TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2014
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PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 82, Issue 182 | www.dailybulletin.ca CITY COUNCIL
Kent Goodwin will seek another term C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Railway volunteer Gordon McLean pounds some spikes. Now that the season is over, the real work begins.
SHARON HENRY PHOTO
Record numbers for Railway C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
It was another good year on the Kimberley Underground Mining Railway, as rider numbers rose by nine per cent. Society President Mick Henningson says 9,880 people (and 75 dogs) road the rails this summer. Special events like combined train/chairlift rides and the Opera Underground helped boost ridership, but many tourists are simply drawn by the opportunity to take a look at the history of the Sullivan Mine and see live mining shows in the tunnel. Good reviews, value and word of
mouth help spread the word, Henningson says. He says there was a noticeable rise in American tourists this summer, likely a product of the Canadian dollar falling in relation to the American. The railway has now closed for the season, and not long after the last ride, volunteers were busy with maintenance work that has to be done before the snow flies. Work on upgrading a 200 meter section of track to heavier rail started September 8. This section of track will also end up with more gentle curves and a more constant grade after the work is complete.
Society president Mick Henningson.
The decision to run for City Council is not one to take lightly, especially with terms of four years rather than three beginning with this election. Councillor Kent Goodwin, who has announced he will seek a second term on Council, says the learning curve is so steep that much of the first term is spent absorbing procedures, legislation and protocols. Therefore, it would be irresponsible not to go for a second term in order to give the tax payer a return on their investment. “Now that I have some understanding of all of this, it would be somewhat irresponsible not to run for a second term and put that knowledge to (hopefully) better use,” he said. “I have been encouraged by the progress that the City is making toward increasingly professional and thoughtful policies and procedures, strategic plans and accountability measures which will lead to more efficient and productive decision making. I would like to serve a second term to help move that process along. “The current Council has taken a very important first step in addressing the infrastructure deficit by enacting new sewer and water taxes and fees to build an infrastructure reserve. With this money (and hopefully matching funds from the Provincial and Federal Governments) we can make
Kimberley City Councillor Kent Goodwin. some real progress on replacing old sewer and water lines before they fail. However, those underground services are only part of our infrastructure and we need to figure out how to fund the rest. I would like to serve another term to see if we can make some more progress on this issue.” Dealing with infrastructure means that you will hear some ‘no’ votes from him, Goodwin says. “Part of this process will be the need to resist the construction of new infrastructure (no matter how good it might appear) that we cannot afford to maintain. So you are likely going to hear me say “no” to projects that I really wish I could say “yes” to.” Taxation is another issue Goodwin sees as a priority. He says he believes Kimberley now has the highest municipal taxes in the East Kootenay, and managing operation spending to keep it within the rate of inflation is very important. See GOODWIN, p. 4