McBride Council: train station project, competitive bid process, FSR closures
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
McBride Council discussed train station renovations, transparency around the competitive bid process, and forest service road closures at its regular meeting on September 9th.
Mayor Gene Runtz called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council added one late item to the agenda, a letter from the owner of Raush Valley Forestry, and approved the evening’s agenda. Then, Council adopted the minutes of the August 12th regular meeting and moved on to hear public comments.
Public Comment
Resident Rick Thompson spoke to Council about a letter from Rod and BobbiJo Whelpton, who wrote to the Village and Public Works to thank them for repaving Dominion Street and McBride Crescent. Thompson added that the 7th Avenue repaving was also well-done, and members of the McBride Legion are grateful for it. He had heard the paving would be done while he was in Tumbler Ridge.
“I got back to see a transformation on 7th Ave that really beautifies that edge of town,” he said. “All members of the Legion thank Village Council and staff for the work they did on that.”
Thompson added that the Legion would like to work with Village staff on adding some black railing around the stone on 7th, so people have a place to hang wreaths on Remembrance Day.
“The Legion is prepared to undertake most of that cost and look at the research to have a local metal fabricator come up with a plan. I’ll work with staff to get that done,” he said.
Runtz thanked Public Works Manager Brian Taphorn for his work.
Train station tender
The Village is in the midst of making accessibility improvements to the train station, including renovating washrooms to be wheelchair-accessible and installing an automatic door opener at the 1st Avenue entrance, along with other upgrades like replacing the flooring and updating the plumbing.
When the Village initially tendered the project in May, the bids it received were well over-budget. Staff decided to break up the project into three separate tenders – architectural construction, electrical, and mechanical – to lower costs and encourage local contractors to handle the upgrades they have expertise in. The Village received offers from Yetter Construction and Datoff Bros. Construction for the architectural work, Swift Current Services and Centre City Electric for the electrical work, and Adrenaline Services for the mechanical work.
Council approved hiring Yetter Construction, Swift Current Services and Adrenaline Services. The estimated cost is $360,596, which would be paid for with the Province’s Destination Development Fund. Staff requested authorization to draw $40K from the Province’s Growing Communities Fund – a grant sent to municipalities in 2024 to pay for infrastructure improvements – in the event of work delays that create extra costs. However, staff are applying to a Northern Development Initiative Trust infrastructure grant for $99,531, an amount that would mean the Village does not have to draw on the Growing Communities Fund if extra costs arise.
Councillor Glen Frear asked if the doors of the station would be completely replaced. Special Projects Manager Phil Strain said the current doors will stay, but contractors will add new hardware and the automatic door opening mechanism.
Councillor Tina Bennett asked if councillors could see the construction work while it was happening, and said the building shouldn’t lose its unique historical features.
“I’m still in the dark about what’s going to happen. I haven’t seen anything for the train station,” she said. “I know there are the bathrooms that are going to be redone, but are we gonna be able to see the rest of the stuff that’s getting done?”
Council reviewed staff reports related to the train station project – including notes about the delivery of floor samples and technical reports – during the March 25th, April 22nd, and July 8th regular meetings.
Strain said the plans for the building keep its status as a heritage site in mind. Workers will use wooden walls for the bathroom stalls instead of modern metal dividers, and use slate and granite for the lobby flooring to match materials that would’ve been used when the building was originally constructed. He offered to share drawings of the plans with councillors and could give them a walk-through of the station where he’d explain the renovations project managers hoped to make.
“At a previous meeting, it was mentioned that Council and Mayor would be looking at the flooring and stuff like that and having input on it. I’m just wondering if that’s still the case,” Bennett said.
According to staff reports from the March 25th and April 22nd Council meeting, a staff member from the firm Chernoff Thompson Architects North would provide floor palette samples, which would later be brought to Council for a decision. However, the bids received after the samples were delivered were over-budget.
Strain said staff would not be able to negotiate a change in colours or materials once tenders are awarded.
“I understand that, I was just asking if it was going to be an issue,” Bennett said, and thanked Strain for his answer.
Frear asked if contractors for the mechanical portion of the project would upgrade the furnace. Strain said the furnace does not need updating, but there will be new exhaust fans installed in the washrooms.
Council unanimously approved issuing tenders to Yetter Construction, Swift Current Services and Adrenaline Services.
Building permits
Council received the July and August reports on issued building permits for information. In July, the Village issued one permit for a commercial addition valued at $30,000. In August, the Village issued one permit for a carport valued at $10,000, and three permits for additions to single family dwellings, totalling $36,000. According to the August report, the Village has accrued a total of $4,492 from building and plumbing permit fees this year.
Transparency with contractors
Owner of local company Raush Valley Forestry, Jeff McNaughton, wrote to Council to request a meeting about the Village’s contracting and tendering practices. McNaughton said his company submitted an expression of interest for a work opportunity, and the Village awarded the work to another business without transparency on whether the Village was following an open, competitive process.
