Council clips: GF rec fees on table; Phoenix Ski Society requests extra funding
By Shara JJ Cooper
Edited for clarity regarding GF rec. centre fees.
At the Oct. 28th regular council meeting, Mayor Brian Taylor said that Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) may be raising the user fees for Grand Forks recreation services like the swimming pool and arena.
“(They) are struggling to keep service levels up and costs down,” said Taylor of the recreation staff. The City of Grand Forks may be asked to increase the user fees in order to make ends meet.
“This may be coming up on the table in the near future,” he said. “We play a major role in that. We are (their) largest funder.”
The new budget won’t be approved until March, but Taylor got an early look at the budget and feels it will be discussed more in the coming months.
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City council approved a request for the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to temporarily hold services at 7255 Riverside Drive, Oct. 28.
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Local churches sent a letter to city council requesting that the interchurch welcome sign be reinstalled on the highway near Extra Foods. The sign was originally taken down when upgrades were done in the area. Councillors agreed that the sign is standard in most communities. However, chief administrative officer (CAO) Doug Allin said that the city has very tight property lines in that area and they will have to determine if that is on the Ministry of Transportation’s property, or the city’s. The topic was referred to city staff to gather more information, Oct. 28.
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Senior Citizens Association Branch #68 sent council a request, asking them to remove hazardous trees around the senior’s centre. Taylor said that he would be hesitant to remove shade trees and that they should consult an arborist to determine which trees are dangerous. It was also noted that they didn’t to remove trees just to give additional parking. The discussion was tabled until more information could be gathered about which trees to remove.
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An extra $40 a month will be allotted for handling mouse problems at local city buildings, including the building at the Evergreen Cemetary and the James Donaldson Park building. The work will be done by Gary Smith. It is in addition to $140 that goes to caring for local city buildings. This is the same agreement that was made at this time last year.
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Phoenix Mountain Alpine Ski Society sent a letter to city council requesting funding of $25,000. The society has lost $50,000 worth of funding from the Gaming Commission this year and is trying to recoup the funds at a municipal level. Allin said that the society needed to provide more information to city council before a decision could be made.
“The board members need to come forward and talk about their plans,” he said. “(The request) has to be made a little more formally – $25,000 is a pretty big request.”
Allin also said that the city cannot provide funding to a business and that city staff would need to consult with their lawyers before a decision could be made. No decision was made at the Nov. 12 meeting.
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City councillors agreed that they would participate in their year’s Santa Clause parade again. Coun. Cher Wyers, who was the acting mayor at the Nov. 12 meeting, said that city staff had built a beautiful sled last year and that they should go again this year. Councillors agreed and said they also wanted to request more candy because they ran out last year. The parade’s theme this year is “A Crafter’s Christmas” and it started at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6.
