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NOVEMBER 5, 2015
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Vol. 64, Issue 211
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Businesses join cities in new initiative
A R N E P E T RYS H E N
A new economic development initiative hopes to attract industry to Cranbrook and Kimberley by market-
ing directly to them. Mayor Lee Pratt explained the Cranbrook-Kimberley Development Initiative at council on Monday.
The initiative brings together not only the City of Cranbrook and City of Kimberley, but also invites the business community to provide
input. The initiative was on the agenda of the Oct. 27 joint council meeting between the two cities. Pratt noted that he
and Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick started talking in November 2014 prior to the election and agreed that if they both were elected
they would work together. “We didn’t know each other, we introduced ourselves, hit it off, got along really good and decided if we were lucky enough to get elected we were definitely going to try
and work together,” Pratt said, adding they are both on the same page of whatever is good for Cranbrook is good for Kimberley and vice-versa.
See BUSINESS, Page 3
Schools get funding for upgrades TREVOR CRAWLEY
ARNE PETRYSHEN PHOTO
The iconic 1935 Ford truck was lifted from its spot on the Williams Moving and Storage building to get a tuneup and refresh, on Tuesday afternoon. See more, Page 2.
Five schools in Cranbrook will benefit from nearly $1 million in funding from the provincial government to upgrade facilities and reduce energy consumption. Laurie Middle School, Mount Baker Secondary School, Amy Woodlands Elementary School, and Steeples Elementary School and
Pinewood Elementary School will all be getting some kind of upgrades, which is an additional funding supplement to annual capital dollars from the province Every year, SD5 gets roughly $1.3 million dollars for an Annual Facilities Grant which goes towards building maintenance and upgrades.
See SCHOOLS, Page 3
Elko Station the last of its kind BARRY COULTER
An architectural and heritage gem of the East Kootenay has been through some tough times, but is proving to be tough in its own right. The venerable Elko Station, sitting at the corner of Van Horne Street and King Street in Cranbrook, has a new lease of life and is moving towards rejuvenation, thanks to the efforts of the Cranbrook Archives Museums and Landmarks Foundation (CAMAL). Mike Balfour, on the
board of CAMAL, said the Elko station — a Crowsnest B type — is the only one of its kind left in North America. It was assembled in 1901, from a kit shipped to Elko, and moved to Cranbrook in 1987. “The CPR surveyed its towns along the way to determine what kind of station was needed,” Balfour said. “They said Elko needed a Class B — each piece was numbered and sent out, and assembled there in 1901.” The 2,000 square foot
building was moved the 54 miles Cranbrook 86 years later, by road, itself quite an operation. Balfour said the highway was closed to traffic at the time, and power lines had to be removed to make room. The station was set on the existing foundation of another ancient building at its current location. Once in Cranbrook, it served as the first headquarters for the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel (now the Canadian History Centre), and subsequently as of-
fice space. It sat empty since 2001. The low point for the building came in 2012, when it was set on fire. “What saved the building was the insulation,” Balfour said. Still, extensive fire damage occurred to the outdoor siding and windows, and the smoke damage was also quite severe, especially on the second floor. Pigeons were able to occupy the premises after the fire, and the guano was thick.
See ONE-OF-A, Page 4
BARRY COULTER PHOTO
Many volunteers have been working to restore and repair the historic Elko Station, damaged by fire in 2012.