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OCTOBER 2, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 189
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Smokies’ win streak on the line tonight Page 11
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
SCHOOL DISTRICT 20
Surplus cash already committed BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
When is a surplus not a surplus? When it is already accounted for. The school district announced it had an $803,845 operating fund balance at the end of its operating year in August—but also noted it really doesn’t. School District 20 (Kootenay Columbia) financial statements showed a surplus to the first board of trustees meeting of the new school year, Sept. 24 in Blueberry, after a cash-crunched year that saw the board make difficult decisions, “It really is cutting teaching committed staff and tightening department budgets. money that It seemed a puzhasn’t been spent zling situation in ... but to an a have-not world, but the money was outside pair of eyes it could look deemed “internally restricted” and was like a surplus.” not available for the school district adminDARREL GANZERT istration to apply against this year’s budget, said SD20 secretary treasurer Natalie Verigin. “They are targeted funds, and anything not spent last year cannot carry forward into the new budget,” she told the board. And the make up of the surplus was largely due to a five alarm bell response to a burgeoning budget covering for sick days. When it became obvious the substitute (sick day) budget would have a huge cost overrun last year—it ended up over $400,000—Verigin had asked a few of the district’s departments to not spend their money. The internally restricted, carry forward money ended up being higher than normal at $435,553 when the dust settled on the year. “Our replacement budget was being used up so quickly that we were concerned we would be into a dire position that we would be dipping into our reserves,” she said. Any money not required to cover the substitute budget will now be given back to the departments, Verigin said, and the $218,046 in reserves remains intact. The district also had $97,121 in professional development obligations, $42,349 in targeted French funding carrying forward, and $10,776 in targeted grants.
Darren (left) and Ken Esovoloff, volunteers from Teck Trail operations, load up some of the trash gleaned from the banks of the Columbia River on Sunday during B.C. Rivers Day and the annual clean up.
See SICK, Page 3
See SHORELINE, Page 3
BREANNE MASSEY PHOTO
Volunteers help reclaim Columbia’s shoreline BY BREANNE MASSEY Times Staff
A group of five people in matching blue shirts and bandanas emerged from the ditch along Casino Road on Sunday, some carried a fridge while others hiked up with the remnants of an old couch. It was a test of endurance for some, and for others it was a simple act of philanthropy: the annual B.C. Rivers Day celebration and its associated clean up. The Trail Skills Centre, the 44th Engineer Squadron/39 Combat Engineer Regiment and Teck Trail Operations volunteers supported Greater Trail residents who scoured the shoreline for trash in Gyro Park, the S-Hill and Casino
Road, with efforts stretching all the way out to Waneta. The environmentallygeared event attracted more than 150 participants focused on removing litter from the shoreline of the Columbia River. “I think it’s a good idea to clean up our river and show our kids that everything needs to be cleaned up,” said Sita Lawson, a first time participant. “The most rewarding part of the day was probably seeing the kids find garbage and telling us why it would be bad for fish to have in the river. “The kids even found fishing lines and knew it could get tangled up around some of the fish and birds in the area.”
Impacts of Shoreline Litter Shoreline litter is a global environmental problem that has long term impacts on ecosystems, wildlife and people. Ecosystems: Shoreline litter can significantly alter the sensitive balance of ecosystems. The ability of litter travels widely, meaning it can also transport invasive species that further upsets the delicate balance. Wildlife: Shoreline litter is particularly dangerous for animals, which face a substantial disadvantage in these settings. The two greatest threats are entanglement and ingestion, which can lead to restricted movement, injuries, and even death by drowning, suffocation or starvation. People: In addition to safety concerns and unsightliness, litter also entails substantial economic costs and losses to people, property and the livelihood of areas such as coastal and fishing communities. http://www.shorelinecleanup.ca/en.
And that was the topic of discussion for an entire week
before pitching in at the event for the Lawson-Wallace family, as they talked about what kinds of garbage they might find, how it might get there and what it could do to the animals. It was a treasure trove for trash talking, as many other participants were surprised about what they found on Sunday. “It was a really big eye opener for a lot of people,” said event organizer Denise Robson of the Skills Centre. “It was brilliant.” Last year’s event hauled roughly 17,480 pounds of debris from a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the river with help from hundreds of volunteers, as well as 25 tonnes of
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Generating jobs & economic benefits www.columbiapower.org