City Council

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

            A meeting of the City Council was held on Tuesday, August 21 when the following Aldermen were present: Mayor Clapp, Ald. MacKinnon, Eakin, Balment.

            Mr. A.B. MacDonald appeared before the Council on behalf of certain property owners whose property had been sold at the tax sale held in August 1916 enquiring as to what action the Council would take as to property reverting to City by reason of this tax sale.  After considerable discussion it was decided that all lands reverting to the City in this manner be sold by public auction by the City Clerk at the City Hall on October 1^st next and that the sale be advertised in the Cranbrook Herald.

            The Engineer’s report for the month of July was read as follows:

WATER

            Nine leaks were repaired during the month.

            It was found necessary to replace a hydrant on Baker Street and Hanson Avenue with a new one, the original hydrant being split through freezing.

            Worn rubbers were replaced on three other hydrants.

            Six defective service connections were repaired, and certain thawing wires in Slaterville which had been fused, were replaced by new.

            One plumbing permit was issued during the month.

            I visited the City reservoir on several occasions and made as careful metering of the week flow as was possible in the absence of proper measuring weirs; while such measurements must necessarily be approximate, yet, making due allowance for the probable inaccuracy of the figures, it is safe to assume that the maximum flow during the month did not exceed 4.6 cubic feet per second.

            Figures taken from the records of the B.C. Hydrographic Department for the month of July 1914, which was the driest of recent years for which records are available show that the average flow during the month was 9.3 cubic feet per second.

            Comparison of these figures would indicate that while this year’s run off is probably more unequally distributed than in average years, it is also below normal.  In the absence of sufficient data covering a number of years it is impossible to estimate the probable minimum winter flow, and while present conditions would indicate that the same may fall below the minimum recoded flow of 2.74 cubic feet per second (February 1915), it is improb- need be expected, though it may be found necessary later in the year to be economical with the supply.

            In this connection it is to be regretted that the Government gauging station on the creek at the Morris ranch is not maintained, as the data obtained would be of the greatest possible value in connection with the question of water supply.

STREETS.

            The principal streets were cleaned, weeded, and 16 loads of gravel were hauled for small repairs on same.

            Portions of Garden and Armstrong Avenues were graded, the latter Avenue being badly eroded.

            The Cemetery fence, broken in several places were repaired.

            Smith Creek on which much floating rubbish had accumulated, was cleaned and the rubbish removed.

SIDEWALKS.

Sidewalks and footbridges were maintained in repair.

SEWERS.

            Bi-weekly visits to the disposal plant showed the same to be acting in a satisfactory manner, the final effluent, after irrigation, being remarkably clear and free from sediment, while the early limitation of fungoid growths and freedom from odour point towards a comparatively high degree of purification.

            24 feet of flume was inserted in the ditch on the city land, to replace a similar length which had broken down.

            One sewer connection was made during the month.

                                                                                                Wm. H. Eassie,

                                                                                                            City Engineer.

            Mrs. Annie Smith appealed to the City for water connections with her property on French Avenue outside the City limits and the City Clerk was authorized to sign an agreement with Mrs. Smith for the supply of water from the City Water System.