MAJOR SUPPORT | Resident provides front-end loader to Okanagan College [10]
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Morning gStar Friday, January 23, 2015
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Vernon pushes for library cash
SNOW SWING
RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
LISA VANDERVELDE/MORNING STAR
Benny Appleton, three, swings with helpful pushes from his dad Noel Appleton Thursday at Lakeview Park as they play in the snow.
Welcome signs still in limbo RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
The future of Greater Vernon’s welcome signs has been put off again. Regional District of North Okanagan directors provided no direction to staff Wednesday on how to address the three Welcome to Greater Vernon signs, which are in disrepair. Instead, the issue has been sent to the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee for discussion. “We will deal with it there one way or the other,” said Juliette Cunningham, a Vernon director who is also GVAC chairperson. RDNO staff first asked for direction on the signs in October, but at that time, the board deferred
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Officials are trying to decide what to do with the Welcome to Greater Vernon signs which are in poor condition. the matter until the Jan. 21 meeting.
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“It’s possible no one wanted to deal with it at that time because
of the (November) election,” said Cunningham. The signs were installed in 2008 by the then-economic development function for Greater Vernon, which disbanded in 2009. Economic development is now the function of the City of Vernon and RDNO has no funding service to raise funds for sign repairs. Cunningham insists the issue can’t be ignored. “They need to be maintained. If we don’t get support from the GVAC partners (Coldstream and the electoral areas), the City of Vernon will have to decide if it puts money forward.” Possible options could include either making the repairs or removing the signs.
Vernon’s neighbours have been put on notice. City representatives used Wednesday’s Regional District of North Okanagan meeting to let Coldstream and Areas B and C know they are being asked to contribute funds to keep the Vernon library open Sundays. “Their residents also benefit from the library,” said Catherine Lord, a city director. Vernon council recently added $21,000 to the 2015 municipal budget to keep the Okanagan Regional Library’s Vernon branch open Sundays. ORL was considering closing the branch Sundays (it is open four hours that day from October to April) to bring the branch’s services in alignment with the taxes the community contributes to operations. Juliette Cunningham, a Vernon director, believes it’s appropriate for the city to seek support from Coldstream and the electoral areas. “We’ve done the same for library furniture and Coldstream has pitched in before,” she said. No commitments were made by the other jurisdictions Wednesday. “I will certainly consider it. How much I can give is the issue,” said Mike Macnabb, Area C director. A recent ORL study showed there was a $371,000 difference between the services provided and the taxation Vernon provides for operations. ORL hopes to recoup $78,000 through changes to staffing, although much of that may occur through attrition (retirement). Macnabb isn’t convinced that linking taxation to services received should be ORL’s only consideration when operating a branch. “Vernon is consistently the highest circulating branch in the entire system,” he said.
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