FRASER HEIGHTS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MINUTES
November 28, 2012
President’s report
- Web site – www.fhca.ca
- Lindsay Ryerson, President
- Sign board at Fraser Heights Secondary School can be used to announce FHCA meetings in the future.
- We welcome any member of our community to help us distribute notices about our meetings a few days before the meetings. These can be placed on community mailboxes, in Starbucks etc.
- Go to our FHCA website and register to get on the email list which will send reminders of our 4 meetings per year.
Treasurer’s report
- Financial statement – total account balance is $3989.17
- Rental of FH Secondary School’s theatre was $300
Police and Security – Staff Sargent Dean Scott
- Dean Scott, Div 2 commander for the RCMP, is assigned to this area – he’s been in the RCMP for 32 years. Dean is at the RCMP office at 5 every morning so contact him with any concerns you might have – he is excellent at answering emails or forwarding them to the appropriate departments. His email address is dean.scott@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
- Cautions for Christmas – do not leave anything visible in your car as even a bit of cash could cause someone to break into your car. If you take parcels to your car to put in your trunk, move your car so anyone watching won’t break in while you go back into the stores.
- Do not have your address on any papers in your car. Copy your registration/insurance papers by putting a piece of paper over the address then keep that in your car. The police have that information on file. If you do get stopped in any jurisdiction outside of the Lower Mainland, get them to call the RCMP if they question why your address is not on your papers. You can keep the original registration papers elsewhere in your car in a safe place. Dean Scott said he’d personally represent you if you got a ticket for not having the address on your papers.
Traffic Issues
- The new Port Mann Bridge officially opens this Saturday, Dec 1st with 8 lanes. The first week is free then tolling starts on December 8, 2012. If you register at www.treo.ca before February 28th, 2013, you can get a reduced rate on tolls until December 2013. The full 10 lanes of traffic on the Port Mann will open in December 2013 and at that time, there will be two lanes dedicated to go to between Surrey and the Cape Horn exit. The other through lanes on the bridge will then not be able to leave the freeway until the Brunette exit.
- The onramp at 160th Street will have its own lane heading westbound until just before 152nd when the traffic coming on from 152nd will merge with this lane.
- A sound wall has been built by the Dogwood Camp grounds and a chain link fence will be installed on the west side of the green belt between 110 and 108 Aves and between 154 Street and the 2 lanes that will take traffic to the Cape Horn exit for Coquitlam as presently it is easy to walk onto these lanes of freeway without any barrier being there.
- South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR). Phase one of this project (the highway between 176 Street and 104 Ave to the Patullo bridge) will open on November 30, 2012. Phase 2 (136 Street to Deltaport way will open December 2013. There is a map on the SFPR website that shows how to access Patullo bridge off King Road. At this time, there is a temporary intersection at 138 Street so cars can get on and off the SFPR.
- Quiet pavement has been used on this highway where it is near residential areas.
- There was a concern about all the truck traffic on 104th Avenue that could potentially slow car traffic down considerably – what could be done about that. TI Corp made arrangements to meet with directors of FHCA to discuss problems regarding SFPR and 104/176.
- The 104 Ave / 176 Intersection will be similar to what it currently is but there will be a signal installed where a stop sign had been. If you are heading west, you will go through the intersection, loop around and then can make a left onto 176th. The angle is too sharp for trucks that have to use the “jug handle” to the west of 176. A sign prohibiting left turns will probably be installed at this intersection. Putting the trucks onto this “jug handle” should help alleviate some of the truck traffic, it was hoped.
- At 176 Street, there is a cloverleaf/freeflow that will make sense once the SFPR is completely opened (maps were shown). There is still time for changes to be made so please voice your opinions.
- 176 Street heading south to the border from 104 Ave will now be called Highway 15.
- 176 north of 104 Ave will be called Highway 17 all the way to Deltaport/ferries.
- There will no longer be a 176 Street except for residents living on that street – their addresses will not change at this time.
- Barnston Drive East at approximately 179 Street will be built adjacent to the Hwy and will be completed in 2013.
- Golden Ears Connector/Daly Road update. Preload, drainage and habitat enhancement are taking place now. Construction in 2013 will include taking care of ditches, moving utility poles etc. Work on this road will continue to 2014 when the widened road will connect the SFPR to the Golden Ears Bridge.
- TreO Service Centre – off 104th Ave between 164 and 162 Streets is for making toll payments. This office is a secondary back up for the Coquitlam site on the other side of the bridge. There are four self-serve kiosks for credit cards. About 100 people are anticipated to make use of each of these stations on a daily basis. 32 employees were employed to work at these centres. The road exiting the tollbooth onto 104 Ave will take cars to the intersection of 104 Ave/160 Street where they can get back on the freeway. To date, 400,000 people have registered their cars for the TreO stickers.
- Concerns were expressed about 160 Street being backed up to 108 Ave on a daily basis. With the opening of the new bridge, this should not be a problem in the future but may not be known until January when university students are back at school and most people are back from vacation.
- Concerns were also raised about the 156 Street underpass. Residents were worried that the light at the bottom of the underpass would slow the Fraser Heights traffic down and cause it to back up as that had been happening in the weeks before the HOV lanes opened. The light will operate by a sensor that will detect cars leaving the freeway to enter 156 Street. Priority will be given to traffic on 156 Street.
- The 108 Ave/156 Street intersection was another problem. Many people were not stopping at that intersection and pedestrians and people driving vehicles stated that they’ve nearly been hit by those not bothering to stop. This is not part of the TI Corp PMH1 construction. The City of Surrey would be responsible for this intersection. At this time, it was not known what the best solution would be for that intersection.
Development in Fraser Heights:
- 159 St to160 Street just north of 104 Ave/Freeway – construction on the 36 lots has begun. There will be no access onto 160 Street from this housing development – they will have to take 159 Street to 108 Ave to get onto 160 Street.
- The Multifamily site at 176 to 177A and Barnston is coming along. There is no commercial development slated to be in this phase 1 but will be added in phase 2. It is zoned to be able to have a grocery store, convenience store and a gas station. The original site was to have 867 condos but it is now down to 600 units and presently, there are no 6 storey wood framed units.
- Addition to Fraser Heights Secondary School was supposed to begin early in 2013 but permits to take down trees along 160 Street heading south from the school had not been approved yet. 11 classrooms will be added to the school. Originally this school was built for 1000 students but today houses 1500 students. Half sized lockers are shared by two students. For the first time, FHSS dropped in enrolment by 50 to 60 students this school year.
- Parking for staff and students has been reduced by moving the portables onto the parking lot in anticipation of the commencement of the construction of the new school wing.
- On the east side of Fraser Heights around 173 Street and 101 Ave, there is a housing development approved for 12 lots. The planning on this development is still in the preliminary stages.
Member’s corner
Notices advising residents of this meeting were put on the community mailboxes, posted in some of the businesses in our community, posted on myfraserheights.info, sent via email to those registered on the fhca.ca site