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Upgrade aimed at Greendale flood protection Jennifer Feinberg The Progress A big upgrade planned for the Collinson Pump Station might have residents of Greendale heaving a sigh of relief. City of Chilliwack got the news this week of federal and provincial funding coming down the pike for a $2.5 million pump station upgrade as part of the city’s flood protection plan. The Collinson Pump Station is near the city dike system, pumping water from the lower elevation areas into the Vedder Canal, which will protect the community from flooding from the Fraser River and Vedder River. The pump station upgrade was the highest priority project that a consulting engineer identified in a drainage study, in the wake of the unique January 2009 flooding event in Greendale which caused devastating damage. During the flooding, about 230 mm of rainfall was recorded over four days, along with rapid snow melt over frozen ground. The 2010 drainage study concluded several factors were at play, and not just one reason why the drainage system failed. It said $10 million to $19 million in improvements were required for enhanced drainage and flood protection. “The upgrade project will increase the pumping capacity of the station to ensure protection against a 1:100 year rainfall or flood event,” according to the press release. The funds will pay for bigger pumps and electrical motors for Collinson Pump Station, that will significantly increase the capacity. Diesel generators will also mean pump protection in the event of a power Continued: FLOOD/ p4
The Bicycle Transportation Plan, passed by city council last week, is geared to improve bike lanes in Chilliwack. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Bike plan geared to improving cycling infrastructure Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Chilliwack is in the midst of playing “catch-up” on the way to becoming a more bicycle friendly community. Council approved the Bicycle Transportation Plan 2014-2024 at city hall last week. It features an updated map of all 180 km of bike lanes, paved shoulders and paths in Chilliwack, as well as a “vision” map with ultimate goals for a built-out network. “I think Chilliwack is playing catch-up on this,” said Chuck Stam, city councillor and chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee. “We were behind a
bit in terms of bike lanes, in the process of moving from being a smaller community to a larger one. But being a farm community and quite flat, we already attract a lot of bicycle tourism.” The bike plan is specifically geared to improving bike lanes, a “urban pieces of connectivity” between Chilliwack and the south side of the city. “That connectivity is what’s missing. So this bike plan is a good guideline to get us talking,” said Stam. For the first time the cycling public gets clarity on existing inventory of bike lane facilities and routes. Here’s the bike plan vision statement approved with the
bike plan: “That Chilliwack will become a safer, bicycle friendly community where cycling is not only for recreation but a viable green transportation alternative, offering energy conservation and promoting fitness.” The plan is a list of priorities up to the year 2024, for bicycle related infrastructure improvements, with an eye to improving safety, making the bicycle a viable transportation option, and ensuring respect for cyclists in the eyes of the motoring public. “It is not intended to drive spending,” reads the staff report, “but recommends improvement and maintenance priorities so as funding becomes available it can be focused as effectively
as possible to improve bicycle transportation facilities throughout the city It will bolster future applications by the city for provincial and federal funding. The plan, first created in 1999, was created primarily by a volunteer effort by the bike plan working group. “This is not a government document, and it’s not being crafted by staff and politicians, there was a lot of input from the community,” said Coun. Stam. “So thanks to them for the investment of time and wisdom to make this a realistic and workable plan.” TAC also gave its support in Continued: BIKE/ p10
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