LOCAL NEWS: CSS SUCCESSFUL IN OBTAINING GRANT ▼ A7
Times
Thursday, December 6, 2012 ▼ Volume 47 No. 49 ▼ www.clearwatertimes.com ▼ $1.40 Includes HST
THE
NORTH THOMPSON
MOVEMBER KIDS: Raft River students give mo’ and mo’. See page A3 inside.
Second Place General Excellence B.C. and Yukon <2,000 circulation 2012 Blue Ribbon Runner-up Best All Round Newspaper All of Canada <1,250 circulation 2012
TNRD proposes community park for Blackpool Keith McNeill Residents of Blackpool should be getting a multi-use community park over the next few years. Reactions from area residents to a proposed plan for the park presented during an open house at Blackpool Hall on Tuesday evening, Nov. 27 were overwhelmingly favorable. “This park has been in the works since before my time,” said Tim Pennell, Thompson-Nicola Regional District director for Wells Gray Country (Area A). “If we can get some grants, we can do it right away. Otherwise, we’re looking at a 10 year project.” The plan would see the development of a square-shaped
piece of land along Ferry Road east of the hall and adjacent to Thompson Crossing manufactured home development. The park would feature a “rock-andropes‚” play area for youngsters, said landscape architect Elise Menard Jonkers of L.A. West Associates. Features would include a spiral slide and swing set. A safety surface would help prevent injuries after falls. “It would have more of a wilderness approach than a conventional play area,” the landscape architect said. A post-and-beam picnic shelter similar to one recently constructed in the Birch Island community park would be located next to the play area, so mothers could stay
out of the sun while keeping an eye on their kids. A two-meter wide paved pathway roughly 250 m long would loop around the park’s perimeter. A series of seven exercise stations along the pathway would help people get in shape. A paved basketball court in one corner would provide healthy outdoor activities for teens and others. There would be a gravelled parking lot with space for 26 vehicles. This would serve park users plus give needed overflow parking for the nearby Blackpool Hall. A large conifer would be left adjacent to the parking lot to serve as a community Christmas tree. A large grassed area could be used for
such activities as musical presentations or lawn bowling. Wanda Richter said she was concerned about the possibility of vandalism. The best way to avoid vandalism is to involve the teens from the start, said services
coordinator Sherri Madden. Some of the proposed plan, such as the basketball court, would have to wait until Kinder Morgan completes its planned twinning of the Transmountain pipeline, Madden said.
Pennell said he would like to see clearing for the park begin next spring. The TNRD director predicted there would be plenty of volunteer help to get the project off the ground. At present the closest thing the area has
to a community park is the boat launch at the end of Ferry Road. That location is not suitable for major development, Pennell felt. For more about the plan for the proposed park, see the map on page A10 inside.
First time visit with Santa An artist's conception shows the layout of a proposed rock and ropes adventure playground that would be part of a community park planned for near Blackpool Hall.
Submitted graphic
Santa Claus asks Griffin Lau what he wants for Christmas. This is Griffin’s second Christmas and his first time on Santa’s lap. The encounter took place during Clearwater Rotary’s annual Christmas Tree Light-Up, held for the first time this year at the Wells Gray Infocenter. For more about how the event turned out, see the editorial on page A4 and the photos on page A11 inside. Photo by Keith McNeill
SAFETY MART FOODS
OVER 1000 SPECIALS EVERY WEEK
LOCATED AT BROOKFIELD SHOPPING CENTRE • CLEARWATER, BC • 250-674-2213
Thank you
We would like to thank you all for supporting the beautiful North Thompson Valley