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Vol. 61, Issue 159
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
CHAD ST. PIERRE PHOTO
Cranbrook photographer Chad St. Pierre took this lush picture of an old cabin in Fort Steele earlier this summer. Part of the original Fort Steele community, the cabin sits on property on the opposite side of the highway to the Heritage Town.
Downtown business space Break-ins drop in Cranbrook is 25 per cent vacant RCMP
ARNE PETRYSHEN Townsman Staff
Cranbrook RCMP gave its quarterly report to council on Monday, Aug. 12 and break-ins in the city are way down. “We’ve decreased our total break-ins by 74 per cent – that’s very significant,” said Cpl. Pat Prefontaine. “The last time I was here, I think we talked about the effect of one prolific offender or one person who comes to town and starts breaking into things until we catch him. That’s kind of representative of that 74 per cent reduction compared to the second quarter last year.” The number of break-ins was 13 from April to June in 2013, as compared to 54 at the same time last year. Prefontaine was pleased to report that traffic enforcement increased this quarter.
“I can see we’re getting more people coming back from maternity leave and we’re getting more people on the road,” he said. He said the goal of the 2013/2014 business plan is pretty hefty, as this year they had seven priorities compared to the four last year. “It’s going to be a tough goal because it’s a lot of work,” he said, adding that he thinks they are on track to reach it. The first of the priorities is addressing speeding in school zones and rural areas. RCMP have done 12 road checks at schools in Cranbrook and written 18 tickets to drivers. Enforcement in school zones is suspended until September. Coun. Denise Pallesen put out a plea to drivers to watch their speed zones. “Especially in the schools and
follow the signs, because they’re huge issues for any number of people,” Pallesen said. On the pedestrian side, jaywalking was deemed a priority. “We’re addressing that as far as helping city council to develop a bylaw or at least look at if a bylaw is applicable and do some research on that,” he said. Prefontaine said they’ve had a slow start on the distracted driving initiative, with only seven tickets written in the quarter. Prefontaine said he is addressing that and improvements have been made. Another goal was to increase police presence in Jaffray, Tie Lake and Rosen Lake areas, which he said has been successful with more patrols hitting those areas and some spots in between.
See RCMP, Page 4
A report has found that a quarter of the commercial property in Cranbrook’s downtown core is empty ARNE PE TRYSHEN Townsman Staff
At the July 15 council meeting, Coun. Angus Davis expressed his concerns about vacant buildings in the downtown core of Cranbrook. On Monday, city staff tried to address those concerns, noting that there have been some improvements. “There have been several developments that have moved forward over the summer,” said Kevin Weaver, the city’s economic development officer. “One that has reached completion, the Heid Out, and two others that are nearing completion.” He said there are also two proper-
ties that have changed ownership and so they are expecting activity and redevelopment with those – the Armond Theatre and Shenanigan’s Pub. The report found that there is 100,000 square feet, or 25 per cent of the commercial stock, vacant downtown. “In terms of the vacant state downtown, it’s not much different than what we reported back in March,” he said. “A lot of this is related primarily to three large properties that take up the bulk of the vacant space.”
See RETAIL, Page 3