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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCIS Agenda - 2021-05-101 KITCHENEK Office of the City Clerk Kitchener City Hall 200 King St. W. - 2nd Floor Kitchener ON N2G 4G7 Community & Infrastructure Services Committee Agenda Monday, May 10, 2021 2:30 PM -3:00 PM Electronic Meeting Chair - Councillor B. loannidis Vice -Chair - Councillor D. Schnider Due to COVID-19 and recommendations by Waterloo Region Public Health to exercise physical distancing, City Hall is only open for select service and by appointment only. Members of the public are invited to participate in this meeting electronically by accessing the meeting live -stream video at kitchener.ca/watchnow. While in-person delegation requests are not feasible at this time, members of the public are invited to submit written comments or participate electronically in the meeting by contacting delegations@kitchener.ca. Delegates must register by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, May 10, 2021, in order to participate electronically. Written comments will be circulated prior to the meeting and will form part of the public record. Consent Items 1. COR -2021-16 - Telecommunications Tower Land Leases - 35 Sportsworld Crossing (Sportsworld Arena) and 135 Homer Watson Boulevard (Land Parcel at Ottawa St. Homer Watson) Delegations a None at this time Discussion Items 2. DSD -2021-62 - Termite Pilot Project - Project Review (20 min) Information Items a None Dianna Saunderson Committee Administrator ** Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 ** 1 Staff Report Corporate Services Department REPORT TO: DATE OF MEETING: SUBMITTED BY PREPARED BY WARD(S) INVOLVED DATE OF REPORT REPORT NO. Community and Infrastructure Services Committee May 10th, 2021 J K, R www.kitchenerca Murray, Dan Director, Technology Innovation and Services, 519- 741-2200 ext. 7825 Murray, Dan Director, 741-2200 ext. 7825 Wards 3, 6, 8,9 April 28, 2021 COR -2021-16 Technology Innovation and Services, 519 - SUBJECT: Telecommunications Tower Land Leases — 35 Sportsworld Crossing (Sportsworld Arena) and 135 Homer Watson Boulevard (Land Parcel at Ottawa St. Homer Watson) RECOMMENDATION: That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign an agreement with Signum Wireless to enter a land lease for the purpose of installation of a telecommunications tower at 135 Homer Watson Blvd, said agreement to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor; and That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign an agreement with Signum Wireless to enter a land lease for the purpose of installation of a telecommunications tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing, said agreement to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: • The purpose of this report is to obtain authorization for the City to enter land lease agreements for the purpose of installing two telecommunications towers. • The City will receive revenue that will be directed to fund community benefiting Digital Kitchener initiatives such as public Wi-fi and public access computers. • The City has followed the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) process for review and approval of these sites. No objections or concerns from the community were raised through that process. • This report supports the delivery of core services. BACKGROUND: In early 2019, the City of Kitchener approved its first land lease to locate a telecommunications tower at the Fire Station 7 site on Huron Road. The legal agreements were completed and executed in October 2019 and the tower construction began in January *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 2 2021. The tower is nearing completion and will be brought into service in the coming months. A photograph of the tower at Fire Station 7 (under construction) is shown below: Figure 1. — Photograph of Fire Station 7 Telecommunication Tower (under construction) Two new land lease opportunities were brought forward by the same company and have been assessed through the City's Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) process. Staff are recommending that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to proceed with execution of the land lease agreements for these two sites outlined in this report subject to final approvals from Industry Canada and the City's legal review. There are several benefits to locating telecommunication towers on City land including: • The City can enable improved cellular capacity in underserved areas of the City. • The City can require a tower that will support co -location of services on one tower by various providers thereby preventing unneeded tower proliferation in the City. • The City can influence the style of tower to be built that is appropriate for the space and neighborhood. (e.g., tri -pole, monopole, shrouded with no visible antennas) • The City has the option to install its own communications antenna on the tower in the future should it be needed. Revenue negotiated from the land leases will be directed back to support digital inclusion and transformation through Digital Kitchener initiatives. REPORT: The two locations being recommended for a telecommunications land lease are 35 Sportsworld Crossing (Sportsworld Arena) and 135 Homer Watson Boulevard (land parcel). 