Legislative Library, Bldgs., 501 Be Ce I avhia ent Victoria, V8V 1Lk4 Belleville St Vol, 41, No. 74 60 Cents Castlegar News CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1988 WEATHERCAST Sunny Thursday with cloudy Highs neor 25, Friday 1g cloud with showers in the after noon. Highs near 20. The outlook for the weekend is cool and un: settled weather 3 Sections (A, B & C) ROAD REPAIRS . . . Pavin Columbia Avenue Tuesday By CasNews Staff Castlegar drivers can expect delays throughout the city this week as crews work to repair streets, Ald. Albert Calderbank warned Tuesday “Those holdups won't be very long,” for sah et INSIDE Hagen visits page A2 Lottery numbers The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in The Pick lottery were 5, 8, 15, 20, 21, 30, 49 and 51. Mandatory retirement page A4 added Calderbank, . crew makes its way north on illing cracks in pavement. Crack chairman of the works and ser. vices committee He said the city is trying something new this year filling the cracks in the streets. “We've never done it before. he told council. He said the $7,500 crack-filling work should filling caused disruptions for traffic but work on main artery is expected to be completed by Thursday night Road crews delay city traffic prevent “water” from seeping under the pavement and break ing up the streets. Crews started filling cracks on Columbia Avenue on Monday, creating lengthy delays in traf. fie. Calderbank said the filling will proceed down the length of a At. 9 i a Rg CasNewsPhoto by Bonne Morgan Columbia and may include many of the adjoining sidestreets. ‘It’s (to be) done right through the city,” he said. City engineer Kevin Lagan said the extent of the work depends on how long it takes to do Columbia Avenue and Arrow Lakes Drive RR a FEDERAL ELECTION Greens to run here By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer The Green Party of Canada plans © field a candidate. in Kootenay West Revelstoke for the upcoming federal election. Green Party delegates will meet this weekend to organize a stituency association. The Greens will be meeting at the Student Union Building in Nelson Saturday to organize a constituency association for Kootenay West Revelstoke and appoint a nominating committee and registered agent for the party. The Greens are running to see that the environmental issues of quality air, water and soil are not shoved to the back burner by the other parties, Dave Carsons, executive secretary of the Green Party Political Association Truc By CasNews Staff A group of Arrow Lakes Drive residents are concerned about the heavy truck traffic on the road and have asked Castlegar council to find an alternate route for the trucks. “We are greatly concerned for the safety of our children and human life,” says a letter accompanying ‘a 14-name petition. The ietter notes that since Celgar Pulp Co. switched to hauling its chips by truck, “the traffic has increased from 15 trucks a day to 90 in a 24-hour period.” con The residents add that not only has the traffic increased, but the size of the trucks has increased,- “causing great damage to a narrow piece of road which was never meant for this amount of trucks, nor this heavy.” The residents say that combined with the closure of the Castlegar. of B.C., said in a prepared release “We're not so much concerned with becoming the government as we are with ensuring that everyone in government is thinking Green and taking care the business of survival,” said Cursons. Some of the local issues the Greens are concerned about include overlog ging, the use of pesticides and indus trial air pollution, a Green Party member in Argenta told the Castle gar News Jay Martell, a 42-year-old tree planter, said the party opposes the free-trade agreement because it has “a very strong push” to logging As well, the party tough stand on air pollution “We as a party consider that a crime equal to murder in terms of the increase takes a very danger to us all the greenhouse deterioration of the he daid, pointing to effect from the Earth's ozone layer With West Kootenay membership currently between 25 and 50 persons, the Green Party hopes to see new Green supporters arriving at the meeting in Nelson Martell declined to pinpoint the Greens’ location on the politial spec. trum, saying: “We are neither left nor right of centre, but we are playing a step out.” “Some of our policies business, for example, certainly wouldn't be considered left,” he said The Greens fielded candidates in the 1984 federal election, and had planned to run a_ candidate in Kootenay West. But the party never did nominate anyone concerning sa concern Robson ferry, traffic along Arrow Lakes Drive has increased “tremen. and dangerous driving and ig vehicles are a “great con “It is impossible to|think that you could walk, cycle, or jog safely on this road.” They asked council to regular policing of the road and paint a double line through the residential area. Council agreed