Wednesday December 18, 2013 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST IncluDeD
Petition effort underway City: Group attempts to stop lease, council members cite economics, safety as benefits to underpass.
By Lachlan Labere oBSeRveR STAFF
A community organization is taking municipal council to task over a proposed 10-year lease linked to the potential construction of a Ross Street underpass. The committee for a Strong and Sustainable Salmon Arm (cASSSA) is circulating a petition in an attempt to get the 10 per cent of the electorate (1,361 residents) needed to prevent the municipality from moving forward with a lease the organization views as a first step towards construction of the underpass. Proponents of the underpass, however, say cASSSA is not giving the public all the facts needed to make an informed decision. The city is currently in the midst of an alternative approval process, through which the electorate can register their opposition to the municipality entering into a proposed 10-year lease agreement, at $33,000 per year, for lots at 621 and 641 Ross St. ne (on the north side of the train tracks). The stated purpose of the lease is to use the lots for parking or some other public use, including as a staging area for the construction of the Ross Street underpass, estimated by city staff to cost between $7 and 9 million. If the lease is approved, the city will receive from the lessor, WH laird Holdings ltd. – owned by developer Bill laird, statutory right of way along property on both sides of the tracks, including a road dedication the city would also acquire through a lot between Shuswap Park Mall and
the cP Rail station. conditions of the lease include: 15 parking stalls on the leased lots would be reserved for the lessee’s use, and the city would be responsible for property taxes. According to city corporate officer corey Paiement, however, the city is statutorily exempt from paying property taxes. cASSSA spokesperson Bill Grainger says the organization did an analysis of public safety at the existing railway crossings. cASSSA used data collected by the city to determine that five minutes is the maximum wait time for an emergency vehicle to cross the tracks and, in nine out of 10 trips, there would be no wait at all. Subsequently, Grainger says the organization is not satisfied that public safety currently justifies a $9 million capital project. cASSSA also takes issue with committing any tax dollars towards a project that may or may not be supported with federal and provincial grant money, prior to doing any sort of analysis as to how an underpass might impact the downtown. “You don’t go into that without presenting it to the public, show why is the underpass needed, a really good analysis, how it could affect the immediate area,” said Grainger, adding that a project like the underpass would come at the expense of other projects. He suggests the city should first verify that an underpass is indeed a priority in the See Petition on page A2
James murray/oBSeRveR
Dancing on air
Ballet students Maia Reynard and Sidney Pullin perform in the Shuswap Dance Center’s annual Christmas concert, Let’s Decorate the Tree, held Friday evening in front of a packed house at the SASCU Recreation Centre. For more, see page A25.
Sturgis moves to Merritt By martha Wickett oBSeRveR STAFF
Sturgis north is back, hoping, it seems, for third-time lucky. now named Sturgis canada, the music festival and motorcycle rally will be held Aug. 21-24 in Merritt. A news release issued Thursday announced that
This week The CP Rail Holiday Train made a successful stop in Salmon Arm. Check out page A15. The annual Santa Cruise took place under perfect conditions Sunday. See more on A22.
the festival has reached an agreement with the city of Merritt to set up on the former site of the Merritt Mountain Music Festival. “The 2014 festival is organized by a new team, led by Joan Hansen, president of Sturgis canada, who admits to learning a lot from organizers of past festivals,” states the
press release. “Merritt is known for its music, and we are very proud to bring Sturgis canada to one of canada’s best possible locations for a music festival,” Hansen is quoted in the release. “In addition to a new team from across canada and the u.S., we’ve also hired some of Merritt’s top lo-
cal organizers to ensure we meet the city’s expectation for a high-quality event.” The release states that organizers chose a new name to better reflect “the national and international appeal of the festival and its music.” Speaking for Sturgis See Debts on page A10
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Sports................A21-A24 Arts & Events ... A25-A27 Time Out................... A28 Vol. 106, No. 51, 48 pages