A4 www.rosslandnews.com
Thursday, January 24, 2013 Rossland News
News
Ski hall of fame not coming to Rossland
Continued from P. 1
into the hall of fame. “That could have got really onerous for Rossland, because of the distances,” he said. “Ottawa is more the place you would do those kind of inductions. It was really expensive, they pay for the inductees to come there, travel, food… That was a concern too, but like I said we put a proposal together that was sustainable. Our
opinion on the task force was that you can’t put in a pie in the sky proposal, we have to put in what’s sustainable to Rossland.” Granstrom seemed to leave the possibility of the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum coming to Rossland if Mont Tremblant faltered. “Museums aren’t the easiest things to run. Our board here has a lot of experience; I think we’ve had a museum here since 1964,
Property assessment down in area Continued from P. 1
2013’s roll. “Most homes in the municipalities of Trail, Rossland, Fruitvale, Montrose, and Warfield have decreased modestly from last year’s assessment roll,” said Dennis Hickson, deputy assessor at BC Assessment. The date of the valuation is July 1 of each year, so this year’s roll numbers come from the value of the property from July 1, 2012. “Property owners who feel that their property assessment does not reflect market value as of July 1, 2012 or see incorrect information on their notice should contact our office as indicated on their notice as soon as possible in January,” said Hickson. “If a property owner is still concerned about their assessment after speaking to one of our appraisers, they may submit a Notice of Complaint (Appeal) by January 31, for an independent review by a Property Assessment Review Panel,” added Hickson. The Property Assessment Review Panels, independent of BC Assessment, are appointed annually by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and meet between February 1 and March 15 to hear formal complaints. The Nelson/Trail Assessment Office is located at 502 Victoria Street in Nelson. During the month of January, office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Property owners can contact BC Assessment toll-free at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322) or via www.bcassessment.ca Visit www.bcassessment.ca for more information about the 2013 Assessment roll including lists of 2013’s top most valuable residential properties across the province.
I believe,” he said. “So we have a very experienced board and they understand totally what it takes to make it work. Who knows what could happen.” As for what is next for the museum, Granstrom said the Gateway Project is moving forward, with a meeting later this month where it will put out a request for proposal and present their plan for the museum upgrades.
The rossland Museum won’t be getting the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum. The honour of hosting the national museum is going to Mont Tremblant, QC. Arne Petryshen photo
Future of education in SD20’s hands Neighbourhood of Learning pushes for K-12 in Rossland
Aerin Guy NOL
On Monday, Feb. 4, School District 20 will meet for the first reading of any potential bylaws related to any reconfigurations or closures of Rossland schools. The first motion that should be made by the board is to remove Option 3, K-7 at MacLean and the Annex, from consideration. Here’s why: MacLean as a K-7 school does not work now, and will not in the future. The district’s average functional capacity of 283 assumes the loss of all shared space (except the library) and the StrongStart program. The MacLean StrongStart is the busiest in the district, currently serving 70 families. In the Option 3 scenario, where does this important program go? Using every space available leaves no back up plan if a few more students show up in September than expected. MacLean cannot accommodate the anticipated future growth. Last year, for example, there were too many grade ones to fit in two divisions, so a third was created. This couldn’t
have happened if the school was a K-7 and completely full. All other SD20 elementary schools have spaces such as multipurpose rooms. MacLean does not have a multi-purpose room. MacLean is already a very small, crowded school with small hallways – the smallest amount of space per child in the district. In all the years of Planning for the Future, the Annex has never been considered as a usable space. The Annex, built in 1904, is an inefficient building that has had minimal maintenance. The $20,000 worth of renovations, as cited in Superintendent Greg Luterbach’s presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 15, will not turn it into a good educational space. If K-7 at MacLean/Annex is truly under consideration, as we have been led to believe it is, then the community is entitled to see a renovation plan with accurate costing. Yet without the Annex, several portables would need to be added on a schoolyard which is already the smallest in the district. MacLean was designed for 232 children, and cannot be expanded.
Rossland’s population increased by 8.5 per cent in the last census, and SD20’s Facilities Update projects student populations in Rossland increasing from 550 in 2013/14 to 745 in 2029/30. Under Option 3 (K-7 at MacLean) there would be no room for growth in the fastest growing community in the district. Since the Annex is inadequate and a sufficient number of portables won’t fit, would the youngest students in our community be bused to Webster? In other areas of the district, SD20 has committed to keeping the youngest children in their communities: K-7 in Warfield, Trail, Fruitvale and Castlegar. Here in Rossland we fight even for that assurance. If SD20 decides to bus our youngest students to Webster, they won’t fit there either. In the school district enrollment projections, both Glenmerry and Webster will be over their average functional capacity by years 2015 and 2016, respectively, and the maximum functional capacity by 2017 and 2019. These schools both already have portables. Where will the rest of the
Warfield and Trail students go? Will they be bused to Trail Middle School? Maybe Fruitvale? Where will the 100 alternate program students go? This is not planning for the future of our children’s education - it is planning for the next three years of budget cuts. There is no plan for how this will impact all the southend students and where they will go in three to five years. The district will need all the facilities it has, and definitely should not close RSS or they won’t have space for all the students in the south end of the district, if their projections are accurate. Mark in your calendar: Special School Board meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. in the RSS gym. Again, let’s fill the room to the rafters. This will be the second reading of the Rossland school closure motion, where the Board will debate the options under consideration. It’s important for the community to attend to hear what is communicated. Aerin Guy is co-ordinator for the Neighbourhood of Learning commititee in Rossland.
How quickly are you aging?
SUNDAY & MONDAY 2 entrees & wine $59
EVERY DAY 4 - 6 pm 1 Pound of Mussells & Beer $12
250-362-0078 | 1999 2nd Ave Rossland, BC
St.Andrew’s United Church The Church with the Red Roof Rossland B.C. 9:00 a.m. Sunday Worship and Sunday School
TELOMERE TESTING
News News at your...at your... Acupuncture
A window into your cellular age
To learn more about this cutting edge test please phone to schedule your consultation with Dr. Jeffrey J. Hunt ND
1-250-368-6999
is an excellent treatment for PAIN Saturday and Evening Appointments Available 250-368-3325 www.trailacupuncture.com
F