WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
DECEMBER 31, 2014
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Vol. 119, Issue 202
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Local mayors look forward to busy 2015 BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
LIZ BEVAN PHOTO
An idyllic winter setting on Gyro Park beach will get an abrupt about-face at noon on New Year’s Day when hundreds descend on the beach for the annual Polar Bear Swim.
Start the new year with a splash BY LIZ BEVAN Times Staff
The water in the Columbia River is sitting at a chilly 4.8 C, and Corporal Christopher Buckley is getting his swim trunks on to go for a dip while inviting all of Trail to join him. For nearly 30 years, the 44 Engineer Squadron, 39th Combat Engineer Regiment has hosted the Polar Bear Swim on Jan. 1 at Gyro Park Beach and since its inception, attendance has grown exponentially. “It started out with seven guys from the 44th who just decided to jump in the river on New Year’s Day,” said Buckley. “We now get about 500 people on the beach every year, with about 150 swimmers. Our record was 174 swimmers.” Buckley wasn't so gung-ho about the idea of jumping in the river in January, which usually has a water temperature just above freezing, but after years of excuses, he finally decided to take the plunge. “I used to think it was nuts,” he said. “Chief Warrant Officer Sharman Thomas tried to get me to go in for five years. I was always giving him excuses like I had to look after the kids, or I was working. Then one year, I couldn't get
out of it. I ended up organizing it and it turned out better than I thought.” Now, Buckley is a seasoned Polar Bear Swim veteran. “The water is usually warmer than the air, so the worst minute is when you have to get out of your wet clothes into dry ones,” he said. “I am the first one in, calling everyone in to the water, and I am the last one out to make sure that everyone got out and is safe.” The swim isn't just for a good time and a laugh, he says. There are some valuable prizes that will be handed out. “We've got prizes from Red Mountain, the Colander and our grand prize is a round trip for two to Vancouver on Pacific Coastal Airlines,” said Buckley, adding that you have to register and get wet to qualify for the prizes. “I want to see wet hair when people are getting out of the water. It is not like you have to do laps though. If you want to run in and run out, nobody is going to stop you.” Registration for the Polar Bear Swim is on the day of the event. Every swimmer must be registered ahead of the noon starting time. A bonfire and hot chocolate will help chilled swimmers warm up.
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Local mayoral races seemed to turn the tide and reel in a high voter turnout in 2014, compared to previous civic elections. Now, many eyes will be watching if campaign promises like restoring regional recreation, engaging the public, or becoming a better neighbour, will sink or swim this year. Keeping with his platform of growth, vitality and pride, one of Trail Mayor Mike Martin's first orders of business was to create new portfolios for major projects in the coming year – including council appointments to the Riverfront Centre and pipe/pedestrian bridge committees as well as the Trail Regional Airport's new terminal proposal. “At this time, moving to complete major issues coming forward from the previous administration will be the number one priority,” said Martin. “In this regard, I have modified the city’s committee's structure to address these matters...where individual members of council will be appointed to focus on some of the more major issues.” Another priority over the next few months for new council members, Carol Dobie, Lisa Pasin and
Sandy Santori and incumbents Eleanor Gattafoni Robinson, Robert Cacchioni and Kevin Jolly is to develop new strategies for the city in a formal planning session scheduled for March. “With a new council we need to get to know each other and be comfortable working together,” Martin explained. “As the new mayor, I need to ensure that everyone is comfortable and that we get together as a team given the many matters that need to be dealt with.” While none of the outstanding issues, such as Trail's proposed boundary expansion, will be settled in January, reviewing and approving the city's 2015 budgets are a critical starting point, noted Martin. “Council is hoping to see major development advance in the city in early 2015,” he said. “We also need to ensure strategies are in place to continue to advance Trail as a good place to invest.” With so many newly-elected politicians on city and village councils, there's a need to bring everyone up to speed on the ins and outs of local government, says Rossland's new Mayor Kathy Moore. See NEW, Page 5
Plan ahead for a ride tonight BY LIZ BEVAN Times Staff
As the countdown to midnight ends and the champagne toasts are over, New Year's Eve revellers will be looking for a ride home. Options for transportation will be limited this year for Trail party-goers, and police want residents to make a plan to get home safely. There will be one taxi and no buses running past 10 p.m. on the streets of the Silver City tonight and Don Ross with Trail Taxi says calls for rides will be answered on a first-
come-first-serve basis. He asks customers to be patient when waiting for a ride. “We are running 24/7, but we answer calls as they come in,” he said adding that there will only be one cab on the job. “We are going to try our best. If the calls are spaced out, it will work better, but if we get 10 calls at once, it will be a bit slower. It is going to be a busy night, especially because there is no transit.” There used to be free bus service overnight in Trail, but a few years ago, the service
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was cancelled due to unruly passengers. “We used to have three buses (running in Trail on New Year's Eve),” said Sharman Thomas of Trail Transit. “It just became problematic in the sense that there were a lot of kids, drinking too much, fighting, you know. “The last time we ran it, a few years ago, it just didn't work out.” Sgt. Darren Oelke from the Trail RCMP says that the police will be out in force making sure everyone stays safe on the roads during the holiday season.
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