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KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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MAY 16, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 58
City looks at $13M West Victoria facelift ANDREA KLASSEN STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
A FISH TALE FOR THE AGES
Little Fawn Nursery student Payton Samson (centre) gets an up-close meeting with a good-sized rainbow trout with the help of knowledge keeper Ed Jensen (left) and language teacher Rhonda Jules. KTW’s Dave Eagles was at Jacko Lake/Pipsell to witness the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another. Read his story and view his photos on page A10 and online at kamloopsthisweek.com.
A major facelift of West Victoria Street could be on the way if the City of Kamloops can score big on gas-tax grants. At its Tuesday meeting, city council will be asked to approve a grant application for up to $6 million to cover almost half the costs of beautifying the stretch of road between city hall and Overlanders Bridge, while also upgrading the pipes below. According to a staff report, the street remains virtually unchanged since the bridge was built in 1961. “The sidewalk on the south side has a number of utility poles that are problematic for wheelchair users and potentially hazardous for motorists. Some of the water and sewer utilities date back to 1907,” wrote engineering manager Deven Matkowski. Staff is proposing a $12.8 million plan (which includes an estimated $500,000 in contributions from BC Hydro and ICBC because of the project’s beautification and safety implications. The project would include a full road reconstruction, with sidewalks on both sides of the street, removal and burial of utility poles and service lines and water, sewer and
storm sewer upgrades. The redesigned West Victoria Street would include a new roundabout where the road transitions east into Seymour Street and changes to the lane configuration at the bridge on-ramps to increase capacity. The city would also add boulevard trees and other plants where it can. If successful in securing the grant, which is open to municipalities outside the Greater Vancouver area, the city would fund the remaining $6.3 million in costs using cash from its various utilities levies, active transportation fund and other road works budgets. Matkowski said about $4 million of that is already in the city’s fiveyear planning budget because utility improvements on West Victoria Street are a high priority. Work would take place in 2019. Council is also being asked on Tuesday to submit a second grant application to the Strategic Priorities Fund for its airport beautification project along Tranquille Road, which is estimated at $6 million. The fund provides up to 100 per cent funding for eligible capital and capacity building projects to a maximum contribution of $6 million per project.
BRONCOS SPRINGING INTO FORM TODAY’S WEATHER Sunny and cool High 12 C Low 3 C
The B.C. Football Conference Kamloops Broncos wrapped up spring camp on the weekend, with the season little more than a month away
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