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Wednesday, March 16, 2016
March 19
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Vol.8 • Issue 74
Donna Macdonald dishes on five mayors See Page 11
WINTER MAR KET
Celtic quartet wows Trafalgar See Page 10
Hart Hall, N
pm
elson ecosociety.c a
Pair perfect pool prowess
David Gentles*
Ten-year-old Nelson pool shark Kailash Sanjivi lined up a shot last Thursday (right) while his good friend Nile Owen, 11, looked on (left). The pair regularly meet each other at the Nelson and District Youth Centre to work on their game. When the Star visited the centre was abuzz with action while scooter-riders, skateboarders and air hockey players hung out with their friends and parents. The youth centre is currently offering skate lessons, an open roller-skate, a magic night hosted in the multi-purpose room, hip hop classes and an anime club. For more photos, see page 2.
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FortisBC to demolish South Slocan buildings 1920s staff house doomed as part of power company’s plans for new facility GREG NESTEROFF Nelson Star
Laura Salmon Cell 250-551-8877
E-mail Laura@LauraSalmon.com Website www.LauraSalmon.com
RHC Realty
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Now that it has approval to build a new operations centre in Ootischenia, FortisBC plans to demolish its old administration office and warehouse at South Slocan. Spokeswoman Nicole Bogdanovic confirmed Monday that the company
doesn’t plan to keep the two buildings adjacent to its generating plant and powerhouse once its new facility opens before the end of 2017. “We did an extensive review of the state of the buildings,” she said. “It was determined by an independent consulting firm that it would be costly to bring up to today’s safety standards. The cost of maintaining buildings is passed on to customers through their rates.” The three-storey vine-covered administration building was designed in either 1926 or 1929, depending on con-
flicting sources. It originally housed workers employed on construction of West Kootenay Power’s South Slocan dam and later became a guest house. In 1986, it was converted into an office building. The warehouse was built in 1930 to house construction horse teams and was used for that purpose untiil the late 1940s when it was converted to its present use. Selling the buildings was not possible, Bogdanovic said, because the company needs to retain secure access to the site. “If we were to entertain any
other option, it would have to be fiscally responsible, and allow us to continue to operate safely and securely. The decision was made after considering every alternative.” Five scenarios are outlined in the company’s application to the BC Utilities Commission submitted last July: do nothing, renovate the existing facilities, replace the existing facilities on their current site, lease a facility around Castlegar, or build new combined office and materials site in Ootischenia. The cost of renovating the
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existing facilities was pegged at $24.6 million. It would take about 17 months and require staff to be temporarily relocated while the buildings were repaired. Replacing the existing generation facilities in South Slocan was estimated to cost $30 million. No alternative sites were identified around Castlegar. Consolidating operations and building new in Ootischenia was identified at the cheapest option at $20.6 million, including $446,000 to demolish CONTINUED ON A9