3 35 Sportsworld Drive - Sportsworld Arena The Sportsworld area of Kitchener has been identified as an area needing improved coverage by cellular carriers for a number of years. For this proposal, a 50m monopole tower would be located beside the Sportsworld arena building. All antennas would be mounted inside the pole and shrouded and the tower can support multiple carriers. As the area immediately around Sportsworld Arena is commercial space, there are no residential considerations with the placement of this tower. This proposal meets the City's telecommunications tower protocol considerations, and the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) is Approved in Principle waiting on final changes to drawings. There is significant interest in improving cellular services in this area and this tower is likely to be constructed in 2021 if approved. A map showing the location of the tower and photographic rendering of the proposed tower for Sportsworld Arena are shown below. Figure 2. - Proposed location of telecommunication tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing Figure 3. — Photographic Rendering of Proposed Tower at 35 Sportsworld Drive 21 135 Homer Watson Boulevard — Land Parcel between Ottawa St / Homer Watson Roundabout and Hwy 8 This area of Kitchener needs better wireless signals and is of great interest among cellular providers for a new tower. Signum Wireless identified a small parcel of land that the City owned beside the highway and has proposed a 50m tri -pole shrouded telecommunications tower for that location. This tower can handle multiple providers equipment and reduce the need for more towers in the area. A Telecommunications and Antenna Plan (Site Plan) review process was started in 2020. As there are residential properties that fall within the 150m notification zone (3 times the tower height) notifications were sent to those property owners. There were no objections or questions raised through that engagement process, and the proposal has been approved through the City's review process. The specific location of the tower and a rendering of the proposed telecommunication tower is shown below: Figure 3 - Proposed location of telecommunication tower at 135 Homer Watson Boulevard Proposed Signum 50m Lattice Tri -pole tourer . � I Figure 4. — Photographic Rendering of Proposed Tower at 135 Homer Watson Boulevard 5 STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: This report supports the delivery of core services. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The City will financially benefit from hosting the telecommunications towers on municipal - owned land. The structure of the agreements ensures that the City receives annual revenue from hosting the tower and includes a revenue sharing model where the City will receive additional revenue when the second or third carrier leases tower space from the tower owner. Each land lease agreement will result in a minimum of $14,000 per year upon tower construction. Actual revenue will be negotiated through the finalization of the agreement. As per the recommendation approved by Council in report FCS -017-096, proceeds that can be negotiated from hosting third party telecommunication equipment will be directed to fund community -benefitting Digital Kitchener initiatives. Examples of Digital Kitchener initiatives would be free public Wi-Fi installations, public access to computer programs and outdoor Wi-Fi installations which are an important theme of Digital Kitchener. We have seen the critical importance of the digital inclusion initiatives throughout the pandemic as people have lost access to public Wi-Fi and access to technology through previously available services. We are eager to expand these programs but are limited in available funding. Capital Budget — The recommendation has no negative impact on the Capital Budget. Operating Budget — The recommendation has no negative impact on the Operating Budget. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — A letter and information pamphlet was sent directly to all residential property owners with 150m of the tower location for 135 Homer Watson Boulevard as per the City's telecommunication and antenna protocol. The proposed tower at 35 Sportsworld Crossing did not require notification as there were no residential properties within 150m of the tower. Sportsworld Arena staff reached out directly to the immediate commercial neighbours to discuss the proposal. This report has also been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT — Residential property owners were provided the opportunity to raise concerns or ask questions through the Telecommunications and Antenna Plan approval process — there were no concerns or questions raised. PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES: FCS -017-096 — Authorization to enter License Agreement with Bell Mobility Inc. to Enhance LTE cellular signal inside Kitchener Market. COR -10-001 — 1440 Huron Road (Fire Station 7) Cellular Tower Land Lease APPROVED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager Corporate Services D Staff Report ` Develo hent Services Deoartr7ent www.kitchener. ca REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Service Committee DATE OF MEETING: May 10, 2021 SUBMITTED BY: Mike Seiling, Director of Building/CBO, 519-741-2200 ext. 7669 PREPARED BY: Tim Benedict, Manager, Building. 519-741-2200 ext. 7645 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards DATE OF REPORT: April 22, 2021 REPORT NO.: DSD -2021-62 SUBJECT: Termite Pilot Project — Project Review RECOMMENDATION: That Building staff along with Communications staff be directed to create a Termites Best Practice Guide for residents and future property owners to follow to reduce termite colonies and limit the impact of long-term damage and further spread into private or public property, and furthermore That the Building Division continue to administer the termite bylaw. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: • The purpose of this report is to update Council on the success of the Termite Pilot Project and, • The key findings of the Termite Pilot Project including the recommendation of Best Practices going forward. • There are no Corporate financial implications. • Community engagement included Inform and Consult. BACKGROUND: In 2015, the City of Kitchener piloted a Termite Control/Monitoring program administered by the Building Division in the area bound by Briargate Drive and Greenock Drive. The corporation funded the project annually in the amount of $40K. This program included the installation of monitoring traps, consultant monitoring and reporting of termite activity, borate treatments, application of entomopathogenic nematodes and community yard waste cleanup weekends. During the 2017 budget process council extended this pilot to be a 5 -year pilot program so staff could accurately measure the effectiveness of this experimental control and monitoring program. With COVID-19 affecting workflows and available committee time in early 2020 and since Council approved funding during budget, the pilot program was continued for a 6t" year. