Accomplishments

• PLACEMAKING AMENITY - SLOCAN BEACH PARK: In 2017, the Village was successful in obtaining a $10,000 grant to move forward with research and planning for the waterfront area, west of the old mill site. The purpose of this project was to recruit a professional consultant to create a long-term waterfront management and development strategy, and will include conceptual drawings, cost estimates, and a recommendation report. The consultant connected with all stakeholders, hosted a community engagement session, and created an implementation plan. In March 2019, Council authorized a submission to CBT’s Outdoor Revitalization Planning Grant Program to complete a Detailed Design Plan for phase one of the project – the west portion of the waterfront. (The only portion of the waterfront that the Village owned at that time). The application was successful, and the design plan was completed in 2019. Later in 2019, the Village was successful with another application to CBT’s Outdoor Revitalization Capital Program, and received $282,221 in funding to add to the Village contribution of $94,073 from the Community Works Fund. The project was completed in 2020, and included enhancement of the breakwater area and conversion of the old parking lot – paver stones, railing, an irrigation system, sod, a block wall and steps, vegetation, and furnishings.

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• ROAD MAINTENANCE: In late 2016, the Slocan and Arrow Lakes Villages received correspondence from the Ministry of Transportation (MOT), advising that a portion of Hwy 6 (north of Slocan) has been scheduled for resurfacing in 2017. The Ministry extended the invitation for local village’s to ‘piggy-back’ on this resurfacing project, and participate in their joint RFP. This was an excellent opportunity for smaller communities as it offers a lower asphalt cost, due to higher volumes. There were also administrative benefits to participating in the joint RFP. Staff highlighted priority paving sections due for upgrade within the Village, and Council agreed to fund the project from the Gas Tax Reserve. In 2017, the Village successfully resurfaced approximately $130,000 worth of roadways in town.

• MAIN ST WATERLINE REPLACEMENT & RESURFACING: In December 2019, the Village completed its Main Street Waterline Replacement Project – a project that would see replacement of 4 blocks of aging, undersized, shallow-buried water main between Fitz Avenue and Delany Avenue. Due to the urgency of this repair, the Village proceeded with the understanding that cross cuts would need to be made across Main Street to service the homes on that section of water main. In 2021, Council allocated $188,000 from the Community Works Fund to resurface Main Street and the boat launch turnaround area.  SPL was procured, and the resurfacing project was completed in July 2021.

   

• REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN - HAROLD STREET DESIGN: In 2018, the Village was successful in obtaining a $10,000 grant to move forward with a Harold Street North Conceptual Design Plan. The purpose of the study was to create a conceptual design plan for the Commercial Zone at the north end of Harold Street, and included recommendations on parking, sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, and overall beautification. As part of the consultation process, the Village invited business owners and community members to take part in a walking tour and brain-storming session with the consultants, staff, Council and stakeholders. Shortly following completion of the concept plan, Council supported a submission to the Rural Dividend Fund for completion of the “Harold Street North Detailed Design Plan”. The Village was successful with its application, and received $60,500. Council committed to a $15,000 contribution amount from the Community Works Fund. This phase of the project involves recruiting professional services for civil, electrical and landscape engineer works to complete detailed design (materials/quantities, etc.), detailed cost estimate, and tender documents for the implementation of the plan. In addition, a detailed survey of the project site will be included to accurately locate all existing infrastructure, topography, drainage, building envelope and lot lines. As identified in the Conceptual Design Plan, the detailed design plan will address/include parking, sidewalks, landscaping, and overall beautification, taking into consideration the Village’s drainage solution priorities. A Request for Proposals was issued in June 2022, and Lawson Engineering was successfully hired to complete the Detailed Design Plan. Work is now underway and will position the Village to apply for funding to implement the project.

 

• LEGION HALL: The Village hired Robert Inwood, Heritage Design Engineer, for completion of a Heritage Design Plan for the Legion Hall, to assist the Village with future planning and heritage/energy upgrades. Council dedicated $40,000 to the roof replacement project, which came in well under budget, and remaining funds were ear-marked for future upgrades. An application was submitted to the Columbia Basin Trust’s Built Heritage funding stream for Phase One of the Village’s Legion Heritage Restoration Project. The Village was awarded $174,500 from CBT for this project, and it was completed in 2022.

