Notes from the Cache Creek council meeting of April 4.
Basketball delegation
Max Beckett, head coach of the new Cache Creek Cats club basketball team, appeared as a delegation to speak about the team and to ask council for twice-weekly use of the community hall for practices at a reduced (or no) fee. He also asked for use of the hall on May 1 for a dinner/dance/auction fundraising event for the team. The event would include a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for local adults and youth. A final request was for the addition of a three-point line to the floor of the community hall.
Beckett explained that the team is a non-profit venture that seeks to provide an affordable sports activity for area youth, and has limited funds. He added that the plan is for the team to take part in a variety of tournaments, but noted that this can be expensive at the club level. The team currently has a fundraising goal of $3,500.
The decision on the requests was deferred to a future meeting, and Mayor Santo Talarico suggested that in future, decisions regarding requests from delegations at one meeting should be deferred to the next one, so that council and staff have time to fully consider any requests, particularly where financial “asks” are involved.
Internet and Technology Security policy
Coun. Wendy Coomber expressed some reservations about the policy, stating that some items would be more appropriate in a communications policy, which is being worked on. There was considerable discussion about security and access to files, and Couture noted that everything in the policy was recommended by the village’s lawyers. He said that while the policy might go “over and above,” it covers an issue (cybersecurity) that is getting bigger and bigger, and the village needs to get ahead of it.
Council decided to have the policy referred to the Municipal Insurance Authority of B.C. for review, then brought back to a future meeting for revisiting. Couture added that the hope was to have new security policies and procedures in place for the next council following the October municipal elections.
Adopt-a-Planter
Couture said that as of April 4, all but one of the village’s 30 public downtown planters have been adopted. The new plan will see each planter filled and maintained by a different Cache Creek resident, family, business, or organization throughout the summer. Anyone who missed out on a planter can have their name added to a waiting list being maintained at the village office.
Grant writer
The village was successful in its application for a grant writer, and the Desert Mesa Lions Club has been hired to write grant applications within the community.
Water treatment plant upgrades
Couture reported that significant issues involving old electrical systems and building construction during planned upgrades to the water treatment plant resulted in an extended Stage 4 water advisory. The system is working again, but is not 100 per cent operational; Couture said that if water consumption was to spike, residents would see another water restriction put in place. The issues caused a two-week delay in completing the upgrades, but the electrical work is slated to be finished at the end of April.
Information requests
Couture said that village office staff have noticed a marked increase in the number of requests for information about available properties in the area and construction. The office has also been processing an increasing number of building information requests and building approvals.
Public questions
A resident had a question about the construction activity at the back of the Cache Creek Recreational Park. Couture explained that in previous years, floodwater went over the road leading to the water treatment plant, preventing access to it. The road is now being raised so that access can be maintained even during flooding.
Another resident asked if the village would be needing lifeguards this year, noting that students need to earn money for university in September and are turning down other jobs while they wait to see the pool’s status. Talarico said that while the 2022 budget has yet to be voted on, at this time there is no money in it to open the pool.
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