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Shadow Mountain residents to have say on municipal sewer service proposal

Residents out at Shadow Mountain will have the chance to have their say on a proposal to bring city sewer services to the area.
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Shadow Mountain residents and property owners can have their say if they don’t support a proposal to connect into the municipal sewer system. Photo courtesy City of Cranbrook.

Residents out at Shadow Mountain will have the chance to have their say on a proposal to bring city sewer services to the area.

Cranbrook city council endorsed a petition process allowing those residents to support or oppose the creation of a Local Service Area, a bylaw that would permit the construction of a sanitary sewer main connecting the Shadow Mountain development to the city’s’ existing sewage treatment system.

Under the terms of the LAS, affected residents in the Shadow Mountain neighbourhood would pay for the sewer installation costs through a parcel tax to be paid back over 30 years, while the city takes on a $9.1 million loan to go towards covering the initial capital cost.

Local taxpayers who live elsewhere within Cranbrook’s municipal boundary will not see any impact to their taxes if the LAS goes forward; the cost will be borne solely by property owners in the Shadow Mountain area.

Currently, the Shadow Mountain neighbourhood is serviced by a sewer holding tank that requires storage and trucking.

The petition process is unique in that the threshold is for a petition against the LAS proposal. That means anyone opposed to the project must indicate their opposition by signing a petition package and submitting it to city hall.

For the petition against the LAS proposal to be successful, owners of at least 50 per cent of parcels must sign the petition, and the people signing the petition must be the owners of parcels that in total represent 50 per cent of the assessed value of the land and improvements that would be subject to the LAS.

Area residents in favour of the LAS need not do anything.

“The City is attempting to develop this project on behalf of the various landowners and strata properties at Shadow Mountain,” said Curtis Penson, Manager of Engineering for the City of Cranbrook. “If the LAS petition is not successful to fund the proposed sewer system project proposed by the City this will no longer be a City lead project, the onsite sewer system permits will need to be renewed between Shadow Mountain and Interior Health and the Ministry of Environment.”

Residents and property owners at Shadow Mountain will receive a notice package in the mail about the proposed sanitary sewer project and the LAS in the coming days. Those interested in submitting a vote against this proposed project must file their submission to the City of Cranbrook no later than 4:00pm MT on Monday, October 31, 2022.

To understand the scope of the project, and learn about the LAS, Shadow Mountain residents and property owners can visit the city’s dedicated webpage. The webpage contains information about the costs associated with the project, and also includes details on a virtual open house set for Oct. 18.

All told, the project is estimated to cost $10.1 million, with a portion of costs to be paid from development cost charges currently being held by the City.

Should the LAS proposal move forward, the City would issue an invitation to tender for construction of the sanitary sewer work in early 2023, with substantial project completion by the end of 2023 and the collection of the parcel tax beginning in the summer of 2024.



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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