• TENNIS COURT REVITALIZATION: In January 2022, Council authorized submission to the CBT Outdoor Active Recreation Grant Fund, for upgrades and improvements to the Village Tennis Courts. The application was successful, and the Village received $208,500 in grant funding. Council agreed to contribute up to $79,250 from the COVID-19 Safe Restart Fund. The project would involve decommissioning the existing court (removal of asphalt and disassembly of fence enclosure), levelling the ground material and preparing subgrade/gravel base in advance of surfacing (courts will be relocated to the south approximately 30 feet, in order to better utilize Village lands within the interior of this block, and to provide better accessibility to the court), installing asphalt surface, installing a Flex Court all weather sports surface, purchase of an EZ Ice surface kit and boards for winter ice sports, reinstallation of fence enclosure, and the addition of a paved staging area that will include benches and shelving. The project will also make the courts 100% accessible for all users, and will include accessible parking and signage. Work is now underway

 

• WILDFIRE MITIGATION: In an effort to mitigate risk from wildfire in the Village and surrounding areas, Slocan submitted a successful application for funding to the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative and Columbia Basin Trust, in partnership with SIFCo. Treatment work has been ongoing. The Village also participated in the FireSmart Program in 2018, encouraging home owners to mitigate their properties against wildfire. The Village also supported a joint application to the UBCM under the Emergency Operations Center & Training Program, in partnership with the RDCK, for an EOC Upgrade and Training Initiative. This funding is to support building local capacity to provide emergency social services through training, volunteer recruitment/retention, and the purchase of equipment.

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• AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Since the formation of the Slocan Affordable Housing Advisory Commission of Council in 2017, the Village has been actively researching options for affordable housing in Slocan. The Village was successful with grant funding, and procured M’akola Development Services to complete a feasibility analysis, and to provide consulting support throughout the duration of the project. The analysis included information on the overall vision, need, cost breakdown, project detail, and potential funding programs, and showcased several funding scenarios available to build capacity for this project to move forward. The Village issued an RFP and procured COVER Architecture to complete a schematic design for the 8-unit project, with a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. At a special meeting in March 2020, Council directed staff to begin preparations for the rezoning of Lots 1-5 and 18-20 of Block 43 to Multi-Family Residential. Due to some concerns coming forward from the community on the location, Council passed a motion to table the rezoning until more information could be provided. The Village published a survey in April 2021 to gather additional feedback from the community on the need for affordable housing, and developing a project in Slocan, and the results demonstrated that the majority of Slocan residents were in favour. An application to BC Housing was submitted in January 2021 for pre-development costs and the capital works, and was successful. Due to the concerns of the proposed project location, Council went back to the table to investigate alternate locations. After lengthy discussion, it was decided that the Village would pursue a new location, the former Curling Club site. The Village has been working closely with M’akola and BC Housing, and both are very optimistic about the location change. The new location would provide better access, and is directly adjacent to family amenities such as the school, outdoor recreation, and the downtown core. 

• JOB CREATION PARTNERSHIP (JCP) – CAMPGROUND & WATERFRONT ENHANCEMENT PROJECT: The Village received over $120,000 in grant funding (plus all labour costs) for a Job Creation Partnership Project, funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, including $40,000 worth of in-kind and cash supports for campground and waterfront upgrades. The 26-week project involved developing and enhancing the well-used municipal campground with the creation of new sites and a new lower loop road, upgrades to power/water, hand built picnic tables, pads, fire pits, and tenting wash station. Upgrades to the waterfront included renovation of the breakwater on-ramp, removal of berm and installation of a lock-block retaining wall. Since project completion, revenue has increase from approximately $15,000 annually to $85,000+ in 2022.

• JOB CREATION PARTNERSHIP (JCP) – OWL WALK & TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECT: The Village received over $60,000 (plus all labour costs)  for a Job Creation Partnership Project, funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. The project involved cleanup and rehabilitation of the old “Crew Camp Lands”. Four Atco trailers were removed from the site. Overall, 80-100 yards of mixed waste was removed from the site. An outdoor classroom space was created, outhouse built and installed, trail system reclaimed and rebuilt, hand-made bike racks, picnic tables, and bear bins installed, and interpretive signage posted, leading visitors, school groups and residents on an informative and enjoyable walk through the endangered Western Screech Owl habitat. The Village, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and KCDS, successfully employed six workers plus a project manager, gaining experience and knowledge for future employment. The Village celebrated the Grand Opening of the Owl Walk on October 2nd, 2015

 

• SPRINGER CREEK MICRO-HYDRO PROJECT: For the past decade, prior Slocan Councils had committed to development of the Springer Creek Micro Hydro Power Project, completing First Nations consultation and the various environmental, engineering, economic, and feasibility studies required to advance the project. Under Mayor Lunn's leadership the Village was successful completing permitting and obtaining $2.4 million through the New Building Canada Small Communities Fund. Due to the cancellation of BC Hydro's Standing Offer program,  the project was no longer viable and ultimately the Council made the prudent decision to take no further action.

