News Leader News for October 16, 2007
FEW ATTEND SECOND COMMUNITY FORUM
A total of just fewer than 40 people gathered in Riverside Centre for the second community forum hosted by BC Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko on October 9th.
Six of the seven scheduled speakers gave general overviews of what has taken place in their jurisdictions.
Deputy Mayor Pam Jones represented the Town of Princeton.
She indicated the town is currently working on the Official Community Plan (OCP), which should shape the future of the community.
"We need to know what we want to do and what we are going to look like fifteen years from now and twenty years from now. I am very proud of the fact that we are working on this."
Jones says there is work underway on the Industrial Park ("We cannot promote anything that is not fully developed.") and the Town Square Project. Yale-Lillooet MLA Harry Lali has been busy since August taking on responsibilities including work related to BC Lottery Corporation; becoming the critic for ICBC, attending the UBCM, examining the TILMA Agreement and supporting a plan to raise minimum wage in British Columbia to ten dollars per hour.
Upper Similkameen Indian Band Manager Philippe Batini says there are two big issues facing Princeton.
"Our labour force and our economy." Batini says the USIB is aggressively expanding its forest operations and continues to forge a solid working relationship with both the Town of Princeton and Area H of the Regional District.
"Our Chief and Council are very dedicated to working on the local economy." Joyce MacKenzie, Director of Health Services, Interior Health (Princeton-Keremeos) came to Princeton eight months ago and stated she has a keen interest in issues facing rural communities.
She pointed out that Interior Health is committed to keeping Princeton's hospital open but is challenged with providing services with few doctors in the community.
"The good news is we will continue to provide services." MacKenzie says "recruitment and retention" is a major issue and sees a solution revolving around working with the community. School District 58 (Nicola-Similkameen) School Trustee Dina Slowikowski-Campbell indicated that a lot of teachers in the district are approaching retirement and pointed out recruitment and retention is also an issue they are facing.
Literacy is another issue of concern and Slowikowski-Campbell says two recent programs, the Princeton Family Centre /Community Kitchen and StrongStart, are in place to address it.
BC Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko discussed local and federal activities that he has been involved with.
The Passport Clinic earlier in the day at Princeton Legion processed over 200 applications with other clinics planned for throughout the riding.
"Our area is one of eleven in the country Passport Canada is looking at to improve services."
Atamanenko has recently moved from being the Canadian Wheat Board critic to the critic for Rural Affairs and touched on the forestry industry, the high dollar, the housing market, tuition fees, childcare and the minimum wage as all issues of concern.
Regional District Director for Area H, Gerri Logan, was unable to attend the forum due to illness.
SKATING CLUB INSTALLS JUMPING HARNESS
It started in 2005 when Princeton Skating Club Executive members saw a need for a jumping harness and started raising funds for the apparatus. This will be the first season skaters will be able to use the equipment.
"A jumping harness is a necessity in skating's highly competitive world," says the Club.
"Jumping harnesses can dramatically reduce the learning time for a single and more complicated, double, triple and quad jumps. The Coach is able to direct the take-off curve, keep the skater straight in the air, and keep the skater's back in position upon landing." Down time due to injury can also be minimized.
"Coaches can instill confidence in the skater's ability to do the difficult jumps and have them avoid practicing mistakes."
The Skating Club was able to offset the expensive harness and installation in Princeton Arena with a successful lottery ticket fundraiser with the cost of the harness covered in the first year and installation fees covered in the second.
Installation of the harness, which straddles the blue line at the far end of the arena, was designed by a structural engineer and installed by arena staff and Spence Smith of Arcat Welding.
"We are very pleased to have this project completed and would like to thank our supporters in Princeton for purchasing lottery tickets during our last two seasons. We would also like to thank Jeff Larsen and the welding crews at Weyerhaeuser Princeton sawmill for constructing the brackets used in the installation and to Lyle Thomas for aiding us in bringing this project to completion."
The Club also thanks the Arena Board and Town of Princeton for their assistance.
TOWN OPTS TO TEACH GRAD
Under a provincial government program, Town Council can apply to have a university graduate work as an intern at Town Hall.
Princeton Town Council decided on October 1 to apply for funding for an intern.
The internship will be very useful as Town Council begins the Official Community Plan and the necessary amendments to existing bylaws and zoning.
