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Council Notebook - January 7, 2019

Ladysmith Council held its first meeting of the New Year on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. 

The session opened with a delegation from architects Norm Hotson and Kim Perry who presented the draft concept design plan for the Arts & Heritage Hub. 

Hotson was part of the team at DIALOG Design that created Ladysmith's Waterfront Area Plan and is now -- through his firm Hotson Architecture -- also helping to lead upgrades to the Machine Shop. 

The vision for the Arts & Heritage Hub was developed with stakeholders from Ladysmith Maritime Society, Ladysmith Waterfront Gallery, Ladysmith & District Historical Society as well as Coast Salish artist John Marston. 

Implementation of the design will be through a multi-phased approach.  A final report with recommendations will be presented to Council at its Jan. 21 meeting.  

View the draft concept design plan here. 

As part of its meeting, Council also held the first of four workshop sessions to discuss the 2019 Budget and 2019-2023 Financial Plan. 

The preliminary Operating Budget for the year was presented by the Director of Financial Services and is proposed at $17.9 million, before taking into account any new service requests. 

Council will provide direction to Town staff on these higher level service requests and other budget items, such as capital projects, at future meetings. 

See here for a schedule of upcoming Budget and Financial Plan Deliberations as well as presentations from the workshops. These meetings are your chance to ask questions and provide input about the budget to Council

Council approved a recommendation from the Protective Services Committee to have staff investigate options for more visible signs at downtown crosswalks. 

A report back to Council will include the cost per crossing and design options.  There was no decision on where any new signs could be installed. 

The stakeholders that led the creation of the Ladysmith Youth Plan, including several students from Ladysmith Secondary, are getting back together again. 

The Ladysmith Youth Task Group will begin meeting later in January to create an action plan for implementing the recommendations from the Youth Plan.  

Council also authorized staff to submit an application to the Island Health Community Wellness Granting Program to help support the implementation costs. 

The Youth Plan was adopted by council last August and creates a road map for engaging youth through resources and services.  Read through the document here.