LAVINGTON LEADER | New fire chief enjoying camaraderie at Lavington Fire Hall [A7]
Morning gStar
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Sunday, March 23, 2014
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Spring cleaning LISA VANDERVELDE Morning Star Staff
Cleaning up after people has become an unwanted spring tradition for Rick Siemens and his neighbours. Siemens has lived on Swan Lake for 18 years and has stopped being surprised at what people leave behind on the ice. “One year an old car seat was left.” Siemens and his daughter — Doorman Cori Doorman are doing the dirty job this year by driving to about a dozen piles of burnt pallets, full of nails, and shoveling them into their quads. “If we don’t clean it up all these nails and garbage will just end up in the lake,” said Doorman. They are concerned that some of the nail-ridden pieces of wood will float which will become a hazard to boaters and waterskiers. Between Siemens and his neighbours someone takes on the responsibly each year to make sure the lake is looked after, but their hope is that the people that visit the area will start to take out what they bring in.
“(It) will just end up in the lake.”
LISA VANDERVELDE/MORNING STAR
Cori Doorman and her father Rick Siemens clean up the piles of garbage and burnt pallets left on the ice of Swan Lake Wednesday afternoon.
Cultural plan collects opposition from directors RICHARD ROLKE
“This is not a good use of funds.”
Morning Star Staff
Greater Vernon’s focus on culture is generating some high-profile opposition. Directors Mary-Jo O’Keefe and Catherine Lord voted against the Greater Vernon cultural plan terms of reference when it came before the Regional District of North Okanagan board Wednesday. “We did a cultural plan in 2006 (it went unadopted) and it was quite ranging in its implications and I don’t think much has changed and this is not a good use of funds,” said O’Keefe, adding that the new process will
— O’Keefe
delay a decision on constructing new facilities for the museum and the public art gallery. “Doing another $100,000 plan won’t help us address those issues.” Lord’s concerns revolve around the steering committee being involved to lead devel-
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opment of the master plan. “I have a problem with the size of the committee (31 people),” said Lord, who believes the discussion could become dominated by the specific needs of the organizations represented. “We’re setting up expectations in the groups included.” However, a majority of the Greater Vernon directors endorsed the cultural plan concept. Director Juliette Cunningham says the process is necessary and there is more than the gallery and museum to consider. “There are other factions in the commu-
nity involved in the arts that wonder where they fit in,” she said. “We have a growing and dynamic arts community and they need to be included in the vision. There may be no buy-in from the community because they don’t feel they have a voice.” Director Mike Macnabb questions the relevancy of the 2006 cultural plan in what is occurring now. “Forecasting from eight years ago is not forecasting,” he said. “There are many reasons why the earlier plan failed so let’s move forward.”
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