News Leader News for October 07, 2007
FIREMASTER ASKS FOR TOWN SUPPORT
SBC Firemaster wants to expand its operations into biomass energy production.
At the October 1 Town Council meeting, Paul Adams, acting on behalf of Firemaster, appealed to Council to back Firemaster's request to government that the dead timber used for biomass be removed from the Ministry of Forests to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The reason for the request is to exempt timber killed by the pine beetle from the softwood lumber agreement jurisdiction to avoid paying the $12 per cubic metre stumpage tax. This tax deters biomass, pellet and firewood companies as it is not possible to sell these products at a price that will cover costs.
Adams asked Council to consider incentives to encourage people to burn wood in high efficiency pellet stoves or high efficiency wood burning stoves. He described methods used in other communities. Using dead wood for fuel is carbon neutral which means it does not add to the carbon load in the atmosphere.
He pointed out the positive side of using the bug killed timber for biomass, pellets and firewood: these products can utilize dead timber up to 25 years whereas lumber manufacturers can use it only up to five years.
Council agreed to support the request to government, and to look into incentives to high efficiency wood burning units for homes in Princeton.
MAYOR LOOKS AHEAD TO WATER CRISIS
Princeton is expected to be one of the hard-hit communities as the mountain pine beetle continues destroying local forests. At the October 1 Town Council meeting, Mayor Randy McLean took time to look ahead to what experts say Princeton will experience.
One of the concerns will be water crises. Mayor McLean said he had learned that 30 percent of the snowpack is absorbed by the forest canopy.
Without the forest in place, runoff will occur at a faster rate and there will be more water available. This means more high water concerns each spring until the forest grows back.
The second crisis period will be at this time of year. With a faster runoff and more water going downstream, very low levels of water will occur in late summer and autumn.
Mayor McLean stated, "We should have some kind of reservoir on our river. It could produce power as well as assist with irrigation needs."
TOWN APPROVES TAX EXEMPTIONS
Town Council has given three readings to a bylaw to exempt certain properties from municipal property tax. The list is extensive. It includes nine church properties, Senior Citizens properties, hospital and health properties, seniors' housing, seven recreational properties, the old fire hall, the museum/library property, Masonic lodge building, the provincial government building, Town property and the Chamber of Commerce building.DISTRICT CONTINUES FIGHT
School trustees have been fighting against GST for years, and are no further ahead, but are continuing the fight. School activities are charged GST for such things as hot dog sales. School districts must pay GST on purchases but get back only 68 percent. What trustees want is a total exemption from GST.
At the October 3 school board meeting, Trustee Gordon Swann introduced a motion asking for support for the private members bill to be introduced by MP Alex Atamanenko. The motion passed.
SCHOOLS BUILD MORE PARTNERSHIPS
Secondary school students in School District #58 (Nicola-Similkameen) will have more opportunities to make a good transition to post-secondary education. District schools have had partnering arrangements with colleges in Kamloops and Kelowna for trades, but these partnerships are expanding to include all fields of study.
For students and particularly parents interested in trades training, there will be a Trades Night at Princeton Secondary on November 2. This will be an introduction to current trends and pre-apprentice requirements followed by a question and answer session.
GROUP REVIVES SINGING TRADITION
"Wassail, wassail all over the town. Our bowl it is white and our ale it is brown."
So sang revelers in Britain for hundreds of years as they toasted the Christmas season with good ale. They often begged from door to door, singing songs that wished the host good health or teased him if he didn't give generously.
The Princeton Traditional Music Society plans to revive this wassail tradition of seasonal door-to-door singing in Princeton by starting a group called "The Princeton Waits."
PTMS Vice President Rika Ruebsaat describes it this way, "Imagine yourself in a group of singers, standing on someone's doorstep, cheeks rosy from the crisp air, your voice and your ears filled with the strains of singing. Suddenly the door opens and a smiling host invites you in for a hot chocolate or, better still, a cup of mulled wine. In exchange, you continue singing inside and perhaps the host joins in too!"
Society Secretary-Treasurer Jon Bartlett adds, "Historically the word, 'waits' has several meanings. It could mean a band of musicians employed by a town to play in parades and other official functions. It can also refer to a street musician, and to a band of carolers. Sometimes it was even used to refer to the songs sung by the carolers. Common to all these meanings is the idea of singing outdoors, and so the 'Princeton Waits' is a band of Princeton carolers singing outdoors in Princeton."
At the inaugural meeting of the Princeton Waits, Bartlett and Ruebsaat will teach some of the songs that will be sung on the wassailing rounds.
"These songs have been around for generations," says Ruebsaat, "and were learned orally. Some of them, such as 'The Holly and the Ivy' have Christian content. Others are about the turning of the year and probably date from pre-Christian times. If this sounds like your cup of tea (or mulled wine), come and join us!"
"The point of all this," says Bartlett, "is to have a good time singing together. Anyone can join - we won't have auditions. All you need is enthusiasm."
The first meeting of the Princeton Waits takes place on Tuesday, October 16th at 7:00 PM at the Bartlett-Ruebsaat home located at 154 Halliford Avenue (the former Community Services building).
