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Vol. 120, Issue 45
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Culley leads Canada Page 11
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Trail area included in new transportation plan
PERENNIAL PLANTING
BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
LIZ BEVAN PHOTO
Bill Garnett of Columbia Valley Greenhouses on Old Waneta Road in Trail puts together an assorted planter during their busiest time of year. “There aren't enough hours in a day,” he said.
Library beefs up security
BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
The theft of a new laptop and missing DVDs has prompted the Trail and District Public Library to add new technology to its repository – the 24/7 security camera. It's a sign of the times, and an action that many libraries are taking, says Barbara Gibson. “We want to continue to provide the best possible service for our patrons,” explained Gibson,
BC is on the move with $1.8 billion set aside to repair and grow the province's vast network of roads, highways, bridges and airports over the next three years. The question is, will Greater Trail be on or off the beaten path as the province fires up plans to improve safety, maintain and replace aging infrastructure and support global supply chains between North America and Asia. According to the Minister of Transport, there's improvements on the way for the area's side roads and secondary highways, grant money available for the Trail airport, and maybe a few dollars for the Victoria Street bridge. “West Kootenay folks can look forward to a good number of improvements that will take many different forms,” Todd Stone told the Trail Times last week. “When we look at corridors like Highway 3A and Highway 3B and the huge network of rural roads that are really important in rural B.C. these secondary rural roads are in need of attention.” He said there is about $400 million earmarked from the $890 million rehabilitation budget for work on highways and secondary roads in the region. The ministry is in the process of prioritizing projects and details will be forthcoming, he added. “But I can assure residents of the Kootenays (West and East), there are probably more side roads and secondary highways that are in need of upgrades than almost anywhere else in the province,” Stone continued. “So there will be tremendous focus and work done on the roads over the next three years.” The province has also committed to a provincial trucking strategy that includes upgrading bridges and overpasses to accomodate heavier loads. “We figure we'll be able to upgrade or
a longtime chair of the library board. “In order to do that we will be installing cameras with continuous livestreaming, taking into account the premise's sight lines. We'll do whatever it takes, and an important part of business these days is making sure to provide security for all patrons and staff.” The recent theft of a $1,500 computer and docking station from Library Director Kathryn Foley's back office is the latest
replace 30 structures,” said Stone, noting that funds are not for tearing down old structures, like the old bridge, which is city property. “We profiled a few bridges in our plan and we will be getting on with details soon.” The B.C. on the Move plan includes community input from stakeholders across the province, including local governments, chambers of commerce, port and airport authorities and responses from a public survey. The ministry hosted a stakeholder meeting in Trail last fall, and heard five key points from participants. The transportation of goods via road and rail from Washington, U.S.A., throughout the region was highlighted as an important passageway, and attendees urged the province not to lose sight of the vital corridor. “This is a great example for potential funding,” said Stone, noting B.C.'s 47,000 kilometres of highway and rural roads the province is responsible for. “So that's always an ongoing challenge to invest as much as we can in as many kilometres of highway each year – it's a balancing act.” Another theme heard locally and across the province, was that aviation is critical to growing the B.C. economy, and small airports are the best way to connect communities. The need for a runway extension at the Trail Regional Airport was noted during the Trail gathering, and in the Grand Forks meeting, participants expressed airport reliability in Trail and Castlegar a key issue in the region. Stone said as part of the 10-year B.C. on the Move plan, the new B.C. Air Access Program makes $8 million available annually for three years, so community airports can access grants to improve infrastructure like runways, terminals and lighting. See PROVINCE, Page 3
incidence that has the facility adding security and reconfiguring how certain resources will be handled moving forward. “The other issue we have is DVDs being taken out of the envelopes and the case put back on the shelf,” said Gibson. “We are going to be doing a little rearranging because we want to be able to update DVDs and upgrade our music to provide the best possible service for our patrons.”
Instead of recorded materials being available in a public access format, library staff will be emptying all the cases, putting the DVDs in envelopes and storing them behind the circulation desk. “It's mostly movies and a number of TV series that we carry,” noted Gibson. “I can't say how many have gone missing but even one or two is too many because they cost us.” See LIBRARY, Page 3
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