SUMMING IT UP: Greenwood City Council
By Erin Perkins
The second Greenwood City Council meeting of the new year was on Monday, Jan. 23. The following is a collection of issues they discussed at that meeting.
City of Greenwood’s new office hours
To try and accomodate more people the City of Greenwood will be changing their office hours.
As of March 1 the city office will be opened from 8:30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. Monday to Friday rather than the present hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
City staff had requested the change and council voted in favour of the adjustment.
“I think it will make it easier,” said Greenwood mayor, Nipper Kettle.
Now people coming in to drop their kids off at school or on their way to work can also do their business with the city before, instead of waiting until the afternoon or not being able to come in at all, said Kettle.
Repurposing an old building
Greenwood city council wants to know what to do with the city’s old curling rink building.
Mayor Nipper Kettle is looking for input from residents via Facebook, email or letter so council can come up with a plan to be implemented over the next two years.
The curling rink has been unused for the past six years except to store city property. Kettle would like to see it turned into a multipurpose facility. He brought it up at the meeting now because of the upcoming budget season in March. He’d like to have plans in place so the city can put funds aside and also start grant applications.
“Right now it is just going to waste,” said Kettle. “It has the potential and it’s a sin to see it go to waste.”
One of the ideas Kettle has put forward is to turn it into an emergency shelter and evacuation centre for the city because its steel frame construction makes it one of the safest buildings in the city.
Other ideas he’s put forward include an indoor walking track, fitness gym, indoor recreation space for broomball, an exhibition hall for trade shows and a regional convention centre.
Kettle would like to see a plan executed and ready for a grand opening by 2013.
Looking to have prize winning water
For the third year in a row the City of Greenwood will be entering a city water sample in the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition.
The first year the city entered the competition they won second place. Last year they didn’t place but neither did any other Canadian city, said Gerry Henke, chief administrative officer for the City of Greenwood.
The annual competition is held in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. More than 100 tap water samples from around the globe are entered in the competition, which is being held February 23-26 this year.
“We feel we have the best water here,” said Henke proudly.
For more information about the competition, go to www.berkeleysprings.com/water/.
Greenwood Council asking for an extension on grant money
Without funds for new playground equipment, a recent $14,384 grant fromTire Stewardship B.C. will either have to have an extended completion deadline or be let go altogether.
The grant money was awarded to the City of Greenwood earlier this month to resurface a city playground with a special material made of recycled tires. The 50/50 grant is being offered through the Tire Stewardship B.C. 2011 Fall Community Grant program. The project must be completed by March 21, 2013.
Earlier this month, the council expressed a need to replace the dated playground equipment before putting in the new resurfacing material, or they would have to remove the new covering once they replaced the playground equipment.
“We’re trying to get an extension on (the deadline),” said Kettle. “We can’t afford the new playground equipment right now so we may have to let (the grant) lapse.”
