S I N C E
THURSDAY
JANUARY 28, 2016 Vol. 121, $ 05 Issue 15
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NECK AND BACK PAIN
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South Columbia SAR gets swinging on hall overhaul VALERIE ROSSI Trail Times
South Columbia Search and Rescue (SAR) took a sledge hammer to the front of its hall Wednesday, signalling the start of an overhaul that has been a long time coming. The group operates out of the former Legion building in Fruitvale, which has been a solid clubhouse though its exterior suggests otherwise. The front end of the building, an addition put on years ago, is built on concrete blocks and has started to sink and tear over the years. Spray foam has mended leaky spots and prevented mould but is by no means a solution. South Columbia SAR has secured $35,500 to do Phase 1 of a redesign and sits tight for the second portion of work, tallying at $112,000, which will include a new three-bay garage and roof. “We store our vehicles and boat all over Fruitvale and Trail. Every year it ends up moving to a new location because someone gets tired of having it in their driveway,” said Mike Hudson, president of South Columbia SAR. “It’s going to improve our response time because we won’t have to round up our vehicles before we load up …” Its fleet of two trucks and a boat
Valerie Rossi photo
South Columbia Search and Rescue president Mike Hudson took a swing at the volunteer group’s hall, which is getting a facelift after years of planned improvements. DJM Contracting will tear the front of the building down this week and start building an outdoor staircase next week. will also withstand the elements longer when properly stored, he adds.
Phase 1 of the overhaul will see the dilapidated face removed and rebuilt; the property landscaped,
and an outdoor staircase added giving it a real “alpine” look. There is more work to come,
but the group has divided the improvements into phases as a means of getting started and achieving its ultimate goal of a renewed functional hall. “For a couple years now we’ve looked at every option that we could, whether we could move to a new building, a new location,” said Hudson. “We could have put a steel Quonset up for probably half the cost of what we’re looking at, but unfortunately here there’s a little bit more red tape and rules because we’re within a development permit zone in Fruitvale.” But working with the village has proven to be helpful, he added. Municipal staff guided the volunteer group through the permit process and building a business case. Footing the entire bill in one go was also unrealistic, added vice president Adam James. “(The renovation) is really important to us but it’s still lower on the list,” he said. “With the funding we do get priorities are training, and equipment and (the project) has just taken a while to bubble up to the top so we can start making some progress.” The project was given a boost with donations from individuals, businesses and organizations, including help from Columbia Basin Trust, Teck, Rotary and reduced rates from main contractor, DJM.
Plenty of snow and rain creates a tale of two cities VALERIE ROSSI Trail Times
Val Rossi photo
A stop sign is barely visible along Thompson Ave. in Rossland
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The El Nino wet weather pattern that’s hit the region has brought much precipitation and at high elevation that means snow and lots of it. Jesse Ellis, a forecaster for the Southeast Fire Centre, has tracked about 50 per cent more snow so far this month than what’s typically recorded from the weather station in Castlegar.
He also noted 18 per cent more rain than average and much milder conditions in a sneak peak climate summary. “The reason for this is we’ve had a steady stream of Pacific system after Pacific system coming in from the west, and it’s just been a really active pattern in terms of all the storms coming in over the area,” he added. Trail residents may have been out shovelling daily early this winter but the warm weather in
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the valley has melted much of the white stuff now. The City of Trail reports that it’s on budget with snow removal. The city was busy in December removing snow from West and East Trail neighbourhoods and downtown. Crews are now focused on removing snow from stockpiles and transporting loads to designated snow dumping areas. “That’s typically what we’ve CONTINUED ON A2
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Val Rossi photo
The last remnants of snow are being washed away by rain in Trail.
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