Board Meeting Highlights
May 29, 2006

The following information is intended to provide quick highlights of this scheduled Board meeting. Every attempt has been made to summarize these highlights as accurately as possible; however, the complete and official minutes will be posted on the web site on the Monday one week prior to the next scheduled Board meeting.

Meeting Agenda - May 29, 2006

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Planning Committee agenda items last meeting included a presentation from the Vancouver Aquarium, terms of reference for the new Dogs Task Force, John Hendry Park Master Plan, and Sport Hosting Policy for Vancouver. Most recent Finance Committee items included Ethical Purchasing Policy, 2006 Operating Budget 1st Quarter, and Capital Budget update and close-outs.

GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT

Park Board-related items on Council and Committee agendas recently and this week included:  Municipal Ticket Information pilot program for certain by-law offences; 2006 Park Board Capital Budget and Capital Budget close-outs; and Active/Safe Trips to Schools pilot program.

STAFF REPORTS

Burrard View Park - Harbourview Daycare Replacement
The Board approved the Concept Plan for a two-storey, 440 m² (4,700 ft²) permanent licensed daycare facility to replace the childcare portable on East Vancouver's Burrard View Park, at no cost to the Park Board. Most local resident concerns have been acknowledged and mitigated, while potential impacts on views require more study and planning in consultation with neighbours. A report with detailed schematic design plans and secured revenue sources will be submitted to the Board prior to development permit application.

Dog Strategy Task Force
Terms of reference for the new Dog Strategy Task Force were approved, with the $40,000 funding to come from the previous off-leash dog program plus from the 2006-2008 Capital Plan Planning Studies account. The Task Force will be a six person panel charged with hearing from the community about dogs in the urban environment and presenting recommendations for a strategy to balance the needs of all park users. Their work is scheduled to be complete by April 2007. Park Board staff were asked to prepare a report outlining issues that the Park Board faces around animal control, provide that report to Council and advocate for a 2007 budget increase for animal control officers.

John Hendry (Trout Lake) Park Master Plan - Phase I:  New Community Centre and Ice Rink
The first phase of the park Master Plan, which has focused on siting of the redeveloped Trout Lake Community Centre and Ice Rink in East Vancouver, is nearing completion. A list of high and medium priority design factors and non-design factors (developed in consultation with the public) were endorsed for the recreational complex. These factors will assist the architectual consultant in design of the new facilities. The Board endorses the southwest portion of John Hendry Park as the site, and requested that the architect be instructed to develop options for proposed Site A and proposed Site B and a combination of the two. The ice rink needs to be rebuilt in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (it will serve as a practice rink), and the community centre is ranked high in the Park Board's community centre renewal plans.

Synthetic Turf Field at Vancouver Technical Secondary School
The Board approved the development of a synthetic turf sports field on a portion of the grounds of east side Vancouver Technical Secondary School, by license agreement with the Vancouver School Board. Sources of funding for the field's construction will be city-wide development cost levies allocated for this purpose in the 2003-2005 Capital Plan, supplemented by up to $400,000 previously committed by Dunbar, Point Grey and Kerrisdale Soccer Clubs.

MOTIONS

Commissioner Zlotnik put forward a Motion that the following two resolutions (relating to the Vancouver Aqaurium) passed by previous Boards be rescinded: "That any request by the Vancouver Aquarium for an expansion of the area currently operated by the Vancouver Aquarium under its lease with the Park Board be referred to a public referendum to be held during the next general election. Further, that the Park Board defer consideration of any such request for expansion until such time as the public of Vancouver have voted in favour of such expansion in a public referendum." and, "That the Park Board recommend to Council that a city wide plebiscite be held during the 2008 civic election on the question of whales and dolphins being kept in captivity in Stanley Park, with a goal of testing public opinion in the interests of long-term planning for the next lease renewal of the Vancouver Aquarium, in 2015. Further, that the plebiscite ask the following yes or no question, "Are you in favour of phasing out the containment of whales and dolphins in Stanley Park?". The Motion carried.

Commissioner De Genova put forward a Motion that the Park Board amend its June 21, 2004 Motion (relating to the Nanook Childcare Centre in South China Creek Park) by deleting the following paragraph under item B which said: "a two-storey, 550 sqaure metre permanent facility for the purposes of license childcare and for a shared community room, and 520 square metres of fenced outdoor licensed childcare play yard;" and, replace it with the following paragraph: "a one-storey, 465 square metre permanent facility for the purposes of licensed childcare and for a shared community room, and 390 square metres of fenced outdoor licensed childcare play yard;". The Motion carried.

Commissioner Houghton put forward a Motion that the Board change section 2 of the Park Board Procedure By-Law as follows:

2 If this By-law does not address a procedure, then

a) the Procedure By-law of the city, except for Section 7, is to apply to proceedings of the Board in respect of the procedure; or,
b) if the Procedure By-law of the city does not address a procedure, the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order is to apply to proceedings of the BOard in respect of that procedure.  The Motion carried.

NEXT MEETING

The next regular meeting of the Park Board will be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, June 12, 2006 at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre.

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