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Thursday, March 6, 2014
The Agassiz Y Harrison
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Ready, set, learn
CRIME PREVENTION IS KEY Residents speak up in RCMP public forum
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JESSICA PETERS / OBSERVER
Brooke, 4, and Tianna, 5, play with mosiac blocks at the Ready, Set, Learn Fair at Kent elementary last Friday. For more information about services for young families in Agassiz and Harrison, see our Early Childhood Education column on page 10.
Literacy program puts book bins in waiting rooms
Agassiz residents feeling snowed in District dealt with snowfall ‘as soon as possible’
4 Jessica Peters THE OBSERVER
INSIDE opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 mailbag . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 community . . . . . . . . . 9 entertainment. . . . . . . 13 classiÄeds . . . . . . . . . 14
PRICE PLUS TAX, Agassiz location only. Valid upon presentation of this coupon until March 31/14
About a foot of snow covered the Fraser Valley on Sunday, causing multiple traffic accidents and closing schools across the region on Monday. The heavy snowfall also put forward a challenge to the District of Kent as they set out to remove the snow from local roads. But their methods didn't sit well with some residents who felt they got snowed in twice — once by Mother Nature, and then again by work crews. While the District of Kent will sometimes plow snow to the middle
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of the road, this snowfall they made the decision to plow to the side. "Thanks for piling a load of snow across my driveway so that I couldn't even park in it without shoveling first," Vicky Sparks said. She wondered why a plow operator would make the decision to cover up long stretches of driveways. Mick Thiessen, director of engineering services for the District of Kent, said the decision was made based on weather forecasts available at the time. "Based on the weather reports we received, we made a decision to put
out to the curbs," he said, adding that Agassiz received more snow than was forecasted when they began plowing. "The main reason we move the snow to the centre is if we feel there would be drainage issues." When the ground is wet and soft as it is right now, melting snow and rain can move under the snow cover toward the storm drains. Moving the snow to the centre is always not popular either, as it blocks residents from turning left into driveways. "We get concerns either way," Thiessen said. Other residents were concerned
that snow wasn't being removed from sidewalks, including District owned sidewalks. Thiessen said crews have worked to remove as much snow as possible, keeping budgetary concerns in check. "The size of the crew you would have to bring in to do the sidewalks and driveways for everyone, would be huge," he said. "We want to try to open it up to pedestrians as soon as possible, but we do ask for the public's help for sidewalks in front of public property." Continued on 3
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