1) The value of the Crescent Beach
Property Owners’ Association has been demonstrated over the summer by the rapid
response to the May 23rd managed retreat publicity issue:
-
an
organization in place with sufficient standing to assure the attention of the
senior decision makers in the City administration
-
the
ability to communicate quickly with affected home owners and speedily arrange
community meetings, as evidenced by the 120 residents attending the July 4th
meeting and providing clear feedback
-
a
level of credibility to effect substantive change to the proposed media release
which was posted by the City on August 1st, to our satisfaction.
A clear win
for our members, residents and the CBPOA, correcting a bad miss-step by the
City.
2) Having said that, we still do not
have any volunteers coming forward to fill the positions up for election at the
September 12th AGM. Anyone interested should please contact any
Director and there will be a call for nominations from the floor at the AGM. The
positions of President, Vice President and Membership are up for election and
someone to shadow the Secretary is also being sought.
3) Rail safety – the need for a rail
freight speed boundary, similar to the one established for White Rock in 1992.
If freight train braking actions, to slow the trains to the required 10
mph for the swing bridge, occurred before the 24th street stairs,
any train braking issues resulting in stopped trains would occur before the
Crescent Beach road crossings and not disrupt access into and out of the
village.
In 2014 the CBPOA proposed this change to Transport Canada and BNSF and
the City of Surrey endorsed a resolution to this effect. Attempts to have this
implemented have not been successful due in part to the lack of recorded
evidence.
Freight train braking issues have continued into 2018 with the latest
occurrence on July 21st causing the village to be cut off for two
hours.
In light of the safety risks from continued failures and blocked access,
the process for enacting a rail freight speed boundary is being pursued by
local elected officials including MLA Tracy Redies. Erik Seiz is providing the
historical context and statistics required by Transport Canada. Since rail
safety is a topic of interest for many members of the CBPOA, Erik will provide
periodic updates as they are available. Anyone wishing to receive emailed
updates on rail safety issues in Crescent Beach can request to be added to an
(unshared) email list by mailing to info@cbpa.ca.
4) Meetings format.
Your Directors feel the new format, suggested by members last year, of
six General Meetings per year, plus additional Open Meetings as required, has
worked well. We propose to continue with this format for 2019 and remain open
to other suggestions.
5) Preparation for the September 12th,
2018, General Meeting and AGM.
Tindi Sekhon will be invited to the meeting to provide an update on the
2018 Drainage Project.
Please note the meeting is on Wednesday September 12th at
Beecher Place at 7:30PM. Notice of the meetings and agendas will follow.
