SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Fieldhouse users are being blinded by the rising and setting sun, said city councillor Bob Brooks.

During construction of the $16.5 million building, the city was warned by contractors that blinds or curtains would be needed for the windows, and the city approved the purchase of window coverings, but they're still not here, said Brooks at the Municipal Services committee meeting Monday.

The need for shades was particularly noticeable at the Construction North of 60 conference held last week, he said.

"There were a number of presentations by the construction association that were not viewable because of the light that was coming in, so nobody could actually see the screen and people were actually moving their chairs so they didn't sit in sun spots."

Grant White, director of community services, said the blinds are expensive - between $12,000 and $15,000 - so the city decided to monitor the situation before spending the money.

"The majority of the feedback we get is actually how many people just love the openness of the facility and the sun streaming in."

Brooks said the cost of the blinds was known when the city approved the purchase and recommended that administration come up with something to mitigate the sunlight.

Coun. David Wind disagreed with the recommendation and said he enjoyed the sunlight. He said he is fine with monitoring public feedback for a year.

Possible fine increase

City administration is recommending council increase fines for parking violations as a way to offset the increasing cost of enforcement.

If passed, fines paid within 10 days will be $25, up from $20 and fines paid after the initial 10 days will be $50, up from $40.

The increase would only affect individuals who park illegally or don't pay the meter.

The increases, which would come into effect April 4, would create approximately $30,000 in revenue, said Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, at Monday's Municipal Services committee meeting.

He said as the city puts in more meters, municipal enforcement officers are spending more time dealing with parking violations.

Coun. David Wind said he didn't think that was a good enough reason to increase the fines, pointing out that with more meters, there is also more revenue.

Marchiori said the money collected is put into the general fund, not into municipal enforcement's budget.

"In my mind, the arguments are quite weak and unless I'm convinced otherwise, I'll have difficulty supporting these increased fines," said Wind.

Communication revamp

City councillors raised concerns about how residents are being informed about the Con Mine community energy project at Monday's Municipal Services Committee meeting.

Coun. David Wind said he was "less than satisfied" with the communication that has taken place to date, especially the question period at January's public meetings.

When it came time for the public to ask questions, residents were split into groups rather than welcomed to ask questions for the whole group to hear.

Wind said everyone should hear the questions and the entire project team should be available to answer them.

In future meetings, which are tentatively scheduled for the end of the month and the beginning of March, there will be opportunities for residents to ask questions as a group, said Bob Long, senior administrative officer for the city.

Coun. Bob Brooks said he would also like to see the city make a weekly question and answer sheet with some of the most frequently asked questions, a recommendation that Coun. Shelagh Montgomery supported.

"There are still a lot of misconceptions out there and I think we need to get out there and clarify some of that for people," said Montgomery.

Both Wind and Coun. Amanda Mallon also suggested that administration try to use clear language when creating documents for the public, to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

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