $14.1 million. A report to council says the costs have gone up because funding resources have been reduced, and the building has since aged. This money would be coming from the city’s approved five-year financial plan. 

Coun. Mary Trentadue asked how the costs for the project would remain on track. Staff said it would work to monitor the budget as much as possible. In the report to council, staff said additional money would likely be needed to ensure that the base "minimum viability option" is met. Minimum viability refers to the building upgrades needed to keep the building safe and operational. 

Council received the report for informational purposes. 

Master Transportation Plan amendments

The amendments include a discussion of next steps for micromobility and autonomous mobility. Micromobility includes e-bikes and scooters, while autonomous mobility could refer to self-driving cars, drones, and ground robots. 

During discussion, Coun. Patrick Johnstone asked staff to come back with more recommendations to reach Vision Zero, which refers to eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Johnstone added that since the COVID-19 pandemic, New West appeared to be losing momentum, with collisions involving vulnerable road users, like cyclists. 

Open delegations

Mayoral hopeful Ken Armstrong, and council hopefuls Rick Folka and karima budhwani—all running with the New Westminster Progressives in this October’s election—spoke at council. 

Armstrong asked Mayor Jonathan Cote when he knew about the breach of the Local Government Act, and also wanted to know why a Freedom of Information (FOI) request pertaining to this came back with an estimated cost of about $600. In response, Cote said he couldn’t speak to the FOI, but that he was made aware of the error a couple of weeks before it came back to council to be corrected. 

Folka brought up concerns about the capital plan, wanting to know how the core capital priorities are established. He urged the city to try and find other ways of securing funding for projects, including federal and provincial funding. Later in the meeting, Coun. Jaimie McEvoy responded, saying that there has been funding from other levels of government, including money for improvements to Royal Columbian Hospital, as well as the recently announced funding for student housing at Douglas College. 

Former councillor Lorrie Williams in hospital after stroke

Coun. Chuck Puchmayr revealed he’d visited former councillor Lorrie Williams in hospital. Williams recently had a stroke, with Puchmayr noting that she did have some paralysis on the left side of her body. Puchmayr reiterated his wishes for Williams’ speedy recovery. 

Williams sat on city council for 16 years, choosing not to run again in 2018. She was New Westminster’s 2019 Citizen of the Year. 

There will be a special council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 31.