COMMUNITY PROFILE: Jaspers to Canadian Forces
SPORTS: Ringette players going to Winter Games
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016
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Water leak investigations By Xuyun Zeng Houston Today
SLEDTOWN Honours
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On Saturday, January 16, Houston gathered at Dungate Meadows to celebrate its Sledtown victory. At the celebration, a number of people were recognized for their dedication and hard work with the Houston Snowmobile Club: Melvin Haftner, Pete Bodnar, and Hank Buursema (one of the original founding members in 1971). The personal sacrifices these gentlemen and their families have made helped put the club in the position it enjoys today. A big thanks to all those involved with the Houston Snowmobile Club and those who voted in the Sledtown competition.
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Public works staff from the District of Houston are trying to find out the cause of a higher-than-normal demand for water. Starting last Wednesday, staff have been shutting off water supply to certain parts of town where they suspect there might be a water leak in the pipes. “We’re in the process of doing some searching through town to look for any additional water leaks that may be occurring which are causing this additional water production at our treatment plant.” A report from manager of engineering and operations Don Hounsell presented at council showed that last month, the town pumped 7.1 million litres of water, compared to 2.9 million litres in December 2014. Public works staff
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“Last month, the town pumped 7.1 million litres of water, compared to 2.9 million in Dec. 2014.”
repaired a leak in front of the medical centre two weeks ago, which Hounsell said has helped lower water output, but he said that there might be several other small leaks. Staff will go to different parts in town where they think there might be problems or where there have historically been problems. “We can’t really See LEAK on Page 2
Schools face declining enrolment and aging infrastructure By Chris Gareau Black Press
The Bulkley Valley School District 54 board decided to activate a 60-day consultation period on closing Lake Kathlyn Elementary School on the outskirts of Smithers at its meeting last Tuesday.
The decision came after continued low enrollment. A final decision on whether or not to close the school this June will be made at a special meeting at Lake Kathlyn school on Apr. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The number of students attending Lake Kathlyn has dropped 42 per cent since 1998,
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despite bussing in 29 kids from outside the catchment area. More
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students from inside the catchment are being bussed out, howev-
er, with 87 kids bussed into Smithers due to parent preference for programs like French Immersion at Muheim Elementary. That means the school loses a net 58 students from parent preference. The current enrollment is at 81, 38 per cent of the 215-student capacity.
A facilities review report says closing the school would save the district a conservatively estimated $350,000 per year. The District recommended reviewing the use of Lake Kathlyn school at last April’s annual facilities review. The school was built in 1961 and had
a wing added to accommodate a thengrowing population in 1994. That review also highlighted major issues at Silverthorne Elementary School in Houston. It listed challenges there as building envelope issues, exterior upgrades, the See SCHOOL on Page 15
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