Council Briefs
Food truck owner seeks space
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City staff will look at leasing dedicated parking spaces to food trucks on downtown city streets after the idea was raised by a food truck operator.
At the April 18 municipal services committee meeting, Murray Jones, owner and operator of Curbside Treats n' Eats, said the city should consider leasing a small number of locations to food trucks for a fee, similar to Vancouver. It would ensure the trucks have a location and don't have to spend time circling city blocks searching for an open parking space.
He said he expects three food trucks to vie for the city's mobile food market this year.
Sheila Bassi-Kellett said Jones raised valid points.
Coun. Julian Morse asked staff to look into the idea and report back by next year. In the meantime, a map designating where food trucks can't park this summer was approved by council Monday, with an amendment limiting downtown trucks to one per block, per side of the street. The rules this year include parking in a valid parking space, not parking near a brick-and-mortar food venue and sets a limit of one food truck per block on Franklin Avenue.
It removes a restriction on the trucks setting up along 53 Street and 52 Street between Franklin and 51 Avenue, a rule that had been in place to keep trucks from grouping near Javaroma.
Javaroma co-owner Fadil Memedi, who has been vocal on the issue, sought to quell any notion his business is feuding with food trucks.
"We don't want to be special, no favours, no discrimination," he said at the meeting, though he told council he wanted the restriction on food trucks parking on 52 and 53 Streets to remain in place this year.
City staff are also examining whether food trucks can get a parking pass to set up on the city-owned parking lot at the corner of Franklin Avenue and 50 Street.
Last year the city required those parking in the lot to purchase a pass to use the space.
Food trucks had been encouraged to set up on the lot on Thursday evenings, though it's unclear if that will continue this summer because of the parking pass requirement.
Old Town parking under microscope
The supply and demand for parking spaces in Old Town will be studied this summer by city staff, councillors were April 18 at a municipal services committee meeting.
The study is expected to include potential "solutions," according to a staff report. Parking challenges in the neighbourhood with tight streets came into focus when NWT Brewing Company opened two years ago, the report states. The study comes the same summer the city plans to spend up to $250,000 to pave a parking lot at the corner of School Draw Avenue and Franklin Avenue. The lot is expected to have 25 parking spaces for boat trailers and people parking while visiting the neighbourhood. The staff report states the work will happen late in August or early September.
"Paving that area is really going to address the current need," said Sheila Bassi-Kellett, the city's senior administrative officer.
Council unanimously voted Monday to direct staff to consult the public on designs for a "gateway" feature as well as trail connections and landscaping the lot after the paving work is completed. The vote also includes investigating adding temporary parking this year along portions of Franklin between School Draw Avenue and Knutsen Lane, which is adjacent to Haks Auto Body. Another potential location is also along Franklin in front of the former Johnson's Building Supplies location.
Muli-million dollar surplus announced
Higher than expected land sales, construction of a new hospital and hotels helped push the city's 2016 surplus to $17.1 million, $13 million more than it expected, according to the city's audited financial statements.
The Engle Business District and new residential developments in Grace Lake and the Frame Lake South neighbourhood helped fuel land sales, according to the statements presented to city councillors at the April 18 municipal services committee meeting. There was little discussion about the figures.
Higher user fees for parking meters, water, sewer and solid waste services also drove up revenue.
Part of the surplus includes accounting for the city taking ownership of $5 million of water and sewer infrastructure installed by a developer in the Hall Crescent area in the Kam Lake neighbourhood.
The land-sales revenue goes back into reserve funds while other revenue goes back into the city's general fund, according to director of corporate services Jeff Dalley.
Land-sale revenue was $7.6 million last year, 327.4 per cent higher than 2015. It's the highest amount in five years. In 2012, the city brought in $9.9 million largely because of Grace Lake and Enterprise Extension lots selling. Since then, there have been relatively few city properties on the market.
The city had $35.2 million in long-term debt on its books last year, down $5 million from the year before.
The debt made up the majority of the city's $68.3 million in financial liabilities which also included $18.6 million set aside for the eventual closure of the dump.
City debt peaked recently in 2014 due to construction of the water treatment plant, Northland Trailer Park work and other borrowing.
The next significant addition to city debt is projected to take place in 2020 if the pipeline is replaced that carries drinking water from the Yellowknife River to the city at a projected cost of $20 million.
Meanwhile, the city had $59 million in financial assets, which includes land for sale, local improvement charge funds, accounts receivable, and cash and investments.
