WEDNESDAY
< In honour of Robbie Burns
JANUARY 28, 2015
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Vol. 64, Issue 19
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Arts council eyeing up fire hall TR E VO R C R AWL EY
With an eye on a permanent home, the Cranbrook and District Arts Council (CDAC) has received funding that will go towards the installation of an eleva-
tor at the old Fire Hall. The funding—a $50,000 Accessibility Grant—is one of many steps to help the old fire hall meet code for public use or access, as the CDAC plans to repur-
pose the building for a public arts and cultural centre while maintaining its historical integrity. The CDAC, in partnership with the city of Cranbrook, has been
working towards the restoration of the building, one of only nine registered heritage buildings in town. Built in 1929, the old fire hall was in use up until three years ago,
when the construction of a new facility was finished on 2nd Street S. The old location was briefly occupied by Cranbrook Search and Rescue and—while the city still uses a small
part of the building— much of it remains empty. After signing an agreement with the city last spring, the CDAC received $20,000 from the Columbia Kootenay
Cultural Alliance to carry out a structural evaluation of the building, which resulted in the removal of asbestos last fall. “We are moving right along with as much speed as these processes allow,” said Bill McColl, chair of the CDAC building committee. With the rollover of a new year, the CDAC is busy with grant applications, and is currently well-positioned and has the capacity to turn the old fire hall into a cultural centre.
See ARTS, Page 3
RCMP seek information from public after home invason CPL. CHRIS NEWEL
TREVOR CRAWLEY PHOTO
Kootenay Ice forward Luke Philp made some new friends from the Boys and Girls Club while hanging out at the Cranbrook Public Library on Tuesday afternoon. Philp was joined by teammates Tyler King, Austin Vetterl and Keelan Williams as they each read stories to the kids and signed autographs to help mark National Family Literacy Day.
Cranbrook resident concerned about downstream creek flooding TREVOR CRAWLEY
A Cranbrook man is worried about potential for flooding from Joseph Creek in the neighbourhood of Terra Lee after noticing the water level rising due to ice buildup. Bill Sutherland, a property owner in Terra Lee, is frustrat-
ed about the rising levels and blames the increase on a decision by the city to break up the ice, which has resumed the water flow. “This year, the city brought us more Elizabeth Lake water,” Sutherland wrote, in a letter to the city, referencing
the replacement of a culvert on Wattsville Rd. “This water/ ice threatened to damage the city’s Willowbrook Drive bridge. The city’s solution was to break up the ice in front of their bridge. This is 50 feet upstream of Terra Lee property and this is why our prop-
erty was flooded. Other Joseph creek properties did not experience the extreme flooding conditions that impacted Terra Lee. “…We have had three weeks of temperatures always below zero. We have had next to no precipitation (a few
inches of snow that remains frozen). The freezing temperatures mean storm sewers have not been flowing. Other Joseph Creek residents are not calling the city to report extreme flooding conditions.”
See FLOODING, Page 3
Cranbrook RCMP responded to a home invasion on January 23, at 11:30 p.m., in the 1300 block of 10th Street South, Cranbrook. Two unidentified males wearing masks and brandishing blunt weapons forced their way into a residence demanding property from the occupants. The suspects fled the residence empty handed prior to the 9-1-1 call to police. Cranbrook general duty officers, municipal traffic and auxiliary constables along with Southeast District police dog service responded to the report but, were unable to locate the individuals responsible. Cranbrook RCMP believe the suspects targeted the address in error.
See RCMP, Page 3