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APRIL 3, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 65
Karate kids compete
110
$
Page 11
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
EASTER TREAT
Downtown plan soon to be an open book BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
Noise over the state of Trail’s downtown has been hushed by a much-anticipated plan that will look at revitalizing the city’s core. While the public waits to find out what recommendations MMM Group Limited’s $85,000 study has in mind, members of the Downtown Opportunities and Action Committee (DOAC) have already had a sneak peak and Trail council will get its look this month. “The plan will address many of the long-standing issues but we didn’t get to this place overnight and we won’t get out of it overnight,” said Trail councillor Kevin Jolly, who is also chair of the DOAC. “But what we will have is a clear pathway to move forward as a community and a plan our citizens can get behind.” Jolly said many of the suggestions made by the consultant firm related back to points brought up at a meeting held last October, when 75 attending residents weighed in on what they liked about their city’s core and where improvements needed to be made. While a preliminary report is available on the city’s website at this time, Jolly won’t disclose much about the plan until it’s officially presented to the public, shortly after the April 10 Trail council closed-door presentation. “There is going to be a sort of
heritage theme, an industrial theme, in certain places,” he said. “We’re going to work toward greening the downtown space as much as we can, improving downtown guidelines around any sort of renovations and making full utilization of the riverfront as best we can.” He also noted a simple investment in signage could go a long way in attracting the traveling public. “We want to make sure that people are clear that when they come down the highway, they don’t just see green lights and keep going, they see very well-marked signage that steers them to where we want them to go and draws them into the downtown core.” Trail has set aside $100,000 in its draft budget for DOAC projects, which will be presented in the plan, under its capital program. Other bigticket capital expenditures include about $256,000 for Phase 3 of city hall renovations; nearly $360,000 for upgrades to the Trail Memorial Centre and almost $2.9 million for work – including heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements – at the Trail Aquatic and Leisure Centre. The preliminary document can be downloaded from the city’s website by selecting the “Downtown Opportunities and Action Planning Committee” and then selecting the “Downtown Revitalization Plan.”
New regional sewer proposal aims to avoid costly arbitration BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
Trail has flushed its preferred solution to regional sewer cost apportionment in hopes of solidifying a deal with its partners. The city has taken one last plunge at coming to an agreement with Warfield and Rossland on a matter that has been under dispute since 2008 in hopes of avoiding arbitration. Trail has drafted a proposal
based on population though it previously agreed with a mediator report that suggested a new formula should be based on 50 per cent population and 50 per cent water consumption. “We’ve made one last attempt to try to get this resolved,” said Trail councillor Robert Cacchioni. “That way we can do two things. One, we can put this thing to bed about conflicts between communities and
See CITY, Page 3
SIMON OAKLEY PHOTO
Ellery Titsworth goes on the hunt for Easter eggs Saturday at the Warfield community park. A large crowd of eager hunters turned out despite the dreary weather for some fun, games and activities.
SCHOOL DISTRICT 20
Student numbers continue to fall BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
Class size numbers are on a downward spiral in School District 20. The Class of 2012 could be one of the largest graduating classes the school district will see for a few years as the number of school-aged children continues to drop in the Kootenay Columbia region. According to figures released by SD20 administration, 346 students are set to graduate
this year, compared to only 336 Grade 11s, and 323 Grade 10s. With the Ministry of Education tying its funding formula to the number of students a district possesses, the situation is of concern if the number of students continues to dwindle. To make matters worse, school trustee Toni Driutti noted there were only 277 students enrolled in kindergarten this year. “It looks like we are going to enter into crisis here … that
means those are the total graduates for the whole of the district,” she said. With the district losing 40 students from its graduating class within the next three years — and over 60 in the next decade — the enrolment situation is not improving and could force the school district to consider more cuts. The numbers grow bleaker with 318 Grade 9 students and 306 students in Grade 8, and all
See PROJECTED, Page 3
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