Tuesday the letter to the works and services committee, which is preparing a truck traffic study. As well, Moore said council hopes to discuss a truck bypass route with Highways Minister Neil Vant at next week's Union of B.C. Municipalities conven tion. “We are treating this with great concern,” added Ald. Albert Calder bank. ensure to refer ALD. ALBERT CALDERBANK ‘great concern’ School classes crow ded By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer Despite overcrowding in some classes, the school year in Castlegar is off to a “smooth start,” says the superintendent of schools. Terry Wayling says an additional 50 students are enrolled in the Castlegar school district than was anticipated, with 2,184 registered as of today. For budget reasons, the district calculates that to be 2,094.5 “full-time equivalent” students with kinder- garten students counted as half a student because they only attend half a day. Wayling doesn’t think the extra students will put a strain on this year's budget, which was calculated last spring for less students. “We can anticipate additional rev enue from the provincial govern ment,” he said. Wayling said most of the increased enrolment is in the primary and elementary grades. “A number of younger families have moved into the area,” he ex plained “We have had some large Grade 1 classes,” said Wayling, adding the district is considering several solu tions, such as increased teacher-aide and learning-assistance time and transporting some of the students to other schools. Some Grade 1 students have been moved from Castlegar primary and Valley Vista schools to Woodland TERRY WAYLING 50 more students Park elementary Wayling said it's preferable to keep the primary grades smaller when students need the most teacher attention. “If we had our drothers, we'd keep them down to 20 or 25 (students per class),” he said. The district had to add staff and “regroup some teachers” at Twin Rivers elementary school because it had two Grade 5 classes with more than 35 students. Three classes were formed. Wayling said Stanley Humphries secondary school is also experiencing overcrowding in some subject are One full-time teacher has been added and “we will probably add a bit more (teaching staff),” he said. smaller Council questions reforestation rate By RON NORMAN Editor The Forests Ministry is unable to confirm whether reforestation is being keeping pace with harvesting on Westar Timber’s huge ‘Tree Farm Licence 23, the Arrow Forest Dis trict manager told Castlegar council Tuesday ‘I couldn't really say right now whether it's keeping up hectare for hectare at this point,” said Ken Arnett. “It certainly hadn't in the Arnett said there is in areas considered more back. “I feel pretty confident that the basic silviculture is being attained But being kept up is a difficulty because there is that) backlog that still has to be brought’ up to present standards.” Arnett and Dave Lang, Westar's administrative forester responsible for TFL 23, spoke to council about the tree farm and the company's management working plan for the FL Lang said the working plan which has been extended from December, 1984 should be avail able for public viewing in November Westar had planned to make the five-year plan public this spring, but Lang said the company ran into several difficulties. He said that Westar had prepared a draft report last January, but had to revise it because of major changes in the Ministry of Forests’ policies. Lang said the plan will reflect the reduced annual allowable harvest that came in January 1987 when the size of the tree farm was reduced. He said the plan will propose an annual rate of harvest, which will include a certain amount of pulp logs “There will be a commitment in the management working plan that a certain level of volume of these pulp logs . . . will be harvested on an annual basis.” Ald. Terry Rogers expressed con cern about the sawlog supply on the tree farm, saying he has heard there may be only a five- or 10-year supply left, “and that they're being har- vested too quickly.” “It's certainly a lot more than five years,” replied Arnett, adding that whether there are 40 or 50 vears’ supply will be known after an in ventory study is completed Lang added: “Based upon yield analysis simulations there is in excess of 70 or 80 years before our annual allowable cut has to drop down.” Arnett also told Rogers he is “very confident that-silviculture practices are being kept right up to date as far as can be expected.” our te Westar Timber Ltd. Celgar Pulp Co. The tax refund stems from the companies’ appeal of their 1987 and 1988 tax assessments. ~ However, residential and com- mercial ratepayers will not have to pick up the tah, Mayor Audrey Moore assured council Tuesday night. Moore said only industrial taxpayers will pay the m" $300,000 TAX REFUND FOR WESTAR, CELGAR was a total of $295,000. “We were lucky,” Moore said, pointing out Westar carried the cost of the appeal.