TERRACE
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VOL. 25 NO. 3
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Museum wants a new home THE TERRACE and District Museum Society is renewing efforts to find suitable space for artifacts, photos and documents. The material is now kept at the Heritage Park Museum complex, which is operated by the society, but buildings there aren’t considered suitable, museum curator Kelsey Wiebe said in a presentation to city council April 23. “Sensitive artifacts are ... kept throughout the 100-year-old buildings,” said Wiebe during the presentation. She noted temperatures inside the buildings can drop below -20 C and rise above 20 C. “Climate fluctuations accelerate the deterioration of historic documents,” said Wiebe. The buildings at Heritage Park Museum are of log construction and were gathered from various locations in the area and moved to the park site on the bench so they could be preserved and displayed. The museum society ideally wants a permanent building elsewhere that’s not only large enough but has the kind of temperature and humidity climate controls needed to preserve artifacts, photographs and written material. But for the time being, the society is asking the city for assistance in finding a temporary location. Both the temporary museum and permanent one would need to provide adequate office space, changeable display space, adequate storage space, and proper
climate controls, said Wiebe. The society estimates 3,000 square feet is necessary. For the temporary space, a building would need to be either provided or purchased and upgrades are estimated to cost $250 per square foot. Society president Grant Piffer, who also spoke to council April 23, said time is of the essence in finding a temporary location while planning for a permanent one. That’s because items which could become museum material are now in the homes of people who are getting on in years and without a facility, which could accept those items, they could become lost, he said. “There is a generation of people who are in their 70s or 80s ... those are the children of Terrace’s pioneers,” said Piffer. The society has a list of issues to resolve as it works toward its goal. “We actually haven’t ironed out yet whether the society would own the land or the buildings,” said Piffer. “We’re working with city staff to try and get things nailed down.” A permanent structure, containing temperature and humidity controls would cost as much as $500 to $1,100 square foot. The society has not yet officially asked the city for financial assistance pending completion of a more detailed plan for a permanent building.
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MARGARET SPEIRS PHOTO
TERRACE RCMP Const. Shane Nicoll and Const. Ryan Proux on patrol as part of the street crew in front of the Best Western during their rounds April 25.
Street patrols beefed up THE RCMP’S presence in the downtown core is being beefed up thanks to filling vacancies. The Crime Reduction Unit (CRU), also called the street crew, originally had four members, then moved down to three and in recent months had been down to only two officers. “CRU has been down to two members for the past few months as a result of vacancies,” said Terrace RCMP inspector Dana Hart, adding that the Terrace detachment itself is almost back to its full complement. “There has not been any significant increase in crime, but if we aren’t proactive, it will [increase],” said Hart. “And while we are pleased
not to be in the top 10 [cities for crime rate], we are committed to further reducing the crime rate in the Terrace area.” The street crew was formed by Hart’s predecessor, Inspector Eric Stubbs, in response to an increasing problem of public intoxication, petty crime and social disorder in the downtown core. Officers stepped up foot patrols, concentrating on prolific offenders with the idea of preventing crimes or problems before they took place. The street crew also uses a van, making it easier to take people to jail or to facilities where they can be assisted. Statistics Canada’s Crime Sever-
ity Index for communities with more than 10,000 residents in 2010 placed Terrace at 29 out of 238 when it was released last year. That was a major drop from the city’s 13th place showing from 2009. And the violent crime severity index put Terrace at 34th place. Stats Can started keeping track of the Crime Severity Index in 2009, saying it addressed the amount of crime and also its severity. It also shows whether crime is more or less serious than in previous years and whether reported crime is more or less serious than in other places.
Rotary rider
One big family
Terrace Olympian
Alaskan rotary member travelling across B.C. to raise awareness \COMMUNITY A16
Community reflects on the impact of Thornhill Junior Secondary School \NEWS A5
Former resident prepares for games as member of British volleyball team \SPORTS A27