“We respectfully ask the Council to clarify what the formal policy and procedures are regarding tendered or contracted work,” McNaughton continued. “We are committed to working collaboratively and professionally, and we seek only the chance to compete on a level playing field.”
McNaughton added that the McBride Community Forest Council has also passed over his company for work opportunities. In a phone call with The Goat, Community Forest president Mike Monroe said the board does not comment on third-party letters. However, he said the Community Forest has a procurement policy which prioritizes McBride contractors.
“We have a full roster of local loggers that are more than capable of logging everything that there is to log with a 50,000 meter license,” he added.
Councillor Pietro Caputo moved for Council to have a meeting with the Community Forest, without McNaughton attending.
Bennett said meeting with the Community Forest about the situation would be micromanaging.
“This is a different entity,” she continued. “We’re shareholders, yes, but we elected a board to do the job. I think perhaps [Raush Valley] should be attending the community forest meeting tomorrow and talking to the board directly.”
Runtz asked if there was further discussion on the motion and called for a vote when nobody responded. Council approved Caputo’s motion unanimously.
Councillor Joe Kolida, who is on the board of the Community Forest, was not in attendance at the McBride Council meeting.
FSR Closures
A coalition of six Robson Valley-based recreation groups – the Backcountry Horsemen of BC’s local chapter, the Fraser Headwaters Alliance, the McBride Big Country Snowmobile Association, the Ozalenka Alpine Club, the Robson Valley Mountain Bike Association, and the Yellowhead Ski Club – cc’ed the Village on a letter to the Ministry of Forests outlining the impacts of the Dore River and McKale Forest Service Road (FSR) closures. The McKale FSR, which leads to the popular Renshaw snowmobiling area, was closed by the Ministry in January 2024 after inspectors gave a bridge at the 2.5 kilometre mark a load-bearing rating of zero – meaning it was found unsafe for vehicles to cross. The Dore FSR was closed in the summer of that year due to the Ministry condemning a bridge on that road, too.
According to the coalition, these closures have significantly lowered the number of tourists visiting McBride and have prevented local access to backcountry recreation. The coalition sent six recommendations to the Ministry, which include a plan to reopen the roads or create a way for temporary access to the areas they led to, more communication with local governments and recreation groups about FSR closures, and investment in a sustainable access plan for Renshaw, among others.
Council also received a letter from resident Justina Trach, who emailed the Ministry of Forests and MLA Rosalyn Bird to express her support for the coalition’s requests.
Frear said the Village should raise the letters to the provincial government’s attention, and suggested bringing them to Premier David Eby. Runtz agreed and said the letters are very well-written.
“I’m pretty sure that these letters… are responsible for the fact that we’re getting the meetings [with] the Premier and the Forest Minister,” Runtz said, referring to upcoming meetings at the Union of BC Municipalities convention.
Frear suggested trying to get a meeting with the Ministry of Tourism as well, since the closures are impacting the local tourism sector.
Council approved discussing the letters with the Premier and other provincial officials.
Dust collector bylaw
During the August 12th meeting, Council gave first and second reading to a zoning bylaw amendment which would allow the Community Forest to use the property at 311 Main Street – the old Scotiabank building – as a daycare. However, according to a staff report from the September 9th meeting, staff realized there was a mistake in the amendment.
The amendment did not clarify that the change would be specific to 311 Main Street in the text of the bylaw. Staff corrected the mistake and added the legal description of the site, which includes lot numbers as well as the civic address, to the bylaw for greater clarity.
Staff recommended rescinding the second reading of the bylaw so Council would be able to approve the changes, since changes to the scope of a piece of legislation happen during the second reading.
Council approved staff’s recommendation to rescind the second reading. Then, Council gave second reading to the corrected bylaw amendment.
The Village will hold a public hearing on the amended bylaw on September 19th at 10:30 a.m. in Council Chambers.
Shut the Street
Robson Valley Community Services (RVCS) is holding a “Shut the Street” event on September 17th to educate residents about consent and support survivors of sexual assault. The RVCS Sexual Assault Response Program Support Worker, Lamia Hutchison, wrote to Council to request closing Main Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on that day.
Council approved Hutchison’s request.
Emergency Operations exercise
CAO Jeanette McDougall wrote to Council to inform them of an upcoming emergency operations exercise the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is hosting. The exercise is scheduled for October 20th in the Robson Valley Community Centre and will include McBride, Valemount, and Simpcw First Nation, as well as local responding agencies, among others.
McDougall requested that Council approve closing the Village and Public Works office on the day of the exercise so staff can participate. She added that there are ICBC road tests scheduled on October 20th, so one staff member will be in the office to assist with them.
Runtz asked why the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation is not involved in the exercise.
“My understanding is that they participated last year,” McDougall said, adding that RDFFG Manager of Community and Development Services said last year’s exercise with the First Nation was successful. “It’s a Regional District initiative.”
Council approved McDougall’s request to close the office.
Adjournment
Runtz adjourned the meeting at 6:26 p.m.
