- ~ Page 2A The Castlegar Sun... Wednesday, January 15, 1992/ NCE IN ‘Where you work: Castlegar & Pet: Cat - Pookey & District Chamber of Conimerce What you do there: Tourist information officer Castlegar likes: Aquatic Centre Best kept Cestiegar secrat: /'m not selfing! “What would you rather be doing? Laying on a beach somewhere warm Vehicle: Noisy Sprint Selkirk College to offer Electronics Engineering Technology through correspondence “The decision to drop the course had to do with financial imts and a drop in atten- dance,” said Selkirk’s informa- tion officer Joe Lintz. “The college had an intention to devel- Technology, Selkirk College announced its new plan for the program. Starting in r 1992, the school will offer a similar course through an arrangement reached with the Open Learning Three Selkirk instructors are currently working on the curricu- lum package for the one-year cor- The op an mode of deliver- ing the program.” Seven students recently gradu- ated from the program and the college says one more class is still to go. “There's one more, group of students we're committed to see through the completion of the ~program,” Lintz said. “About five students.will.be graduating in December of 1992.” By Cooperating with Open which had existed in Castlegar for more than 20-years, was a program had room for about 20 students but the number of people actually taking the course had recently dwindled. L lege hopes to poorer Dg ‘expand the reach of the course. “We weren't able to attract enough students from this area to come to campus,” Lintz said “The course will now go out to a much broader audience. Not just the area Selkirk serves, but all of British Columbia.” The major shortcoming of the correspondence course is that it only offers one year of study compared with two-years on ¢ After one year students will be given a certificate which recog- nizes them as an Electronic Tech- nician. The two-year diploma carries the title Electronic Technologist. The major difference between the two names is the latter is higher ying. Selkirk does have plans to classes Wayne Chernoff and instructors Ron Smithers and Bill Susut are developing the learning packages for the course. They'll also provide instruc- tional support including teach- Wednesday, January 15, 1992 The Castlegar Sun Large crowd expected for March budget meeting Officials say meeting should be held in Recreation centre SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor An improvément in communi- cation seems to have prevailed since last Tuesday's city council meeting, which had a record- ing any needed to complete the course's practicum. Selkirk ing labs “We're looking forward to try- ing the distance education approach and see what comes of it,” said Chernoff, who has been with the college since 1971. expand the cor course tg a two-year program in 1994, Electronics Engineering Tech- nology will be the second course offered through the province based out of Selkirk. Political Science, as taught by Andy Shadrack, is also based out of Selkirk and offered through the Knowledge Network. E.E.T. department head The di pproach will also be an experiment to see how viable the program is, and whether it will one-day again be offered on-campus. “If this is successful then = expand [toa ig public d and much discussion over a three- hour period. “I think that city council had to open their eyes. They realize now that there are many people who are seriously concerned with what's happening in the commu- nity. It's no longer just a few con- stant complainers,” said Michael O'Connor, a spokesperson for the Concemed Citizens Coalition. O'Connor does acknowledge however, that improvements in communication are now obvious. “We're finally getting some °94),” said Chemoff, adding that if it works the school might offer both distance education and on- campus study. Local homeowners will pay more if if supplementary grant is axed or axing the a Some homeowners in British Columbia could soon be dishing out more money to cover their taxes. Taxes aren"t going up— it's the homeowner's supplementary the Vancouver Sun, British Cc ia’s NDP g is provincial } homeowner's supple- mentary grant. Finance minister Glen Clark claims the basic grant would be left untouched in his govern- ment’s attempt to reduce the deficit by cutting costs. An estimated 700,000 B.C. homeowners receive the grant which costs an estimated $100 million for the last 12 months running to the end of March 1992. Proposed cuts would only affect those property owners whose residential school tax por- tion of their total property tax exceeds the maximum basic Home Owner Grant—only those who fit this category are eligible for the supplementary grant. City of Castlegar Finance Manager, Peter Ozeroff said, “It'll affect quite a few people in Castlegar,” if the grant is cut Specifically, anybody whose school taxes are above their basic Ot suppose the higher the assessed value of your home, the more you'll be affected,” finished Ozeroff. Even the average homeowner (the average house value in Castlegar is $61,000) would be affected. The supplementary grant is calculated by subtracting the basic grant from the residential school tax—the supplementary is 50 per cent of the difference = Visit Continued from 1A the Social Credit party was also in Sandra Houston, Charbon neau’s assistant, said she received the letter from the Ferry Commit tee on Monday and is unsure if the minister would be able to attend a