100 Mile House
2012 Hunting Guide
A17-A23 AUGUST 29, 2012
Wilkie wins 108 Men’s Golf Club Championship
Sun shines bright on Garlic Festivities
A26
B1
Dog Agility
A25
• 48 Pages • Two Sections
$1.34 includes HST
School fields overrun with rodents Gopher holes in school yard a cause for concern for parents group Carole Rooney Free Press
100 Mile House Elementary School student Rowan Cole shows how easy it is for a little foot to slip into one of the big gopher holes in the playing fields at her school. She’s concerned this could result in an injury to herself, or to a schoolmate.
Carole Rooney photo
The Voice of the South Cariboo Since 1960 How to reach us: Ph: 250-395-2219 Fax: 250-395-3939 www.100milefreepress.net mail@100milefreepress.net PM 40021189
Gophers tunnelling through the playing fields at 100 Mile House Elementary School have turned it into a virtual Swiss cheese of hazardous holes. School principal Donna Rodger says she is well aware of the problem with the gophers and the numerous holes in the sports fields where children run and play. “The gophers in the field are quite concerning. Alex Telford, head of [School District #27 (SD27)] maintenance in Williams Lake, is looking into solutions.” Parent Advisory Council president Angela Cole, who has two children enrolled at the school, says she is concerned about the potential hazards of both the holes and the gophers. “I guess I echo the principal in her concerns, and realize the gophers are a nuisance. “I certainly have no idea how to rid the property of these in an environmentally friendly way and can’t envision the farmer’s method [of shooting them] going over well on school grounds.” While she is aware of a poison bait method, Cole says this “doesn’t sound comforting” and would lead to concerns about children or pets that may come into contact with the poison. “My other fear is that one of the children will get bit, or someone running or
playing [on the fields] breaks a leg from the large holes being created throughout the field.” Some of these holes are large enough to fit an adult’s foot in the hole, she adds. SD27 board chair Will Van Osch says he hadn’t previously been aware of the specific problem at 100 Mile Elementary, but it isn’t unusual in the school district. “It’s a maintenance thing. It’s not uncommon.” Van Osch says he doesn’t know if Forest Grove resident Richard Bergen will be setting traps, but explains “The Go-pher It Man” [Richard Bergen] helps SD27 in successfully controlling the rodents at Forest Grove Elementary School, where similar problems occur. Gophers appear late in the season and then hibernate before the fall, he adds, so the rodents are disappearing now and the holes should be filled in before school starts up again, but will reappear again in the spring. The school board chair notes he’ll follow up and see what can be done to control them. “I think it’s a serious issue.” People don’t like to poison the rodents, the school board chair says, and people can’t shoot guns in 100 Mile House, so it’s pretty hard to control them completely in an urban area. Typically, the school principal will See GOPHERS… page A3
Community Christian school closes The100MileCommunity Christian School that rallied to remain operational this spring will not reopen for classes in September, as it has closed permanently. Principal Pattie Baker championed getting the school operational after the unrelated Cariboo Christian School closed its doors in mid-year, leaving students and staff without a comparable local option
in Christian curriculum. The new 100 Mile Community Christian School commenced classes temporarily in the annex at St. Timothy’s Anglican Church on Feb. 6, but Baker says the enrolment numbers are insufficient for fall classes to resume. Without a certain number of students signed up, the school can’t offer the wide range of quality pro-
Pattie Baker
grams and the staffing it needs to justify opening, she explains. Baker adds she is grateful to everyone who helped enable the students to finish out the 2011/12 school year. “It was really nice to see how everybody came together to support us, especially St. Timothy’s Anglican Church. Moving into their annex was a tre-
mendous blessing for us.” Dream School Canada, a local Korean school in 100 Mile House, was “really on board” in offering another space for the school and she adds that support is also greatly appreciated. Baker, who is currently vice-chair of the School District #27 school board, says she will soon be moving on to an education position in Manitoba.