The province has granted its approval to the Strathcona Regional District to extend the boundaries for new sewer service on Quadra Island to include two more properties.
That approval from the Inspector of Municipalities is the final piece the regional district board of directors needs before it can proceed with adding two Pidcock Road properties onto the Quathiaski Cove sewer project.
“The regional district has now been advised that the bylaws have been approved by the inspector and it would therefore be in order for the board to proceed with final passage and adoption,” wrote Tom Yates, regional district corporate services manager, in a report to the board. The board tried to adopt the bylaw to include the two Pidcock Road properties at its last board meeting, on Dec. 11, but approval from the province had not yet come through as expected, which forced the board to delay its decision.
With approval now in place, however, the board will have the chance to pass the bylaw at today’s board meeting.
The two Pidcock Road properties expressed interest in hooking up to the sewer service in the summer – shortly after a July referendum was passed in favour of extending sewer service out towards the foreshore and Pidcock Road areas of Quadra Island, as well as on Heriot Bay Road. The project originally included 36 properties, which will be expected to pay $9,100 plus an additional cost to hook their property up to the sewer line – a cost which will vary from home to home.
The Strathcona Regional District is applying $392,400 of its Gas Tax funds transfer from the federal government towards the project to keep the costs down for property owners.
The $485,760 project was given the green light after 18 of the 36 (55 per cent) affected property owners voted in favour of moving ahead with the sewer extension.
The design phase of the project is expected to begin this month and last until mid-March, with project construction going out to tender at that time and the successful applicant selected in April. Construction is then slated to last from May to the end of July.