Inside
u Getting moving P. 12 u History for the dogs P. 5
u Court report P. 9 u Wanted P. 3
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WEDNESDAY, December 12, 2012
NEWS BRIEFS Take your pick
Two contenders are vying for the NDP nomination to become the Nechako Lakes candidate for the BC New Democratic Party (NDP). Sussanne Skidmore Hewlett and Debora Munoz are both running for the spot, which Skidmore said she sees as a good sign in a riding where candidates normally receive little opposition. Party members will be voting by Dec. 15, and so a candidate will be announced after polls close at 3 p.m. the same day. Current Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad will then defend his seat as the incumbent for the Liberals against the successful NDP member.
New age update The Fort St. James National Historic Site has had an online update. The website for the park now has information on the new visitor centre displays, Chief Kweh, James Douglas, and Father A.G. Morice all three of whom are persons of national historic significance - and information on special events and programs for 2013. To see for yourself, go to: www. parkscanada.gc.ca/ fortstjames
VOL. 35 NO. 41 $1.34 inc. GST
A sign of the season
Reindeer wave from one of the festive floats during the Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 30. The parade drew a good crowd, despite a cool wind and blowing snow earlier in the day. More photos on Page 6. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
Given notice
In an effort to make use of grant funding, community centre may use an existing building
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
A community centre may be a little bit closer to becoming a reality for Fort St. James. Mayor Rob MacDougall said negotiations are currently underway on a purchase price for a building which could be repurposed as a community centre. “For us, a stand-alone new construction isn’t feasible for the size of the tax base and the other commitments we have to infrastructure,” said MacDougall. In the interest of finding a way to move forward, and with the potential loss of $900,000 in grant funding looming on the horizon, mayor and council and the community hall committee looked at a couple of options, including the old gymnasium at Fort St. James Secondary School and the building which houses the Victory Christian Centre and what was the Birch Theatre. The latter building is owned by the Goodwin family’s property company Columbine Investments Ltd. While a dollar figure for the Christian centre and theatre building has not yet been agreed upon, negotiations are underway and if one is found which can accommodate the budget of the community hall committee, then mayor and council, in consultation with the committee, will vote on moving the process forward. MacDougall said he is hoping to see some movement within the next month once a building cost is determined. “This is the best choice that we have and
we’re in dire need of a community centre,” said MacDougall and he wants to be able to move forward on the hard work the committee has done in securing the funding they have. After a couple of extensions for some of it, the province has given notice the $900,000 in provincial grant funding which had been allotted to a new community hall will need to be used or at least allocated to a solid project plan before March 31, 2013. The notice came in a letter from Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Bill Bennett in response to a meeting at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention with Mayor Rob MacDougall and Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad. Bennett said the Towns for Tomorrow program is ending in 2013, and there is still a large shortfall if Fort St. James stayed with the proposed construction of a $3.8 million building next to the arena which the committee had come up with. Bennett advised MacDougall to speak to the mayor of Elkford, a community which overcame a similar dilemma. MacDougall said he looked at the building in Elkford, but he did not consult their mayor as the cost of new construction would still have been too high and the timelines involved for new construction before the funding expires are too short. The push to build a new community centre, something Fort St. James has been without since 1982, started with a donation of $500,000 from the Hoy family in 2007. The District of Fort St. James has now taken out a loan request for $280,000 to contribute to the project.
Funding finalized for North Road The province has announced $2.5 million in funding for improvements to the Germansen Landing Road. While Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad had announced funding to the Germansen Landing/North Road in September, the province has finalized a figure for the improvements. Improvements will take place on the first 57 km of the road from the Fort St. James municipal boundary, and will repair the road base, gravel the road, improve ditches and brush out sight lines on the route. Areas have been identified where road base repair and ditching are most needed and the brushing will take place between kilometres 22 and 30. Work on the road base started in June of 2012 and the entire project is expected to be done by Sept. 30, 2013. Rustad credits the community of Fort St. James with the realization of the project. “This upgrade to Germansen Landing Road is a demonstration of the tenacity of the people of Fort St. James and surrounding communities in coming together to accomplish something,” he said.