EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
Trees pilfered from public nature reserve Page 3
Splatsin open community centre Page 6
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 PM40008236
Vol. 60 No. 50 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Children’s concert:
Jammies, stuffies and little angels were part of the Malakwa Gospel Church’s Christmas concert held Sunday, Dec. 6. Clockwise from left: Sheala Riley and Sofie Sweeney sing along to Go Tell it on the Mountain; Jenna Rothwell and Violet-May Sholtz read the Nativity story to the audience; Sofie Sweeney, Tiat Shw, Money Chief and Drake Martin sing along to Joy to the World.
Photos by Rachel Rowbottom
Water treatment plant to be fully operational in January By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
It’s anticipated Sicamous’ new water treatment plant will be fully operational come January, with a grand opening sometime in February. It was suggested by project manager Jean Lambert in September that the Mara water treatment facility would be fully operational earlier than anticipated – by the end of October. But Mayor Terry Rysz said the timeline was pushed back a bit on account of unforeseen electrical difficulties which have since been worked out. Rysz said the plant is now operating while staff work out the kinks and get up to speed with the new system. Water is run-
ning through the those signs,” said system, though Rysz. “People it’s not filtering can come into …what we learned from this community the community’s this is when we’re looking at now without havdrinking water these projects in the future, ing to be conjust yet. the preliminary work needs to cerned about the “We’ll be defi nitely be done… turning that tap quality of their on probably in a drinking water. Terry Rysz couple of weeks,” “I am very Mayor said Rysz. excited about The mayor having that projsays he’s anxious to turn the tap on and ect completed and we’re hoping to maybe bring an end to the boil water notices that improve on that wall of the water treatment have been ongoing in the community since plant as well. I’m not sure what we’re go2012. ing to do there, maybe put a welcome to Si“It will even help increase property val- camous sign or a mural of some sort on there ues once we get that boil water advisory off or whatever. That’s in the future as well.”
The project budget for the plant was $7.9 million. Three million of that was provided in grant funding from the provincial and federal governments, approved when it was anticipated the plant would cost $4.5 million. Having served as a councillor with the previous council, Rysz is currently the only one on council who has since day one been part of the process of making the treatment facility a reality. He admits council made some mistakes in that process, and believes the district could have received more funding from the federal and provincial governments if it had its “ducks in a row.” “Interestingly enough, what we learned from this is when we’re looking at these See Process not on page 2