Kelly Gordon, the company’s vice-president of operations, presented council with a cheque for $81,691, representing the first six months’ of the restaurant’s lease, utilities, property taxes and revenue.

Boathouse executives originally planned an April 2006 opening but the tight construction market pushed that back to summer 2007; it finally opened Sept. 27 of last year.

PoMo receives $45,000 in rent per year for the first 10 years of the 30-year lease as well as 3.5% of gross food sales over $3 million. PoMo’s portion of the Boathouse’s projected earnings for the next two quarters is about $66,500.

The restaurant currently employs about 166 people during the off season and expects to raise that to more than 200 for the summer.

Other PoMo news:

TAX TALK

Port Moody residents can expect this year’s property tax bill to be 3.58% higher than what they paid in 2007.

Council passed the 2008 tax rates bylaw (councillors Karen Rockwell and Bob Elliott voted against it), which will charge residents about $109 more in property taxes and utilities. The city’s five-year financial plan is expected to be passed at the next council meeting.

Council was originally considering an 8.61% tax increase, or about $90 more than 2007, but that was reduced after significant budget cuts were made in late March.

TRAFFIC COPS

The Port Moody Police Department has boosted its traffic services section to a three-person team.

Sgt. Bruce Douglas is leading the section, which includes constables Chris Birtch and Travis Carroll, with a focus on developing a five-year plan to educate the public and curb aggressive driving in Port Moody. The traffic cops will be watching motorists from marked and unmarked cars, as well as motorcycles and, at some point, from foot and bike patrols.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, PMPD Deputy Chief Chris Rattenbury also noted that a department reorganization will see officers from community relations, identification and training sections commit one Friday or Saturday night a month to increase the PMPD’s uniformed weekend patrols.

A community policing station in Newport Village may also be on the horizon, Rattenbury said.

spayne@tricitynews.com