Grand Forks Gazette, July 30, 2014

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SCULPTING EVENT August 3 Christina Lake Public Beach

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

$1.10 (includes tax)

VOL 117 NO. 31

Across the Lake Page 14

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Grand Forks Gazette

Water meters were the focus of a City of Grand Forks information session/open house Tuesday night at the seniors’ centre. The open house allowed the city to introduce Neptune Technology Group and their representatives from Mississauga, Ont. to local residents. Neptune was awarded the recent contract to install water meters in Grand Forks. On hand at the open house were city council members, city staff and Neptune representatives, who answered questions from the public on the installations, which will begin in September. “The open house went extremely well with great attendance,” said Mayor Brian Taylor. “There were approximately 65 people that came through to ask some great questions and see what the installation process was going to look like.” Andre Knights, field operations officer for Neptune, said he and his crew enjoyed the hospitality in Grand Forks and getting to meet local residents and answer questions. Knights said that Neptune has done several projects in B.C. and Alberta, including Kamloops and Richmond. He said they’ve heard many of the same questions and concerns from residents throughout Canada. “Every project has its own challenges,” said Knights. “A lot of the questions people have are very common throughout any project we’ve done. We try to ensure we educate people through facts instead of hearsay. We do

Push start The Grand Forks BMX track was busy this weekend hosting a provincial championship race that saw riders as young as three take to the track. Younger riders started half-track, often taking a nudge at the starting line. Local riders did awesome with some getting first place finishes in their motos. The event also featured a “Race for Life” on Saturday, which raised over $1,500 for the BC Children’s Hospital Leukemia Unit. This was done by local kids asking for pledges as well as all proceeds for the race itself going to the cause, and donations on a bike raffle. Della Mallette photo

our best to educate them because we feel it will help resolve their concerns by having open houses, giving them information, and letting them know how the program’s going.” Knights said they take residents’ concerns seriously. “We want to make sure homeowners are comfortable and answer all their questions with the most respect and give them all the facts they need to know,” he said. Knights said there is no concern regarding radiation produced by the water meters. “These meters are radio frequency and it’s no different than the old cordless phones,” he said. A reader using a hand-held unit reads the meters from the road. Knights said the unit emits a signal every 14 seconds for a couple of milliseconds at a time. “For a full day it’s only emitting for a total of 44 seconds if you add it all up,” he said. Neptune plans on beginning installation of water meters in Grand Forks the first Monday in September. • See WATER METERS page A8

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In-depth Advertiser feature details salaries BLACK PRESS

For the Grand Forks Gazette

The editorial resources of the West Kootenay Advertiser are as far-reaching as its circulation, and they’re being coordinated for an in-depth feature of interest to anyone who pays local or regional taxes. A concerted effort has been made in the past couple of weeks to put together a comprehensive article on salaries paid to local and regional administrative staff members. The article, to appear in this week’s West Kootenay Advertiser, is being written by the Nelson Star’s Greg Nesteroff with input from Black Press staff in Trail, Castlegar and Grand Forks. For those who can’t wait for the print edition, this story will be available prior to the print edition one day in advance at the www.nelsonstar.com, www. castlegarnews.com, www.traildailytimes.ca and www.grandforksgazette.ca. This is an important and interesting topic for several reasons, for one: it provides a useful measuring stick between communities in our coverage area. The story will also provide information that’s helpful for assessing the work done by various officials on our behalf. You’ve heard the expression relating to ‘voting with your wallet?’.. this is another variation on that concept. Nesteroff is known for digging below the surface of an issue, getting right to the useful details. Like it or not, money is a large part of most stories relating to government— the universal currency, if you’ll excuse the expression, and those of us paying the freight have an obvious stake in the process. Watch for this illuminating feature coming up in this week’s issue of the West Kootenay Advertiser.

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