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 7 REPORT: Pilot Project Actions Borate Treatments Staff worked with the owners of the 23 affected properties within the `red' zone applying borate wood preservative (through a contractor) to the existing 13 sheds during the week of May 3-7, 2015. The following week borate rods were installed in 292 fence and decks posts within the `red' zone. The average active lifespan of borate rods is 12 years. Nematodes During the months of May and September each year of the pilot program staff contracted Kollegiate Lawn Care to apply entomopathogenic nematodes to the 23 properties within the `red' zone. For the nematodes to survive and penetrate the surface they need to be applied during or shortly after rainy conditions. Attempts were made to apply the nematodes during naturally rainy conditions; however, the weather didn't always cooperate. As a result, the City occasionally incurred costs to have the lawns watered after the nematode application through the pilot program. Monitoring Traps Early in 2015, Dr. Myles, a City retained Consultant, installed 460 monitoring traps in both the `red' and `blue' zones. The initial inspection schedule was bi-weekly; however, activity was so high in June 2015 by the beginning of July a weekly inspection schedule was implemented. With no termite activity in the outer `blue' zone during the 2015 season Dr. Myles removed 156 traps in early 2016 leaving a single row of properties in the `blue' zone. Monitoring of the `red' and `blue' zone continued in 2017 and 2018 with no changes in the number of monitoring traps. Based on continuous inactivity in the monitoring traps within the `blue' zone, Dr. Myles removed the remaining 120 monitoring traps from the `blue' zone in early 2019. Dr. Myles recommended monitoring activity only within the `red' zone. Below is the number of the termites trapped and termites removed over the 6 -year pilot program. Termites Removed via Traps 2015 564,736 2016 390,884 2017 272,476 2018 10,378 2019 5,344 2020 0 Yard Clean-up Weekends Since 2014, the City organized a spring and fall yard clean-up weekend for the benefit of the residents in the `red' and `blue' zones. The yard clean-up weekends included the City arranging to have large dumpsters delivery to the street so residents could dispose of dead/rotting wood, tree limbs, old tree stumps and garden mulch. The spring clean-up is the most popular with almost twice as much yard waste (73.72 total metric tons) deposited in the bins compared to the fall clean-up weekend (46.76 total metric tons). See the chart below for annual waste totals. The yearly data shows that the first year was the most successful in removing the most yard waste. Yard waste is what the termite colony would have been feeding on. In 2020, the last year of the pilot project the waste bins were filled with yard waste, however year after year a lot more household waste is finding its way into the waste bins, see photos below. &Nil at ._ Spring — 2015 Spring — 2019 Spring - 2020 As noted by Dr. Myles in his 2020 final report "2020 was the sixth year of a termite monitoring and control project for the City of Kitchener. The infested block had no termite activity for the whole year. It therefore appears that termites have been eradicated from the block and traps have been removed." The termite colony has retracted from 2015 levels through several initiatives implemented through the Termite Pilot Project and a few key findings from the 6 -year pilot program are leading to the Best Practice Guide. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through the delivery of core service while supporting both a Caring Community and Great Customer Service FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None. 9 Total Waste Collected in Metric Tons MT Spring Fall Total for the Year 2015 22.49 10.60 33.09 2016 8.62 4.18 12.80 2017 8.50 4.91 13.41 2018 4.76 8.00 12.76 2019 16.53 10.16 26.69 2020 12.82 8.91 21.73 Totals 73.72 46.76 120.48 The yearly data shows that the first year was the most successful in removing the most yard waste. Yard waste is what the termite colony would have been feeding on. In 2020, the last year of the pilot project the waste bins were filled with yard waste, however year after year a lot more household waste is finding its way into the waste bins, see photos below. &Nil at ._ Spring — 2015 Spring — 2019 Spring - 2020 As noted by Dr. Myles in his 2020 final report "2020 was the sixth year of a termite monitoring and control project for the City of Kitchener. The infested block had no termite activity for the whole year. It therefore appears that termites have been eradicated from the block and traps have been removed." The termite colony has retracted from 2015 levels through several initiatives implemented through the Termite Pilot Project and a few key findings from the 6 -year pilot program are leading to the Best Practice Guide. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through the delivery of core service while supporting both a Caring Community and Great Customer Service FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None. 9 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT — The local Councillor has received updates on the successes of the pilot project on Briargate and Greenock within Ward 6. Also, in the Spring of 2021, Councillor Singh created an information sheet sharing the facts of the 6 -year pilot project with the 23 affected properties in the `red' zone. PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES: CSD -14-095 CSD -14-104 CSD -16-010 APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, GM, Development Services Department 10 ATTACHMENTS: f } � 5 q �. " \ k CJ J � �Rr,• r-��_��llaltl It] 1 qry - d4 3 � 2f2 al lLf t e �tQ e 2015 `Red' and `Blue' Zones 2016 Reduced `Blue' Zone Map 2019 Removed `Blue' Zone map