Regarding the Abbotsford News headline “Mountain part of city by July?”
April 26 2007. The story is misleading readers and should be a major concern of tax paying residents.
Area H would represent aprox 1/5 the land mass of the municipality, taxpayers of the city should be aware the cost to service and govern this land is much more than the one time grant of $250,000 from the province, who admits this will be used to coordinate the conversion of bylaws between the FVRD and Abbotsford. There has been a further $250,000 offer towards a fire hall. This is peanuts considering the long term costs that will be passed to the people. $250,000 will not even buy a fire truck let alone a fire hall. City council would be foolish to accept this burden.
The 4 inch by 5inch ad placed in the Abbotsford news giving notice to the residents can hardly be considered fair notice to the taxpayers. I see why there hasn’t been much public awareness. This small map hardly reflects the fact that this is 10,000 acres. Most would see the ad on the “city page” as just another development proposal.
The question mark at the end of the headline suggests there are many unanswered questions.
Does the city manager believe the residents are so naïve, this huge expansion of city boundaries “there will be no costs to them?”
“No more Public meetings?” The city has made 3 failed attempts to annex area H in the last 4 years and has not had any public meetings.
Why have all discussions at city hall been secret?
There is no business case or legitimate rational for this expansion to wit the last 3 failed proposals. Once full municipal taxes are collected from area H the city will stand to gain a whopping $58,000. Maybe enough to pay for garbage collection?
How about Fire hydrants, snow removal, Policing, Planning, Municipal water, Sewer, Natural gas?
Why does the city refuse to commit to continuing a Supreme Court of British Columbia lawsuit launched by the FVRD vs. HIGHLAND QUARRIES to protect the Clayburn Creek head waters and ground aquifer? According to this latest proposal the city will negotiate passed in soil removal fees, estimated to $60,000 when fully implemented indicating they do not want to stop gravel extraction in this sensitive water shed.
This, in effect will give license to mining companies to continue expansion adding more truck traffic to these rural residential roads, that have been declared by the Ministry of Transportation as “far from ideal, rutting and potholes will be more sever with additional truck traffic, there will be car/truck conflict, no shoulders, sections of the road will suffer major damage due to large trucks.” In 2002 The FVRD contracted a geotechnical assessment by Thurber Engineering of Vancouver. The report states “In our judgment North Sumas Road area hazards require attention and cannot be maintained properly without redesign and reconstruction” Portions of this road are unsafe even for rural residential traffic and are subject to continual failure.
I hope the good citizens of Abbotsford are prepared in my estimation to spend over $10 million to bring this road to a minimum rural residential road standards. Further, if gravel mining is to continue/expand there will need to be a commercial truck route built as identified in our community plan.
Who will Govern the Majestic Sumas Mountain Regional Park? I represent Area H on the FVRD Parks committee, Area service committee, Executive committee, just to name a few and it appears to me there is no possibility, of transferring this park to the GVRD as is the intention of the city. 18 months ago the city withdrew from the FVRD Parks relinquishing their seat at the table and giving up any opportunity to be involved in the decision making for the 3500 acre Sumas Mnt. Park stating they wished to save $80,000 per year. At that meeting, I conveyed my concerns that if they proceeded in this direction the requisition from the GVRD would increase by aprox. $160,000. This was denied by the mayor, however within six months the new GVRD parks requisition increased by more than $150,000 per year. How can this be called good planning to save money?
Be assured I have asked all of these questions and others repeatedly, with resolutions from the FVRD Board of Directors demanding the city clearly communicate its intentions with them, and the Director for Area H. To no avail, not even a phone call to discuss the needs of the local residents. This only touches on some of the real concerns however, space does not allow.
I suggest the taxpayers of Abbotsford take up the challenge of City Manager Gary Guthrie, in his words “Revolt.” 10% of the city’s registered voters need to sign a petition to get your council to bring this huge download from the province to a referendum. This will force them to discuss this in public, and explain how a 10,000 acre land grab fits within the 2004 Regional Growth Strategy, Imagine Abbotsford dialog, and address urban sprawl.
When a politician is waving the red flag with the right hand you should look to see what the left is up to! As Councilor Cadwell states “she was led down the garden path” so to are the ratepayers on the annexation of Area H. If the people demand accountability from their city officials, by gathering enough support for a referendum on “Area H” download, the ballot could possibly include a second vote on Plan A? We have until May 26.
Lastly, why are you mla,s not protecting you interests?

