INSPECTION TEAMS Dealing with grow op complaints
OUTLAWS DROP OPENER
Mission down 1-0 in playoffs
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Friday, February 20, 2015
SERVING MISSION SINCE 1908
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District terminates CAO Mission council makes major change at the top
Carol Aun MISSION RECORD
Changes needed to be made at municipal hall to move Mission in a new direction, said Mayor Randy Hawes after the district announced the dismissal of its chief administrative officer. The termination was immediate, added Hawes, noting details of former CAO Ken Bjorgaard’s severance package are personal. “It will be reflected in the financial statements. Those
kinds of issues are personal … We don’t go out and advertise this. Ken’s entitled to some privacy too.” In 2013, Bjorgaard received a salary of $178,404, not including expenses. He was released, without cause, last week. Hawes said the change was “a significant decision” for council, who felt the move was necessary to take the community in a new direction. “We’ve come off three years of funding cuts,” said Hawes. “There’s been very little investment in the kinds of infra-
structure that builds parks and families.” Bjorgaard was hired as the district’s director of finance in 2001, the same year Hawes, who was serving as Mission’s mayor at the time, was elected to the provincial legislature. “Ken was outstanding in handling money here when he was (finance director),” said Hawes, adding council’s decision “is no reflection on Ken’s abilities.” Bjorgaard was promoted to CAO in 2012, shortly after the CONTINUED ON 5
New skate park planned Construction slated to begin next spring Carol Aun MISSION RECORD
Local skateboarders are enthusiastic about the district’s plans to build a new skateboard park, with many saying it can’t come soon enough. Twenty-four-year-old Shayne agreed a new park is “badly” needed, but noted a lot of the older boarders will not be here in two years. “Mostly high school kids come here,” said 16-year-old Grayam, who was at the skateboard park outside the Leisure Centre Tuesday afternoon. “I usually come in the morning and after school … I live here.” Cameron, 18, said skateboarding was a way for him to connect with his mom’s boyfriend. “I started when I was eight. My mom’s boyfriend was a boarder and he started teaching me. I caught on.” Mission’s skate park was built more than 20 years ago by volunteers and has “deteriorated significantly,” according to a report to council. There are cracks, dips, and chips all over the park. The sport has grown over the years and is now the third largest participant sport in North America for the 10-18 age group. Designs for parks have also evolved from ramps and rails to more sophis-
Coun. Rhett Nicholson looks forward to working with youth on plans to build a new skateboard park in Mission. CAROL AUN PHOTO
ticated structures, like bowls and half pipes. Grayam, who suggested Griner Park would be a suitable location, envisions the new park to be a big plaza with a small bowl and a big bowl. Cameron asked for ramps, half pipes, quarter pipes, boxes, and rails. The district’s plan is to establish a project team by the end of February and seek community consultation beginning in May and June. A new site and the final budget is expected to be approved by council in the fall. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2016 and finished in June 2016. Coun. Rhett Nicholson, who used to skateboard as a teenager, tested the park in Mission this week and understands why the demand for a new facility is there. “There are cracks everywhere,” said Nicholson, who is proud the council he is a part of is working to improve amenities for youth and families. “It’s dangerous and painful for skateboarders when they fall.” Nicholson said he enjoyed the camaraderie and challenges of the sport that brings youth together.
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