town hall meeting while = Budget in the area “The minister knows there is a lot of concern regarding both the bridge and the ferry. Although he is scheduled to be in the area on February 4, I am uncertain at this time what his itinerary involves,” Houston said. ees Continued from 1A “One of the reasons for the difference in cost is that the two systems are not the same. ‘They were made to be different before the amalgamation of Kinnaird and Castlegar took place—so we have two different conditions, said Duff. Council is currently examining the design stages of projects to be completed in coming years, including a new water reservoir above the Meadowbrook subdivi- sion and a major upgrade of some sewer lines. Because of improved monitor- ing and treatment of equipment, as well as extensions and upgrades of existing service lines, Duff says that taxpayers can expect to see their water and sewer fees increasing this year and in the future Castlegar City Administrator Gary Williams was unavailable for comment at press time how- ever, Mayor Audrey Moore stat- ed, “Our staff works hard with developers. They try to accomo- date them, within our bylaws and regulations.” Sonoko Kambara of Castlegar, daughter of Hiroki _and Sumiko Kambara, is the recipient of the $250 Rex Potter Memorial Award from the Trail branch of the B.C. Music Teacher's Association.Kambara was a senior competitor representing the —— region at the 1991 B.C: Festivat of the Arts in North Vancou ver. She isa student of Rossiand’s Helen Dahistrom. support they received. Kinnaird and Valley Vista Elementary schools had a very good response to their fundraiser, held to purchase a PA. system for use by the two schools. T-shirts were designed by the students and sold to all teachers, staff and 226 students. Parents Advisory Committee member Joanne Stan said the PAC members were pleased with the ‘SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper Petey eel eo * Siemens optimistic about Social Credit future Time is not running out for the Socred pasty im B.C., according to Wah Siemens, past-president of the Rossland-Trail Socred con- stituency association. “There's mo reason to accept all the doom and gloom reports you might read,” said Siemens, dele- gate to the Socred convention in Vancouver over the weekend. “There's been a total change in represemtation im the party. | think we will find there's a renewal of what we are doing there's going to be a lot of renewal Siemens, who lost to New tion im Palm Springs. Johnston stitution, the election must take place within 10 months — but Siemens doesn't think it will make much difference “At the moment it's up to the party board (whether Johnston acts as interim leader) but I don't think it will matter one way or the other. I don’t think she'll have much of a role,” Siemens said. “I have no idea at this point who will stand for party leader — no one has really put themselves for- ward.” However, Siemens said a Struggle for c posnios of party president at the convention indi- cates that a spirit of vitality still exists among Socreds. “We had to go to a third ballot for the vote for president, and t Dave Mercier, who broke ranks with the party over former premier Bill Vander Zalm's lead- ership, but was eventually made a cabinet minister by Johnston, won the post. Mercier didn't seek re-election last fall. The convention did little to resolve the question of whether the party is going to change its stand on issues — such as abor- tion and religious education in public — which may have hurt it in the past, according to Siemens. “We know there have to be changes, and we have the new people to make those changes. But we didn’t have time to get Ynto party resolutions (at the con- vention.) There will be decisions made, but there will be a lot of consulting done with party mem- bers and others around the Province first,” he said. t . We don't know if they are correct, but at least we're get- ting feedback.” A list of questions, mostly dealing with monetary issues, were presented to council by O'Connor and other citizens. The majority of the questions were as p by conncillors: Others, “due to legalities involved, such as settle- ments to past paid employees, could not be revealed. O'Connor says other questions have since been sent to council, and believes others will follow. “I think council is smart enough to realize they need the cooperation of the people,” O'Connor said. Both council and the commu- nity are preparing for the upcom- ing budget meeting in March—which O'Connor Residents and some city council officials were surprised at the number of people who showed up for council's meeting on January 7. The three-hour question-answer ses- sion, which at times was rather heated, delayed council's regular meeting until the fol- lowing evening. The public has been invited by Mayor Audrey Moore to attend a meeting to discuss this year's budget:plans. Council is preparing for an even larger crowd at this meeting. believes will have to be held in the Recreation Complex rather than council chambers because of the crowd which is expected to attend. “Hopefully even more will be attending this budget meeting than council's last public meet- ing,” O'Connor said. Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore said she was extremely pleased to see so many people packed into the council SUN STAFF PHOTO / Sharlene Inihoft d into council for the open meeting, and extend- ed an invitation to the public to attend the budget meeting in March. The Castlegar Mayor also agrees that the upcoming budget meeting must be held in a larger centre, such as the Recreation Complex. “It is difficult and uncomfort- able to have a large crowd I'm sure everyone would appreci- ate having the meeting in a more comfortable place,” said Moore. O'Connor says that he and oth- ers are planning to make use of city council's “open policy” regarding council meetings. “I plan to attend as many meet- ings as possible for the next while,” he finished. City council chooses Vancouver firm to begin preliminary designs for new RCMP building $20,000 set aside in budget as the cost for firm's work SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor ;€ity council has chosen Dalla- Lana/Griffin Architects to pre- pare the preliminary designs and cost estimates for the proposed new RCMP building. The Vancouver firm was cho- sen from a total of seven firms, including one from Nelson and another from Cranbrook. According to city staff, this particular job was not tendered as would be the usual practice for other buildings. Because of the specialized construction and design of an RCMP building, a list of nine experienced candidates was pro- vided to council by the RCMP Castlegar youth awaits sentencing Properties Division. A building committee consist- ing of representatives from the public, city council and the RCMP were involved in narrow- in the design of other police buildings and the personal reputa- tion of Mr. Dalla-Lana, which proved to determine city coun- cil’s direction. ‘Council will not be taking this issue to referendum if it can't all the questions’ — KIRK DUFF Councillor ing the seven firms down to three and finally, Dalla/Lana Griffin. According to councillors at Wednesday's meeting, Dalla- Lana/Griffin was a clear and obvious choice. Specifically because of the innovation shown “He gave us a very thorough presentation with complete infor- mation,” said Councillor Kirk Duff. City council has designated $20,000 in its planning budget for the preliminary work which will be undertaken by the Dalla- Lana/Griffin firm. Although the RCMP building will be taken to public referendum for approval before any construction can begin, council states that the $20,000 in planning will be well spent. “We are going to take our time and plan everything out ly OUTLOOK: WEATHER _ The forecast for Wednesday; Periods of snow dur- ing the morning, scattered snow showers in the afternoon. valley accumulations. High tem- . perature near 1. The outlook for Thursday and Friday calls for a weak ridge of high pressure providing clouds, a few sunny breaks and seasonable temperatures. light 3.3/11 ~N Precipitation: Rain A LOOK BACK AT THE PAST WEEK: Temperature: Max/Date Min/Date 6.3/12 Snow 42 Mean 0.6 Total 5.0 Normal Number of Hours 84 REMARKS: A weak ridge of high pressure prevailed during the week providing relatively dry, mild condi tions. Light snowfalls continue over the local moun tains. Ed. Note: Keep January 24-26 marked on your calendar for the 95th Annual Rossland Winter Cami- val. It should be a great event! Forecast provided by The South - East Interior Weather Office at Castlegar, B.C. Castlegar Women’s group recognized as official organization Sun Staff It’s taken awhile, but the Castlegar Women’s Association is now an officially registered society, and is one step closer to having a safe home system estab- lished in the community. Bonnie Nilsen, chairperson for the association, says the task of hiring a coordinator for the pro- gram is underway. “A A Council will not be taking this issue to referendum if it can’t answer all the questions,”” Duff said. There have been a total of 16 referendums in Castlegar’s politi- cal history, of which only four were passed. Council is hoping that by allowing time for careful planning and community input into the proposed RCMP build- ing, a referendum could be passed by this fall. for involvement in Peach Fest riot JIM ZEEBEN Sun staff As many as 18 youths might wind up with jail sentences for their part in last summer's Pentic- ton riot including an18-year old youth from Castlegar. Charged with allegedly partici- pating in a riot, July 28 during Peach Fest, the youth can not be named because he was a minor when the incident occured. More than 1,000 party-goers, most of whom were drunk, erupt- ed into violence in the downtown streets of Penticton. An estimated $200,000 worth of damage was done as rioters looted stores; bat- tled police, and destroyed public and private property. The 18 youths facing sentenc- ing were charged with participat- ing in a riot; an offence which carries a maximum jail sentence of two years. The maximum sentence for a Heritage Society prepares for future Now that they've saved histo- ry, so to speak, it’s time to move ‘on to the future The Castlegar and District Heritage Society plans to contin- juvenille is 22 months of proba- tion. Six youths have already been sentenced to jail terms. The Castlegar youth was allegedly videotaped kicking an said. “He wasn’t a ring leader but he was in a riot that went on.” The youth had been in Grade 12 at Stanley Humphries Senior Secondary before the summer of 1991. ‘I guess | got carried away in a crowd’ — CASTLEGAR YOUTH INVOLVED IN RIOT overturned phonebooth. “There were about 1,000 kids going wild,” the local youth said. “They only caught 18 of us and I happened to be one of the unlucky ones.” Penticton police Sgt. Rick Lawton didn’t think