CRD 'Winterizing' Advice

The CRD has released a 'Winterize Your Service' announcement regarding water services. Last winter the islands experienced snow, freezing conditions, downed trees, power outages and some temporary loss of water services.

North Pender's water system experienced the worst of the December storms. They suffered an extended power outage and freezing weather conditions which caused split water pipes and tanks inside homes (causing floods and water damage), broken external pipes, split outdoor hoses, and damaged irrigation systems.

They offer the following suggestions on how to prevent these troubles in your home, should we experience the same harsh winter we did last year.

1. Turn off all outside taps, disconnect and drain hoses.

2. Turn off and drain all irrigation lines, blow them out with air pressure.

3. If you are planning to be on vacation, ensure you enlist your neighbour or someone close to your residence to check on the proper function of your heating and your plumbing systems daily.

4. If you are a seasonal occupant, it is recommended that you isolate your water system where it comes into the house, turn off your water and drain it.

5. If your cottage or house has plumbing which is routed out of doors or through an unheated area, consider insulating the plumbing, draining that section of pipe or better still, have a plumber relocate it.

Hope this was helpful,

Have fun - N

New listing - Cutest Boutique on Salt Spring

I recently co-listed the business 'Energetic Attractions' and want to share some of the details. It's a great opportunity for anyone looking to start a small retail shop - the location is unbeatable; a corner shop directly across Gasoline Alley from the famous Saturday market. The seller is motivated, and the business shows good returns in it's current 'Mom and Pop' operation. For more details, check out my 'listings' page.

Let me know if you'd like any additional info on this one.

Take care- N

The OCP Review

Hey everyone - I've been doing a lot of reading these days; most notably I've waded my way through the reports for the OCP Review. For those of you unfamiliar with the subject, the OCP is Salt Spring's Official Community Plan, and the Islands Trust are currently examining the plan to see if it still meets our needs. They've had focus groups working for several months to come up with recommendations, and now those recommendations are up for discussion before anything is passed into bylaws.

And wow. There are some very interesting changes proposed. Among them are plans to limit the sizes of homes on the island, increase setbacks on oceanfront land, institute a tourism tax, make moves to ban backyard burning, and possibly make it so any building project of any kind (including a new driveway, garage etc) on the island would need an environmental assessment. There are also changes recommended that will hopefully increase the amount of lower income housing on the island.

I think there are many good points in the proposed changes, and I think there are many extreme proposals that will unnecessarily burden islanders. There are also some ideas that will likely backfire and create the opposite effect they are hoping for.

The meetings to discuss the matter are starting tomorrow afternoon at 1pm at ArtSpring, and there are several more meetings scheduled in different locations on the Island in the coming week. I would highly encourage every islander to attend one or more of these discussions, to support what you think is a great idea, and to let them know in what ways you do not agree with it. These issues are complicated, and need clarification in several ways, and all of us are having a hard time understanding exactly how these changes will effect us. So come on out to these meetings, and let's figure this out.

See you there! - N

The lowdown on septic fields

I've been working diligently away here getting requested copies of my 'Salt Spring Island Buyer's Guide' out, and have been receiving great feedback. One of the websites I mention in my guide has ended up being quite useful to a number of folks. That website is:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/wastewater/septic/savvy.htm

This web document gives a really good run-down of how septic systems work, and how to properly maintain and use them. I know it was exceptionally useful to me when I first moved to the island - after living in Vancouver for 10 years, and only owning a condo previously, septic systems were a strange and unusual contraption to try and figure out. There were a few things (unclogging a drain, for example) I had to learn to do a little differently in order to keep my septic field healthy. Thank goodness I read this document first.

Things are quieting down here on the Island these days - at least as far a tourism goes. Parking downtown is much easier now, and so is getting a table at a restaurant. It's actually a great time of year to visit Salt Spring - quieter, the Saturday market is still going on for a little longer, it's still relatively warm, and it's a perfect for curling up in the evening with a glass of wine and watching the rain.

Have fun - N