-Pendergraft says most area directors are onside with having bylaws in place in all areas-

OSOYOOS TIMES-January 28, 2009-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells said he is concerned about a new twist that was brought up at the Jan. 22 meeting of the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) board regarding an infrastructure grant for the planned Northwest Sewer Project.
Wells said he learned that the provincial Community Development Ministry has said that the $4.5 million grant awarded to the project from the federal and provincial governments in the summer of 2007 will not be forwarded on unless all eight areas within the RDOS have a policy in place that demands that properties not attached to a sewage system are no smaller than one hectare.
I found it astounding, Wells said, adding that he doesn't see how unsewered lot sizes in places such as Hedley or rural Princeton should affect Osoyoos Lake.
Rural Area A Director Mark Pendergraft said the RDOS was aware of the ministry's stipulation prior to receiving the grant as it was mentioned in the grant application information.
The province has been pushing for this to be in place for several years; the Ministry of Community (Development) has requested this as part of the grant application process, Pendergraft said in an email. A grant application is given a higher score if it has the one-hectare bylaw, however, the RDOS electoral areas were not previously too keen on putting this bylaw in place.
Now, since we have been given the promise of the Northwest Sewer Project grant, we are obligated to have the one-hectare (policy) before we will receive any funds.rnPendergraft added that he had made a motion last February that the RDOS implement a one-hectare bylaw in all of its areas and the motion was passed in a 5-3 vote.
Only rural areas A, C and F have one-hectare policies, however, and the other areas are at various stages of putting the bylaw in place, Pendergraft said.
At the moment, he added, three areas have a one-hectare bylaw at the public hearing stage and all of the area directors have said they are onside with having the bylaws in place in all areas.
Although not many of them like it, Pendergraft said.
As for when construction on the project, which will link roughly 130 homes along Osoyoos Lake's northwest shore to Osoyoos's sewer system, could begin, Wells said he hopes Phase 1 will kick off soon.
He said the contract between the developer of the Willow Beach Resort, the Town of Osoyoos and the RDOS regarding financing and payment schedules for the project still has to be approved by all parties and Osoyoos town council wants to take one last look at the agreement.
Last April, the developer, Vancouver-based Georgia Laine Developments, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Town of Osoyoos, agreeing to pay for those parts of the sewage project that are not covered by the infrastructure grant providing that the resort was approved by the RDOS.
The developer's application received third reading last August but final approval has been delayed at the request of the developers while they deal with financing concerns for the resort in the midst of the current economic downturn.
It has been estimated that the developer would have to pay more than $10 million to have the sewage project completed.
Environmental evaluations of the project for the Town have been completed by the Town's consulting engineer, Terry Underwood of True Consulting, Wells said.
Once the financial contract is approved by all parties and the Community Development Ministry's one-hectare policy stipulation is dealt with, the project will be put to tenders, he said.
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