 

• ASSET MANAGEMENT: Recognizing the importance of asset management, the Village, since 2017, has been working with LandInfo Technologies on asset management. With funding applied for and awarded from FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program and, the Village has been able to complete the following stages of asset management:
  Phase 1 – Completion of an inventory of all linear asset data, including roads, water distribution network (water lines/mains/hydrants/irrigation/treatment plant, etc), storm water network, and buildings. The data was captured in GIS format with required attributes (ie: install date, pipe diameter, material, length, etc.).  
  Phase 2 – Completion of prioritizing asset renewal and replacement through the assessment of risk, level of service, impact of climate change, and the future needs of the community.
• Phase 3 – Integration of asset management data into the Village’s capital and operational planning, and development of a methodology to sustainably integrate this data. The Village used existing data to produce feasible, data-driven projects into the capital and operational plans with a goal of managing infrastructure risk. The deliverable of this project was creation of a short-term (5-10 year) and a long-term (30 year) plan.

 

• ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGE STATION: Council approved the Wellness Center as Slocan’s location for installation of an electric vehicle charge station. This project is in partnership with the Community Energy Association and the Accelerate Kootenays Project. The station has recently been installed at the north end of the Wellness Center parking lot. Signage and landscaping for the EV Charge Station pending.

 

• CELL SERVICE: In 2014, Council received a petition from the residents of Slocan urging Council to encourage Telus to reconsider cell service in the Slocan Valley. In response to public demand, in 2018 Telus proposed a macro-site antenna for the Village, to be located on Hume Street. Service is expected to be live early in the New Year, 2019.

 

• SENIORS HOUSING: In 2015, the Village received the first conceptual drawings for the Seniors and Affordable Housing Complex in Slocan. In 2016, Village Council confirmed its intention to enter into a long-term lease with the Slocan Valley Seniors Housing Society, for construction of a 12-unit affordable housing complex with a focus on seniors, on the lands behind the Wellness Center. In 2018, the Village was able to take part in the Society’s grand opening of the Slocan City Suites. This has been an exciting and critical project for Slocan – not only has the Society hired local contractors and employed local residents, it will attract and retain seniors in Slocan, all of which help our volunteer, cultural and business community.

 

• CEMETERY MAPPING: The Village, in partnership with the RDCK, received $10,000 in grant funds to complete a Cemetery Mapping Project. The project involved development of an up-to-date digital cemetery database and web mapping/management application. In addition, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was also completed, to assist staff with location of unmarked grave sites. Staff can utilize this system to track, plan and update records as needed.
  
  
• RAIN BARREL INITIATIVE: The Village was able to obtain 100 repurposed syrup barrels from Coca-Cola, equipped with spigot conversion kits. 50 of these barrels were shared with the Village of Silverton, in an effort to create regional awareness to water conservation.

 

• HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR: In 2017, Council first received information and resolved to support the Slocan Valley Historical Society’s Walking Tour Project. The project would involve placement of interpretive signage around the Village, a brochure, guidebook, and text/audio files for download. Further, Village Council also supported installation of a display case in Council Chambers to showcase artifacts, as well as the Society’s Internment Cemetery Refurbishment Project.

 

• CLIMATE ACTION: After signing on to the Climate Action Charter in 2008, the Village completed a carbon inventory and actively tracks and reports its GHG emissions annually. In 2016, a Community Energy & Emissions Plan (SCEEP) was completed, and in 2017, Slocan became a Partner for Climate Protection through the Federation of Canadian Municipality’s (FCM) Transition 2050 Program. Most recently, Slocan was recognized for becoming the first 100% Renewable Kootenays Community – the 5th municipality in all of Canada with a goal to become 100% renewable by 2050, and recognized for our efforts to undertake significant corporate and community-wide climate actions to reduce GHG emissions. Slocan has been awarded level 4 recognition. In November 2017, Council formed a Climate Action Committee to assist the Village with moving forward with energy emissions reduction strategies, and to provide Council recommendations for initiating related programs, activities, and incentives within the Village.

 

• CENOTAPH PROJECT: The Village endorsed the Spirit of Slocan’s $10,000 Cenotaph Project. The project is to improve and enhance the Cenotaph site area, including landscaping, and to create a space that can be used by community members. This is phase one of a three-phase Wellness Center grounds project.

Regional Partnerships

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP: Village submitted a joint application to the Rural Dividend Fund, partnering with the Villages of New Denver, Silverton and RDCK Area H to develop a Slocan Valley Economic Development Strategy for our region. The main purpose of the project was to develop a regional economic development strategy and capacity-appropriate implementation plan. The partners successfully hired Ron LeBlanc as Economic Development Coordinator, developed programs and initiatives such as the creation of slocanvalley.com, Slocan Valley Food Guide, Shop Slocan Valley, Slocan Valley Grown, Make Music Here campaigns, the Slocan Valley Cannabis Synopsis, and the research paper on Agriculture in the Slocan Valley, and more.