Valemount, B.C. – With the  Valemount Glacier Destinations Resort  moving forward, the Village of Valemount  is taking steps  towards bringing that resort  into its boundaries.

The Village of Valemount is  partnering with the Regional District of Fraser Fort George  as  it  moves through the Governance and Boundary Extension Process.

Mayor Jeannette Townsend says the expansion is limited to the site of the resort  development “It  will be a satellite boundary expansion.”

Eventually, the project will mean more tax dollars for the Village of Valemount,   but Mayor Townsend  says  it is the developer who will have  to  cover all the costs  of the  infrastructure ” The design, the development  etcetera,  it cannot be a burden  at all to the existing taxpayers.”   She says   as a satellite  of Valemount,  it means  the  developer will have to  adhere to  all of  Valemount’s  by-laws “There will be provincial regulations as well.  I know the master plan has been approved,  so  to me,  that means the Provincial engineers will be overlooking the plans and how  the infrastructure will be  developed.”

After a satellite expansion has eventually been approved,  Mayor Townsend says   the Village will  be responsible for the maintenance of the  resort’s infrastructure, including  an independent  sewer system that will not be connected to the Village’s  system   “It’s( the resort)  about  8 kilometers away, so this is why it’s a boundary   expansion, that way, they can  look after their business, they can look after the resort  and the Village will probably have to hire several extra public works staff to look after  it ( maintenance)   but that’s a service that will be paid for just like it is  in town.”

The first step in the  boundary  expansion  process  will see a study done to  determine  general benefits, risks and responsibilities as well as  costs associated with different boundary extension configurations and potential impacts the  resort may have on the community.