News Leader News for November 27, 2007
DOCTORS NEED YOUR SPACE
The Mayor and Council of Princeton, in partnership with Interior Health, are actively recruiting doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in order to provide the best care possible for the residents of Princeton and surrounding area.
"Health care is so important to our community. As mayor of the Town of Princeton, I see a great future ahead for our community. The establishment of a well staffed, well run health care system is vital to the growth strategy that this council is working on right now," says Mayor Randy McLean.
How can you help?
As part of the recruitment strategy, it was identified that there is need for short-term accommodation for Health Care Professionals. That is, temporary arrangements for a weekend, a few weeks, or a few months and could be in the form of a room, suite, or even a house to house-sit.
"We need to inventory people willing or able to provide temporary space to Health Care professionals."
If you think that you would like to contribute to the health and well being of your community by providing this service, register by contacting Town of Princeton at (250) 295-3135 or drop by Town Hall at 169 Bridge Street.
Remember, this small gesture could be the key to the future of Health Care in Princeton.
CURLING TENANT GOES TO LANDLORD FOR CASH
Randall Clark, Treasurer of Princeton Curling Centre, with Shauna Hassel, President, represent tenants who manage the curling facility on behalf of the owner, the Town of Princeton. On November 19, the tenants approached the landlord to ask for a $4,000 grant to cover the cost of roof repairs.
During the past few months, the Curling Centre has undergone a major renovation. One of the projects involved repairing a leak in the roof. When contractors approached the job, they found materials in the roof did not meet the building code standards. Rather than call a halt and lose the roofers, the Curling Centre executive gave approval to the contractors to bring the roof up to code. This meant the Curling Centre's operating budget was tapped for $4,000 not in the renovation budget.
To show the Curling Centre is moving toward the future, Clark talked about the five year plan developed by the Centre members and the budget forecasted for the plan.
He spoke of plans to make the Centre sustainable, which includes broader public appeal, renting the facility for social events and gaining commercial sponsorships. A big project is the celebration of Princeton Curling Club's 80th anniversary in 2009.
Deputy Mayor Pam Jones commented on the improvements she had seen, adding "You're really on the right track."
Councillor Jim Manion added more praise for the Curling Centre and reminded Council who owns the building.
The funding was referred to budget, but CAO Patrick Robins said there is a contingency fund for emergencies. There seems no doubt the Curling Centre expenditure will be reimbursed.
COUNCIL HEARS PARKS OFFER
John Trewitt of BC Parks travelled to Princeton on November 19 to present a plan to Town Council. The plan involves re-opening the Manning Park visitor centre on a partnership basis. Trewitt explained cutbacks in provincial government funding several years ago resulted in turning the visitor centre over to Gibson Pass Resort to operate. Gibson Pass found volunteers to staff the building up to two years ago, when the centre was closed.
Trewitt said the centre averaged 34,000 visitors annually when BC Parks was running it.
BC Parks is applying for funding through the Conservation Corp program to pay staff, but must find an additional $20,000. Trewitt asked Council to consider becoming a partner in the project by contributing a portion of the needed cash.
The benefits to Princeton area are in the form of opportunities to advertise events, tourist attractions and service businesses at the visitor centre. Information packages and brochures would be available at the centre. Trewitt emphasized that most visitors come from other regions and know little about this area.
Councillor Jim Manion said the plan had merit, but he wanted to know who else is going to commit funds to the project, and how much each would pay. From his point of view, the biggest share should come from Gibson Pass, as he felt that company stood to benefit most.
Deputy Mayor Pam Jones told Trewitt, "The best we can do is support in principle. We have to refer it to budget."
Ed Muckle, owner of Image Emporium, asked Trewitt whether private enterprise partners would be welcome. He was told "yes".
