Follow us on: Bre a k i ng n e ws at n el s on st ar. c om
PM41537042
Free
Friday, January 17 • 2014
Vol. 6 • Issue 58
Puppets tell tale of evolution of happiness Page 11 280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
354-4089
valhallapathrealty@telus.net www.valhallapathrealty.com
Buying or Selling a Home?
Johnsons Landing residents face adversity
Property value ‘basically zero’
GREG NESTEROFF
A
Nelson Star Reporter
Laura Salmon Cell 250-551-8877
E-mail Laura@LauraSalmon.com Website www.LauraSalmon.com
RHC Realty
Each office independently owned & operated
WINTER CARNIVAL JAN 18 & 19 Live Music&Buffet Fireworks Scavenger Hunt
RDCK rejects Nelson’s proposal to share space Page 5
lthough her Johnsons Landing home wasn’t directly affected by the landslide that cut through the community in 2012, it changed Gail Spitler’s future. Spitler, 73, owns 10 acres with a house and outbuildings. Before the slide, she didn’t see herself staying in the community much longer. “The plan was of course to sell this place and move into something more urban and smaller. Those plans are definitely on hold.” Spitler’s property assessment fell 15 per D cent a year ago and SECON E E OF THR she was surprised PARTS when it was reduced a further 17 per cent on her most recent notice, bringing it close to the original price she paid in 1991. “You would think if we’re going to get stigmatized, it’s going to happen once and that would be enough,” she says. “The kicker is that nobody knows what the selling price would be.” Johnsons Landing is made up of two benches, only one of which was affected by the slide, although that distinction isn’t always clear to those not from the area — hence the stigma the BC Assessment Authority recognized when it reduced values outside the evacuation zone by up to 50 per cent.
Whether the decrease is good, bad, or indifferent, Spitler isn’t sure. She has heard of a young couple privately trying to sell a small piece of land, but there haven’t been any takers. “Properties move very slowly here. It’s a matter of finding the exact person who wants to live here.” Tarred and feathered: Clint Carlson, has six acres of waterfront with a house, close to but outside the evacuation zone, which he bought six weeks before the slide. He has since watched his assessment drop by about half, which he considers fair, though he’s troubled by the stigma which he blames on the regional district and media. “To pay half the taxes while the area recovers, I think is sensible. My feeling is that the whole community has been tarred and feathered badly with the evacuation order,” he says. “They haven’t come out and said ‘A good portion of Johnsons Landing is as it was.’ Everybody’s wearing the same brush.” Carlson’s family has long roots in the community: his father was a relative of its namesake, Algot Johnson, and inherited his farm in the 1960s. Carlson grew up there and his family has owned different portions over the years. He doesn’t feel at risk. “I wouldn’t suggest plunking a house in the middle of the slide zone, but they’ve Continued on Page 4
HIPPERSON HARDWARE 395 Baker Street 250.352.5517
Home Owners helping home owners
Eyes on the prize Sida Wang (9) of the L.V. Rogers Bombers senior boys basketball squad battles for a rebound with a Stanley Humphries player while teammate Josh Matosevic (15) looks on. The Bombers beat their Castlegar foes 66-9. For more, see page 19. Kevin Mills photo
NELSON HOME BUILDING CENTRE 101 McDonald Drive 250.352.1919
REGISTER AT WWW.HOMEHARDWARE.CA
WE’VE GOT YOUR LUMBER ®