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Wednesday, September 30, 2015
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Dry Creek work rushes to finish Traffic diverted for crews to complete the $2.7-million flood mitigation project in time for salmon migration MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Traffic was diverted off of Third Avenue starting Tuesday this week as the city hurries to finish a project to expand Dry Creek. Work on the $2.7-million Dry Creek flood abatement project began in late July and has been in the planning process since 2013. Widening the creek channel through South Port to increase flow capacity has been a priority for the city since a flood in November 2006 caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage. The project is nearing completion but is faced with an upcoming fisheries window next month that requires the work to wrap up by Oct. 9, city engineer Guy Cicon told council at their regular meeting on Monday. Workers have to install culverts under Third Avenue by that date, Cicon said. The contractor will have to work double shifts to expedite the labour, he noted. Traffic is being detoured off Third Avenue between Dunbar and Napier streets. It will last for the next eight days as work continues on the project, said Cicon. “It’s going to be an inconven-
Kyle Chetcuti redirects traffic at the bottom of the Third Avenue hill while work intensifies to finish a project to protect Dry Creek from future flooding, including the installation of a new box culvert under the Uptown street. A detour is in place until Oct. 9 to allow Third Avenue to be closed from Dunbar Street to Napier. [ERIC PLUMMER, TIMES]
ience to the public, I understand that,” said Cicon. “It’s critical that we get that work in this year. This is a project that can’t be carried over to next year.” Two-thirds of the $2.7-million project funding is covered by provincial and federal grants,
with the remaining $900,000 paid by the city with long-term loans. The funding is for this year, said Cicon. Work could not continue through the winter anyway because of weather, he noted. Coun. Ron Paulson asked if
the project is on schedule or running behind. “We have to expedite this last push,” Cicon answered. Work on the culverts must be completed to allow for salmon migration, he said. “We are pushing up against that window. There will
be some surface work that we can do afterwards. We’re going to get this project done.” “Hundreds and hundreds of trees through that area” will be planted to finish the project, Cicon added. The trees will “naturalize” quickly and “provide shade as designed in a very short period of time,” he said. Ongoing work has widened the channel that begins 40 metres upstream from Fourth Avenue to the box culverts on Third. Improvements have lengthened the Dry Creek channel about 550 metres downstream past Third as it curves northwards parallel to Harbour Road, emptying into the Alberni Inlet south of the Catalyst Paper property. The creek improvements include plans to enhance habitat for salmon using fish rearing pools to nourish populations during hot and dry summers. Buildings have been demolished on Fourth Avenue over the summer to make way for the wider creek. The city acquired the former Jade Restaurant property for $650,000 and a derelict house for $40,000 before tearing them down.
EDUCATION
Curriculum brings days off for teacher planning “With two additional non-instructional days this year, groups of teachers will be able to meet and review the curriculum.”
KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Students in public schools have two additional days off this year. Those 10 hours of instructional time will be used by teachers to learn about and develop strategies as the new curriculum is phased in. On Monday, Minister of Education Mike Bernier and B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker announced a plan to provide teachers with services and financial support to be able to implement the upcoming changes. Included in the two days of professional development is $1 million for training and an additional $100 million over three years. Next year, the curriculum will include the merging of schools to encompass kindergarten to
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Ken Zydyk, Alberni District Teachers’ Union president
ZYDYK
Grade 9, but teachers have the option of exploring topics this year, including ways of focusing on individual students’ interests. “The curriculum includes a wide range, covering all areas
and subjects,” said Ken Zydyk, president of the Alberni District Teachers’ Union. “Teachers will be able to provide more in-depth personalized care and this will help them explore where their student’s interests are.” He’s happy with the announcement. “I am pleased with the sup-
port of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Ministry of Education,” Zydyk said. Zydyk said teachers have been feeling the pressure of trying to cover all of the learning objectives and to meet the interests of their students and pace of the class. He said the announcement gives teachers a chance to learn from others. “With two additional non-instructional days this year, groups of teachers will be able to meet to review the curriculum,” Zydyk said. “There will be region-wide gatherings of teachers to develop a plan and reach out to other school districts to implement strategies.” Zydyk said he hopes it helps ease the anxiety of teachers The challenge to teachers continues to be a lack of in-class support, he said. The number
Water restrictions lifted after dry conditions end
Island options delight gourmets with cheese
Prohibitions have been entirely lifted with an announcement from the city engineer at Monday’s council meeting.
Anybody with an interest in eating locally doesn’t have to look far on Vancouver Island.
» Alberni Region, 3
» Taste, 10
of educational assistants has not changed from last year, but Zydyk is hopeful there are more to come. “I am hearing the concerns of teachers not being able to meet the needs of all students,” he said. “There is a wide diversity of students in the classrooms and [the teachers] are concerned about the lack of oneon-one support.” Zydyk said additional positions will be available but a consultation will be done to determine where best to place them. The provincial government’s plan also includes two additional professional days for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school year, when the Grade 10-12 curriculum will be implemented. Kristi.Dobson@avtimes.net
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