News Leader News
PRINCETON AWARDED $352,000
The Town of Princeton has been awarded $352,000 in the form of a CDI Award.Yale-Lillooet MLA Dave Chutter announced the approval of the funding late Thursday afternoon.
The funding will go toward the arena expansion program, which includes two additions.
The first will see an additional 24 feet added to the North end of the building. This extension would house two new dressing rooms, a referee room, an ice resurfacer garage on the first level and a workshop, storage area, a small mezzanine and a press box on the second level.
The second addition is an expansion of the sidewall of 15 feet by 180 feet. The first level would provide for a wide corridor, which would provide passage, new bleacher seating, a timekeeperıs box, and two new penalty boxes. A second level would house bleacher seating and a new music/sound booth. It would also connect to the existing mezzanine at the South of the building.
The additional seating capacity of this area would be approximately 500 people bringing the total seating in the area to about 1,200 spectators.
A new roof would also be applied over the entire area eliminating any holes or seams. The present roof is in need of replacement.
Chutter told the News Leader in a phone call from his home in Merritt how pleased he was with the CDI Award.
"Itıs good news for the Town of Princeton to update and enlarge the arena."
He pointed out the project would elevate the profile of the arena by turning it into "a world class facility."
Princeton's Recreation Director Lyle Thomas agreed with Chutter.
"I believe this is the beginning of something very good and positive for Princeton," he told the News Leader.
"This is part of our focus on 2010 and weıll aggressively seek teams to train here."
Work on the expansion is expected to begin in the Spring of 2006.
GRANT ANNOUNCED FOR COMMUNITY ART
Princeton and area have been awarded $4,250 dollars from 2010 Legacies Now.Legacies Now was set up by the provincial government to assist communities to benefit from the Olympic Games. The money is an Arts Now grant that will be used to inventory and assess the Princeton areas cultural assets. Then a plan for a community art project will be prepared.
The Legacy Now money is matched by contributions from the Town of Princeton and Area H of the RDOS. Each will contribute $2,125 in cash and kind. Mayor Keith Olsen and Area H Director Gerri Logan are part of a "Spirit of Princeton BC" committee that will make sure that Princeton and Area benefit as much as possible from pre-Olympic funding and from the Games.
Gerri Logan is the driving force behind the Arts Now project. Gerri and Lyle Thomas, Chair of "Spirit of Princeton BC," spearhead a large Arts Now committee. Lori Thomas, Chamber of Commerce Manager, recruited the committee's members. Members represent many of the arts-related groups in town.
The Arts Now committee assisted Economic Development Officer Michael McLaughlin to apply for the funding. Competition for the funding was high, so the careful work done by the committee paid off.
The Arts Now committee will meet again soon to implement the project. All arts groups will be contacted. The objective of the inventory and plan is to decide on a community arts project.
Input from all arts-related groups and from anyone interested in the project will be gathered. The Arts Now committee has been thinking of a project that celebrates Princetonıs 150th birthday, which is in 2010, the year of the games.
Thanks to committee members, Princeton Council, RDOS, and the Princeton and District Chamber of Commerce for helping to make this happen.
For more information contact Michael McLaughlin (295-7260) or Lyle Thomas (295-7222).
MUSEUM SEES MORE GROWTH
The number of visitors to Princeton Museum this spring has doubled over the same time period last year. Museum members are delighted to see more local people taking an interest in the museum, including students from local schools. Many visitors came from the United States and Alberta, as well as from British Columbia.Another new resident of Princeton attended the April 12 Museum Society meeting. He is Merv Baker, a former Saskatchewan resident who has a strong background in heritage preservation. He received an enthusiastic welcome.
President Nick Mills has written to Bill Barlee to ask him to return to Princeton any artifacts he owns which originated in Princeton area. Barlee could be paid in cash or could receive a tax deductible receipt (the Museum Society holds a charity number for donors to claim on income taxes). The Museum Society awaits Barlee's reply.
Terry Malanchuk, whose book on Blakeburn comes out this month, has a website, and Princeton Museum will ask to have reciprocal links established with that website. Princeton Museum is the only local attraction listed on the new Travel BC website, which will be launched soon.
A large sign is in the works to be mounted on private property near Highway 3 west of Princeton. The museum would like to have a sign at the Tourist Information Centre, but the manager of the Chamber of Commerce says the museum will have to wait for permission from the Chamber of Commerce. This will be dealt with at the next Chamber of Commerce meeting.
President Mills expressed a strong wish that the museum could expand. Ideally, taking over the whole building would meet the museumıs needs.
He would like to see a real office in place as it is difficult to do the administrative work when the office is so accessible to museum visitors.
People wishing access to the archives are now obliged to go to the basement, which is not always convenient to museum workers if there is only one person on duty. Mills said many people come to do genealogical research.
The museum has applied to the federal government for student help for the summer from May to September, and to Weyerhaeuser for a student for July and August. The Weyerhaeuser grant pays for a student who has never before been employed.
The next meeting of the Museum Society is on May 10 at 2:30 p.m. Anyone interested in museum activities is welcome to attend.