it was a mat- ter of fate. Lawton said he doesn’t want to see kids in jail but that something has to be done to prevent further outbreaks. “He's not unlucky,” Lawton session on January 16 to elect a board of officers to complete the current year which runs until May 1992 Late last year, following the we with the P of local heritage sites it helped preserve But first the society must fix a of several capable officers, the society met to firial- ize racers for the year 1991 om few of its own pr such as electing a new executive board, before it can effectively move on. The society meets in special tee, Ray Gattinger. Charley Hor. rey and John Charters, to prepare an interim slate of officers for “T guess I got carried away in a crowd,” he said, describing the scene as a huge mob which maarched.as a unit around down- town Penticton smashing every- thing in sight. “If it had been only 10 kids there I wouldn't have started doing that.” He regretted his action and said some of the publicized sen- tences handed down have scared him 1991 “In eight years,” said Charters in a news release, “we have gone from nothing to a widely recog- nized community asset and have secured two essential aspects of our local cultural and historical heritage, the Castlegar Rail Sta- tion and Zuckerberg Island's chapel house and park.” Charters, who plans to stay on but in an advisory capacity, said “T try not to think about it,” he said. “When it [sentencing] hap- pens then I'll deal with it.” It was his first trip to the infa- mous Peach Fest. “T heard Peach Fest was a good time,” said the youth, “not that you go down and smash things.” The youth said he thought the riot started when someone started fighting with a police officer who had confisicated some beer. “What kicked it off was one guy fighting a cop,” the youth said. “Another cop pulled in and the crowd mobbed them.” He said people started beating on the out-numbered officers and rocking cars. The Castlegar youth has pled guilty and will appear in Pentic- ton court on March 10. “[The youth] must be feeling pretty nervous,” Sgt. Lawton said. “Everybody else has gotten a year or so in jail.” oes endeavors the original goal of the society was to literally save the island and its chapel house “This is phase one of our her- itage-tourist development. It has been achieved at considerable cost to the health and ies of is being hired for the safe home system and we're definitely looking for vol- unteers,” said Nilsen. Using grant money received from the provincial government, the C.W.A. is in the process of setting up a system which would allow battered women a safe place to stay in a volunteer's home for a 24-hour period. Patricia Lakes, a member of the Women's Association, is hop- ing that a coordinator can be hired and in place by this Mon- day. “We didn’y realize that there was going to be a time restraint for us to spend the grant money,* said Lakes. The program cannot work however, without the support of volunteers. A regular meeting of the asso- ciation will be held in the Castle- gar Library on January 21 at 7 p.m.. Items on the agenda include a progress report on the safe home project and discussion on possible events for World Women’s Day in March. Any interested women are invited to attend the meeting—a member- ship fee is $2. School district looks at greater parental involvement BRENDAN HAI Sun staff The Ministry of Education’s Year 2000 plan calls for many at a time, but rather to a group of teachers and Paszty, after talking with bold new chang to the province's the eee One change is a policy for more direct parental involve- ment in the school system. West Kootenay Regional Rep- resentative for the Parents Advi- sory Council (PAC), Rose Paszty, presented the members of School District #9 Castlegar with an out- line of a program to help show how parents should be involved in the school system. The Program, entitled Parents as Partners, is also designed to allay any fears teachers and prin- cipals might have about the idea of parents getting more involved in the teaching process. “Parents wouldn't want to run the schools, just be part of the educational team for the benefit of their children,” Paszty said. The program/workshop is ‘wide, with every school district being notified of it by regional presenting teams. The Lol — ROSE PASZTY Parents advisory council “Our school district is far ahead of many others—especial- ly with parent involvement,” she said. “Everybody works well here together.” “The board has long since rec- ognized the need for parental inv Paszty hopes the workshop will be tied in with a development day at the schools. “We're just not sure yet how to geta multi-grouping together.” It senting teams are mult) each with three members, ‘teachers, principals and parents. The team of Rose Paszty (Castlegar PAC), Jan Mickelwait- the past executive,” Charters said, referring to the rash of resigna- tions. “For phase two, the com- See SOCIETY 4A he (principal in Rossland) and Jack Robertson (teacher in Nelson), were brought together in Septem- ber ‘91 for two-day training on how to present the program. It isn’t presented fo one group could be org: d cither on a region-wide ‘basis or an evening in each individual district. “It's a very positive thing—a year and a half was formu- lating the program. With the Year 2000 changes calling for a lot of parental involvement and sup- port, parents will have more of an active role in the school system,” she finished.