Houston to be part of electric vehicle charging network

All charged up

The District of Houston council has decided to take part in a sweeping effort to place Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations along Hwy. 16.

It’s doing so by signing up with the Charge North EV Network project’s application for a grant from the CleanBC Communities Fund.

A Level 2 station charges vehicles at a far faster rate than older Level 1 chargers and faster charging times are considered crucial to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles.

District of Houston chief administrative officer Gerald Pinchbeck said staff are now considering a suitable location for the anticipated new charger.

The District does have an older charging at Steelhead Park but its maintenance is no longer supported by its manufacturer.

“We currently have a charging station at Steelhead Park which is at the end of its service life, and may choose that as the final location for the station,” said Pinchbeck.

In a council discussion, councillor Jonathan Van Barneveld noted that just one of the Steelhead Park’s station’s two outlets is working.

He said an individual had commented to him that Steelhead Park is an ideal location because of its proximity to the park and the downtown core.

Housing assessment grant sought

The District of Houston is continuing its goal of preparing a housing needs assessment which will establish an inventory of existing housing as well as short and longer term anticipated needs.

A housing needs assessment is now required as part of local government’s official community plan but the District is looking for grants to finance the project which has an estimated cost of $25,000.

The District has already applied to the provincial rural dividend fund program for $10,000 and is now following up with an application to the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia for a grant to provide up to half of the cash portion of the project.

Briefing notes prepared for council indicate the assessment will “collect analyze and report data on community demographics, existing housing stock, new housing supply, affordability and appropriateness of the stock considered in relation to current conditions and expected future trends.”

Bymac word awaited

The District is waiting to hear if two applications for money for the Bymac Park boat launch project will be approved, reports chief adminstrative officer Gerald Pinchbeck.

A resident had asked council for an update about plans for this year, noting that there are limited times each year in which construction in the Morice River can take place.

The current launch is unusable because of continual silt build up but a new one at a different location has a projected cost of more than $250,000, beyond the District’s financial capability.