Karl Buhr Steps Away from Public Works Role

Director of Operations bids adieu

Lions Bay's Public Works Director of Operations Karl Buhr has bid a final farewell to his role with the department.

In his stead, the Village recently welcomed Eric Villeneuve. a civil engineer who has worked with both the Districts of West and North Vancouver as well as an independent contractor.

He has a pair of big work boots to fill.

Buhr, who held the position of Mayor in the Village from 2014 - 2018, stepped in to lead Public Works shortly after long-term Public Works Manager Nai Jaffer resigned in April, 2023. First assuming the role of Acting Public Works Manager, Buhr later took on the title of Director of Operations, and racked up a number of successes over his tenure.

In the summer of 2024, with the spectre of drought looming and after two years of record wildfires in British Columbia, the Alberta-Supply-Augmentation-Project (ASAP) was conceived and delivered in less than ten weeks. ASAP, which came in below budget despite the precipitous terrain, is designed to supply up to 72,000 gallons of water per day to the Harvey Creek water treatment plant whenever water is in low supply.

Last year, Buhr led the charge to ensure a 100% government-funded project to bring water metering to the Village. Supported by the Climate Action Committee (CAC), the project is set to be installed and delivered this year, and is designed to help the community build climate resiliency.

The project also features enhancements for zone metering and pressure zone turndowns to offer greater protection and quicker identification of leaks.

Since there are no dams in Lions Bay, the village relies on creek water. When asked about water quality, Buhr calls Lions Bay's water collection, treatment and distribution system "state-of-the-art".

"Our operators are increasingly able to produce water at the quality that Lions Bay has a right to expect," Buhr told The Watershed earlier this month. He added that the alkalinity adjustment planned for this year will reduce corrosiveness and make it taste even better.

Buhr also says he is proud of the work done on the Bayview driveway bridge, roads and drainage in his tenure, though he expects the latter two will continue to be a major focus for his successor.

Though he has no plans to have any further involvement in local government, Buhr says he is "certainly not" retiring, but plans to take on further work as it arises, "between skiing, boating and travelling."

Happy trails, Karl!

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