News Leader News for May 01, 2007
TOWN RECEIVES GRANT
The Similkameen Valley Planning Society has procured a grant of $4,000 from the BC Ministry of Economic Development.
The grant was applied for in cooperation with the Town of Princeton.
The grant will be used to help define a strategy for marketing the Princeton Industrial Park to the investment world. Princeton Chief Administrative Officer Patrick Robins and Similkameen Valley EDO Michael McLaughlin are working together on Council's plan for the industrial park.
The grant money will likely be used for consultants who will assist with the details of the investment attraction strategy.
"The consultants we are speaking to are former Economic Development Officers who were successful in attracting investment to industrial parks," said McLaughlin.
"This is an example of how the SVPS can work with its member communities to obtain funds and assist with their economic development projects."
Under the current Council, a phased plan for industrial park development has been prepared. Council is developing the industrial park in concert with airport development.
FOREST COMPANIES MET MOST 2006 GOALS
The 13 forest licensees in Merritt Timber Supply area did a good job of forest management last year. Each year, a Sustainable Management Plan is made based on the Canadian Standards Association system.The plan sets performance goals and targets to reflect local and regional interests, including ranching, forestry, conservation, water, recreation and community and First Nations interests. Each spring, a monitoring report is released.
The SFM Plan addresses 34 targets. The annual monitoring report indicates whether performance targets have been met.
A total of 4,361 hectares in the area achieved free growing status, meeting the target 4.3 years earlier than legally required.
One hundred percent of soil conservation commitments were achieved on the 10,349 hectares harvested in Merritt TSA last year.
Old growth management areas were reduced by a mere one percent as a result of timber harvesting in 2006, although the regulations allow five percent.
In some goals, management exceeded the target. In other goals, the target missed by only a few percent off 100.
Problems occurred in some areas, but these were rapidly addressed.
Biodiversity was maintained to the level of 99.6 percent, and 100 percent of harvested areas were planted with species ecologically suited to the site.
Protection of identified wildlife habitat was met 100 percent.
Total lumber output from sawmills within the TSA was 764,024,000 board feet. Total ship, shavings and hog fuel output from sawmills was 784,375 bone dry tonnes. Other forest products output from sawmills was 47,270 cubic feet.
Timber processing facilities within Merritt TSA were in operation an average of 276 days with an average of 1.9 shifts.
Mill employees totalled 760 for the Merritt/Princeton area.
TOWN LAUNCHES WEBSITE: www.princeton.ca
Princeton has a new website that can be viewed at www.princeton.ca.According to Councillor Jim Manion, Council approved funding for a tourism website "because it was essential for marketing Princeton. Many prospective travellers go to a website first thing to plan a vacation. Council felt that Princeton needed a website that caught people's attention."
The Town contracted Akerley Designs to design and build the site. Akerley Designs has international clients and built the Village of Keremeos website and designed two tourism brochures for the Similkameen Valley Planning Society.
The website project was initiated with a workshop on branding. Community and tourism representatives outlined the 'look and feel' of the website and the themes it should use to present Princeton and Area to the world. The objectives were to have a website that was easy on the eye and reflects a place that is 'laidback, friendly' steeped in history and offers a great place to get away and enjoy the outdoors.
Economic Development Officer Michael McLaughlin was given the task of gathering and writing the contents of the website. Contributions came from many sources, including the Chamber of Commerce, Princeton Museum, Upper Similkameen Indian Band Archaeology Department, the Similkameen News Leader and the photographers listed on the website under photo credits.
Manion points out that the website will assist local businesses to showcase themselves. "There is a business directory and any business with a website can have a link on the Town's site."
Statistics show that almost 70% of travellers use the internet to plan vacations and close to half use the internet to make travel reservations. A website is the only inexpensive way to market internationally. The on-going marketing strategy of the Town will be to attract attention to the website by the use of signs, ads, brochures and publicity. An attractive tourism website may also attract new residents and businesses to Princeton.
The Town of Princeton will be responsible for keeping the website up-to-date. Enquiries about the website, including listing on the business directory, should be made at the Town Office.
