Cultus Lake Park, FVRD end legal disputes after feds, province kick in $10 million for wastewater plant

CULTUS LAKE — The Cultus Lake Park Board and the Fraser Valley Regional District are ending their legal disputes following last week’s joint announcement that the federal and provincial governments are contributing nearly $10 million towards a wastewater treatment facility in Cultus Lake.

In a December 1 staff report written by Joe Lamb, Cultus Lake Park chief administrative officer, legal issues between the park board and FVRD have been erased after the federal and provincial governments said they would contribute about $10 million of the total $16.5 million cost for a wastewater plant.

“Legal action commenced by the [Park] Board against the Fraser Valley Regional District has now been concluded because of this grant announcement,” according to the letter from Lamb. “The announcement comes after three years of efforts on the part of the Fraser Valley Regional District and the Cultus Lake Park Board having worked together to resolve the issue of the significant shortfall in funding from the original projected cost of approximately $6,500,000.”

On the day of the funding announcement, which was Thursday, December 1, Lamb wrote on Facebook, “All proceedings with respect to the legalities regarding the sewer treatment facility have now been resolved. The Cultus Lake Park Board is looking forward to working with our partners, the Fraser Valley Regional District Board, and staff to complete this extremely important project over the next few months.”