Respectfully, Keith Warrener Days 604- 614- 0144 Eves. 604- 855- 9961
Director, Area H, FVRD Email kwarrener@fvrd.bc.ca

Irony n.

Abbotsford City Hall pressing on with Plan A in the same week their own lack of ability to think through, consider consequences or adequately plan has provided clear evidence that it is not a basketball court or an arena that the City needs but another pool.

If you have any doubt of this just ask any child, parent, family, length swimmer or other pool user displaced from ARC because Abbotsford City Hall lacks the common sense to hire someone experienced in building a pool tank to replace Centennial Pool’s leaking tank.

I would also imagine that the patrons of MRC, crowded by those displaced from ARC, might have a few words of wisdom for council on the matter of needed facilities.

Although I suppose that citizens should not be greatly surprised that senior staff and council, lacking enough common sense to hire someone with knowledge and experience of what they are doing to rebuild a pool tank, lacks the common sense to build the facilities that are really needed by Abbotsford.

Councilor Christine Caldwell pulled the pin and tossed a live hand grenade, in the form of a letter, into Abbotsford City Hall on Plan A before jetting off to Europe.

I do not want to get bogged down in arguments about political opportunism or of not having the courage to stand up and put it all on the line for what you believe rather than fleeing to the safety of.

Instead I want to focus on what disturbs me and should have all citizens demanding that heads roll. Most disturbing is Caldwell’s stated concern over “many services being cut in many departments throughout the city”. In a city that is so poorly served by its local government the last thing we need is services being cut. Clearly senior staff and council have no sense of priorities on what is important to the Citizens of Abbotsford.

Secondly, Caldwell cities the “Unforeseen Expenses” for Plan A which she believes have not yet come to light. Welcome to the club. Despite the slick sales job by City Hall, focused on selling the $85 million price tag, thoughtful citizens have been demanding to know all the actual costs. To date the total price tag stands at $108.6 and what the final cost will be is anybody’s guess.

Finally she says “I feel I was led down the garden path …Some of the decisions … would appear different as time went along. Over weeks of manipulating, shifting and tweaking the projects seemed to morph into a different story.” Again, welcome to the club. Thoughtful citizens had called from the start for less smoke and mirrors more substance and detailed information on just what Abbotsford City Hall proposed to build.

Clearly there is great need for major change at Abbotsford City Hall. It is time for spring cleaning, tossing out our inept senior management, replacing it with Management capable of open, citizens focused, business friendly, fiscally sound, solid planning and good business practices. Abbotsford pays superb management salaries; it is time ratepayers got value for their money.

Incompetent adj. without adequate ability, knowledge, intelligence etc.; failing to meet minimal requirements; incapable; unskillful;

I was going to ask at what point of making bad decision after bad decision we label Abbotsford City Hall incompetent. After reading the above definition from Webster’s Dictionary, so accurately describing the actions and behaviours of senior city staff and council, I realized the question was moot. Viewing the decisions and the fallout/consequences of decisions made by senior city staff and council in light of the above definition makes crystal clear that the correct word to describe senior city staff and council is incompetent.

The fallout that started this particular thought process was notice that ARC would be closed to the public 3:30 – 9:00pm Monday to Thursday and Fridays 5:00 -9:00pm. This is to permit the Whalers Swim Club to use the pool. Having previously stated that the city was responsible for the situation the Whalers were facing, as a result of senior city staff and council incompetence, and owed it to the Whalers to find an adequate place for them to swim I have to accept some personal inconvenience bringing this about.

This pool closure is a major disruption for parents and children, master swimmers training for various summer competitions, water exercisers and other users. There are very good reasons we all go to ARC and avoid MRC. Dumping all these users into MRC is going to cause discomfort and problems for regular MRC patrons as well.

Ironically it seems the only people not currently facing any discomfort or consequences for the fallout from the decisions of senior city staff and council are – senior city staff and council. And despite their finger-pointing and blaming others this situation was predictable and should have been avoided. Even with the few details grudgingly released by senior city staff and council it did not take a rocket scientist to predict it was going to go badly. Tight deadline, winter site prep and concrete pour – you do not go with a company that has never built a pool, especially when their bid was so out of line with the bids from the experienced pool builders.

Personally I have had more than enough of senior city staff and council excuse making, blaming and refusal to accept any responsibility for their bad decisions. I want to visit major discomfort and consequences on their incompetent heads. Since having their heads served up on silver platters is not an option, I can settle for their resignations.

How do you feel?