Late yesterday, City of Powell River inked a marketing deal with the Chiang Lee Group for exclusive naming rights for the new consolidated wastewater treatment plant in Townsite.
Mayor Dave Formosa and city councillors issued a media release stating: “this is a wonderful and advantageous partnership we are bringing to Powell River. The group will be paying the city $50,000 per year for these rights. The economic benefits will help the city balance its books, bring in much needed money to operate the plant and possibly reduce property taxes to our residents.”
Following in the footsteps of stadiums and arenas around the world, the Chiang Lee Group will use large neon signs on all four sides of the main wastewater treatment plant building and on three sides of the round tanks. The proposed and now approved signage will each be 20 feet long by 15 feet high. The use of neon will give the group name brand visibility to the residential neighbourhood behind it as well as to the waterfront and luxury yachts that travel by every summer, according to the media release.
The Chiang Lee Group is a mainland Chinese company that owns plumbing supplies and washroom fixtures all over the world. Its net worth is purported to be $28 billion.
When the mayor was questioned as to whether the neon signage might disturb local residents, he responded positively that the city hired consultants to look at this and they came back with a recommendation with regard to colour of lights and overall size. Findings indicate that with the right use of colours, combined with a controlled flicker rate, that the effect can be a calming one and quite enjoyable for all to see.
Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in June 2020.
ALC sends letter of commendation
In other economic news, mayor Formosa announced that the city has received a letter from the provincial Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) recognizing the excellent work the city has done with the Timberlane Development project. In light of this, the commissioners have indicated they would like to meet and explore the possibility of the mayor and city acting as consultants in land negotiations with other developers in the province.
Councillors and staff applauded this commendation and said they will begin exploring the financial benefits of acting as consultants for the ALC.
Airport authority discusses runway extension
Powell River Airport Authority (PRAA) has begun discussions with Schleiswig Aerospace, a German national company, about extending the current runway by 2,000 metres to allow larger 757-style aircraft to land here. Schleiswig owns 737 (42 total) and 757 (18 total) jets and the company’s main focus is to provide “experiences” to worldwide travellers.
City CAO Russell Brewer was questioned on how this would affect the carbon footprint of Powell River.
“We will be in balance with the federal accord of 1987 and, if necessary, will purchase additional carbon credits,” said Brewer.
There was also a question about sound from the big jets. A consultant for the city said that they were looking at building 40-foot-high aluminum sound baffles on either side of the runway. The city said sound bylaws will also be in place between 11 pm and 6 am.
Mayor Formosa spoke to the fact that only a few residents will be affected by this expansion and the city will look into expropriating their homes and land for the assessed fair market value.
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April Fool's! Hope you enjoyed the levity. ~ The Peak
