Council Highlights - December 16, 2024
By City of Castlegar
Delegation – Castlegar Arts Council
Miguel Godau, Maggie Shirley, and Val Field, representing the Castlegar Arts Council, provided an update on their activities for 2023/2024. Highlights included hosting several events and workshops, conducting a community poll on artistic activities and engagement, and completing an artist studio space survey. The Arts Council also requested that Council consider their needs for an artist studio space when planning future housing or building developments.
Yard Waste Disposal Site Options
The implementation of the City’s curbside collection of food and yard waste in 2023 raised questions about whether it was necessary to continue operating the yard waste composting site. At the time, Council decided to keep the City’s yard waste facility open for one year while evaluating its usage and operational impacts.
Since then, a clearer understanding of the operational impacts and costs of running the site in tandem with the Curbside Organics Collection Program has emerged. Operating and maintaining the site costs approximately $120,000 annually, requires 700 staff hours, and involves the use of heavy equipment. These factors, combined with the success of the curbside program, led staff to recommend closing the yard waste disposal site in early 2025.
Council supported this recommendation during the Committee of the Whole Meeting, and a final decision is scheduled for adoption at the January 13, 2025, Regular Council Meeting. The closure is expected to provide significant cost savings and resource reallocation. Residents will still have two options for yard waste disposal: the City’s curbside collection program and the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s facilities, which accept yard waste year-round for a fee and offer free yard waste disposal during May and October each year.
New Outdoor Basketball Court
Following a request from the Castlegar Rotary Interact Club earlier this year for support to build a new outdoor basketball court in Castlegar, Council directed staff to evaluate the project’s feasibility.
After conducting preliminary discussions and site reviews, staff identified Millennium Park & Ponds as the most suitable location due to its alignment with the Millennium Park Master Plan and its proximity to existing amenities, such as washrooms and water fountains.
At this meeting, staff presented their findings, and Council directed them to continue working with the Castlegar Rotary Interact Club to further assess the feasibility of installing the court at Millennium Park & Ponds. This collaborative effort will focus on evaluating technical requirements, costs, and planning.
New Disc Golf Course Location
Earlier this year, the Kootenay Rockies Disc Golf Society requested Council’s support to consider adding a disc golf course in Castlegar. In response, Council committed staff time to exploring the project’s feasibility and evaluating potential locations.
Following discussions with the group and a review of potential sites, Kinnaird Park was identified as the most suitable location for the project. Neighbourhood engagement was conducted to gather feedback on the proposal and ensure it meets community needs.
Council has directed staff to continue working with the group to assess the feasibility of installing the course at Kinnaird Park. This collaborative effort will assess technical requirements, costs and planning.
Housing Needs Interim Report
In 2023, Council adopted the City’s Housing Needs Assessment, a report outlining current and projected housing needs. In June 2024, provincial legislative changes introduced a standardized methodology for Housing Needs Reports. Council adopted the Housing Needs Interim Report at the December 16, 2024, meeting so that it could be submitted by January 1, 2025, ensuring compliance with legislative requirements.
The new methodology significantly increased Castlegar’s projected housing needs, with updated figures identifying a gap of 708 units by 2026 and 2,019 units by 2041, compared to the 2023 projections of 464 and 827 units, respectively. It is important to note that the methodology uses a standard demand calculation, which may overestimate needs in smaller communities.
Despite these challenges, the report provides valuable targets for the City to strive toward and measure progress. Castlegar has made notable progress, achieving 23% of its 2026 targets and 64% of its non-market housing targets as of 2024. The City’s new Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, adopted in 2024, are aligned to support these targets, emphasizing infill development and diverse housing typologies.
Special Budget Meetings
On November 27 and 28, community groups that contribute to the delivery of Council’s Strategic Priorities by supporting arts, culture, and heritage in our community presented their annual updates on service delivery and shared their proposals for consideration in the 2025 draft budget. Council directed staff to include partial or full funding requests in the draft 2025 budget for consideration.
The 2025 budget will be deliberated during two Special Council Meetings scheduled for Jan. 20 and 23, 2025, at 5 p.m.
For more details on upcoming meetings, visit castlegar.ca/councilmeetings.
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