Up front: May showers ease pressure on river panic button On stage: Highland dancer first in decades to represent B.C.
Your news leader since 1905
page 3 page 23
For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com
Friday, May 31, 2013
Families face choice in lake super-school
Kerry Park future in your hands
Million-dollar question Community has one more shot to help shape centre reno
Don Bodger
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
News Leader Pictorial
P
arents in Lake Cowichan have until Friday to decide if they will keep their Grade 4’s at Palsson Elementary School or send them to the high school in September. “With the reconfiguration announcement, parents of Grade 4 students have the option for the students to stay at Palsson for Grade 4, or move over to Lake Cowichan Secondary School which is being renamed Lake Cowichan School,” explained LCSS principal Nicole Boucher last week. “I think it was a respectful decision to give parents a choice. I think for some parents it will be an easy decision, but some are still looking for more information.” Boucher, along with vice-principal Dani Garner, Palsson principal Fergus Horsburgh and A.B. Greenwell principal Jann Drake, held an information session at the school last Thursday for folks looking for more information. The reaction from parents has been mixed. Mike and Belinda Waller, however, have settled on sending their daughter, Jill, to the former high school. “For me and Mike, first and foremost it was about the building space. (Palsson) is already so small and the thought of two more portables there didn’t sit well,” she said Monday. “I’m comfortable with the community there,” she added of the soon-tobe-former Lake Cowichan secondary. Effective July, the newly named school will see students from Grades 4 to 7 studying on the upper floor and students from Grades 8 to 12 on the first floor. Last year’s configuration saw Grades 5-8 on the upper floor and Grades 9-12 on the bottom. Waller isn’t concerned about her daughter being exposed to the older crowd. Don Bodger more on page 9 Kim Liddle says the CVRD is focused on taking direction from the community on what to do next with aging Kerry Park.
P
ublic input will go a long way toward determining the next step for the Kerry Park Recreation Centre. The aging facility needs repairs and some sort of facelift, but just how much gets done remains to be seen. The final community open house takes place Saturday, June 1 from 9 a.m. to noon in the arena warm room and the feedback form submission deadline is next Wednesday, June 5. All the input then goes before the Kerry Park Commission at a June 11 meeting. “I’d like to focus on the commission is really taking direction from the community where we go from here,’’ said Kim Liddle, division manager for South Cowichan Recreation. She stressed people don’t have to go to a lot of trouble to provide feedback. Forms can be obtained online at www. yourkerrypark.ca/feedback. “Take the time to fill it out,’’ said Liddle. “It can take as little as two minutes. “We have tried to make it as simple as possible.’’ The whole process of deciding the future of Kerry Park started in March with three roundtable discussion groups,
involving 12 different service clubs and Parent Advisory Councils from various schools. “We took all the information we gathered from the community and took it back to the commission,’’ said Liddle. “They’re really wanting the community to drive this process.’’ About 75 people have attended the first two community open houses May 23 and 28 and “we’ve had lots of responses on-line,’’ said Liddle. Most people answering the question about what to do with Kerry Park have indicated “we cannot do nothing.’’ Kerry Park is almost 40 years old and in need of serious repairs and maintenance at the very least. It’s up to the public to decide if more should be added along with that work, but, of course, it comes with a higher cost. There are basically three options on the table for consideration. Liddle describes Option 1 as the repair option. “It’s doing a lot of internal replacement, electrical and a seismic upgrade,’’ she said. “It’s just completely renovating what we have.’’ There will also be repairs to the mechanical, plumbing and refrigeration systems, replacement of the arena slab and rink boards and repairs to the parking lot and the exterior building envelope. more on page 8
Run Date: May 3, 2013 Duncan Newsleader (10.25" x 1.5") Full Colour EOR#5496
3 1/4” x 3/4” SOLID HARDWOOD
3
$
.99
sq ft & up
PLU
Duncan | 5880 York Rd (corner of York & Beverly) 250.701.9191 | endoftheroll.com
Maple | Oak | Hickory
HARDWOOD
TILE
CORK
AREA RUGS
LAMINATE
MANY M S IN-STORORE SPECIAL E S!
VINYL
CARPET