The Town of Osoyoos and its citizens just became a little safer after town council agreed to pay the small annual fee to join BC One Call.
After a presentation by Jim Dinwoodie, the town’s new director of operational services, council voted unanimously to pay the $425 annual membership to join the provincial non-profit organization that has been working to improve safety in communities across the province for many years.
“An accident that damages one of the many buried facilities in British Columbia can mean the loss of life or personal injury to the excavator, environmental damage to the surrounding area or disruption of essential services to the local community,” said Dinwoodie. “BC One Call is a non-profit organization working in partnership with WorkSafe BC and the BC Oil and Gas Commission in preventing accidents that may place a community in distress or cause personal injury.
The Town of Osoyoos has never been a member of BC One Call and joining would send a strong message to the community that the town is committed to safety, he said.
“A value added of becoming a member is that a number of municipalities are using the information obtained to check for permits, business licences and traffic disruptions and tracking pavement cuts and billing when others are working in our road allowances,” he said. “BC One Call will waive the one time membership joining fee for the Town of Osoyoos due to our commitment to safety.”
The estimated annual cost of membership is $450 in future years or roughly $2.25 per call, said Dinwoodie, who started his new job with the town in the fall.
Joining BC One Call will allow operational services staff to be better able to track any pavement cuts in road allowances, ensuring timely repair, he said.
The town will also be better able to ensure that anyone wishing to excavate in the community has completed all of the necessary permits and business licences prior to the commencement of work, which could result in increased fee collection for the town, he said.
By having a more accurate and complete list of all pavement cuts within the town’s road allowances, operational services will also be able to more efficiently schedule resources for repair, said Dinwoodie.
Whenever a local resident contacts BC One Call, the information that is provided will be shared with the town, allowing operational services staff to know what’s going on, when and where, he said.
The town will require a minimum of three days notice before any digging of pavement and access to underground cable and water and sewer lines takes place, he said.
Almost all of the other municipalities in the Okanagan Valley belong to BC One Call and the information that is shared between that organization and the various towns is invaluable in improving safety and ensuring valuable infrastructure isn’t damaged, he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
