Wednesday, June 3, 199: City gets annual grants MiCastlegar receives over $133,000 in grants from Municipal Affairs Ministry Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER The city of Castlegar opened its mail last month to find some cheques. with Mu- nicipal Affairs Minister Robin Blencoe’s signature on them. In the province’s annual grant provisions, Castlegar re- ceived funding for three differ- ent projects — Downtown Re- vitalization, Municipal High- ways and Water and Sewer work. For revitalization, city ad- ministrator Gary Williams said the 43 municipalities that applied for a Facade Im- provement Allocation estimat- ed how much money would be required, then left it up to the With a maximum of $50,000 available to each mu- nicipality, Williams said the city got halfway there. “They have allocated $25,000 for facade grants this year,” he said. The DRP grants cover up to one-third of storefront im- provements in each munici- pality, to a maximum of $350 per metre. Williams said if the city ex- ceeds the allotted $25,000 it can re-apply, as not every mu- nicipality uses all the funding it receives. The grant for Municipal Highways is one that Williams said is not easy to come by. “The ministry has a very technical set of criteria,” he said, adding that the govern- ment sets aside $15 million for grants, and not a penny more. Because, of that,Williams said the city received funding for only one of two requests, to the tune of some $56,000. He said the money will go toward the upgrading of 8th Avenue, and that Castlegar was the only Kootenay munic- ipality to receive funding. “Areas that are growing tend to get those grants,” he said. “We have never got any money from that program be- fore.” The sewer grant is one Williams said the city receives annually, this year totaling just over $42,000. Gary Williams The money will go toward two projects, with $32,125 al- lotted for a sewage pump sta- tion and sewer mains on 8th Avenue, and the remaining $10,000 for the design of a sewer bypass on Columbia Av- enue. Williams said the city is awaiting word from Blencoe’s office on another grant, this one a $40,00 planning grant. “It’s just when the minister decides to tell us,”Williams said. Provincial Liberal leader to tour B.C. in Summer months said Wilson will put his responsibility as lead- er of the opposition to work on the road. Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Gordon Wilson is going on tour this summer. No, the leader of the B.C. Liberal party- doesn’t have a new record or book to promote, he just wants to meet the people of the province. Bruce Murdoch, Wilson’s chief of staff, said the province-wide trip is being planned for Ju- ly and August, when the legislature has tak- en its summer recess. “We're planning the trip right now,” he said Tuesday. “We would like to come out there.” In a news release, Wilson stated he was pleased with the party’s first annual conven- tion last month in Victoria. “This convention was enormously success- ful. It’s clear the people of B.C. are dissatisfied with the current government and they are com- ing to the B.C. Liberal Party looking for a strong alternative.” And to show them an alternative, Murdoch “He wants to get out to as many places as he can,” Murdoch said: “He wants to get out and see the people.” And this is something that has taken Ross- land-Trail constituency Liberal de agate president Connie Simpson by surprise. Simpson said she wasn’t aware of Wilson’s plans, adding that she thinks the move is a measure to save face in the province. She said that at the convention, the Liberals were hoping for a turnout of at least 700, which they didn’t get. Now, by going out and meeting the people, Simpson said she thinks Wilson wants to re- mind people he’s in Victoria, but wonders why he’s coming out our way. “I called an AGM last month and the core half-dozen showed up,” said Simpson, point- ing out the lack of Liberal support here. Wilson was unavailable for comment. College board has new faces Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Selkirk College has a new Board of Governors. Eight new members were appointed to Selkirk’s board Friday by Advanced Educa- tion Minister Tom Perry. “The NDP government has promised to look at anew way of selecting boards,” said the Minister’s assistant Randy Garrison. “But in the interim we had Garrison said Perry chose the board after receiving input from the existing board, local MLA’, the college administra- tion. and from a “broad spec- trum of other sources.” New members include Bar- bara Yeomans of New Denver, Caroline Woodward of Win- law, Rick Georgetti of Trail, Fay Rogers of Nakusp, Kathrine Hutton of Grand Forks and Joe Irving, George Anutooshkin and Diane Piket, all of Castlegar. John Higginson, Kathryn Rowe and Thomas McKinnon are past appointees and are remaining on the board. “These people will deter- mine the direction that the college will take in the future,” said Selkirk’s President Leo Perra. “They are the final local au- thority for what goes on at Selkirk. They will do a fine job.” Elizabeth Fleet, a former Selkirk board member, was’ appointed to the provincial Cree Learning Agency board. Free CHILD CAR SEAT click! SAFETY CHECK © Date: Wed., June 10, 1992 7 Time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Place: Castleaird Plaza prizes The safety check is sponsored by ICBC, the Central Kootenay Public Health Unit,; and the RCMP. Prizes for the event have been donated by True Value Hardware, | West's Department Store, Von's T-Shirt Shop, The Book Shop, Rartys R Us and Contact the Central ! Kootenay Health Unit for more information 365-8525 The Picture Place. SuperValu and the Plaza Bakery are providing refreshments. Final Day — June 20 or sooner! { Henry Dahms Jeweller RETIRING! | ' 495 Baker Street, Nelson 352-5533 Cold rolled steel. That’s what ordinary, run of the mill exhaust pipe is made of. Steel that rusts. Steel that corrodes. Steel that turns to dust. That’s why Midas makes long life aluminized exhaust pipe. For about the same cost, aluminized pipe lasts at least twice as long as ordinary steel pipe. There is just one thing you should know about aluminized pipe. For most cars, only Midas makes it. ‘Nobody tops the Top Guns. 618 Lake Street & Hall Nelson e 3 54-4866 Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Sandra Groepler went be- fore Castlegar city council Tuesday and asked for one “A lot of you are influential people,” she said. “Use your in- fluence here in Castlegar to at least keep our post office here.” Groepler, the B.C. director for Rural Dignity Canada, has been on a mission of late as ru- mors circulate that the city will lose its Canada Post Of- fice. A Robson resident, Groe- pler saw her mail service be- come privatized after the Rob- son office closed in October of 1990, and she doesn’t want to see Castlegar suffer the same fate. “The very fact I have to make this speech is testimony to Canada Post’s cover-up of privatization,” she told Mayor Audrey Moore and five of the city’s six councillors. “The corporation uses big brother tactics and double talk constantly.” Saying that Canada Post has closed 12,000 post offices from Victoria to Charlotte- town in favor of privatization, Groepler went before i}. council mem- bers to con- vince them that Canada Post is look- ing to close down the lo- cal post office and to enlist their help to Sandra Groepler stop it. “The biggest irony of postal privatization is people finding out how bad the service is af- ter the post office closes,” she said. Using the closure of Pentic- ton’s post office as an example, Groepler said that petitions and letters aren’t what is needed to win the fight. She said that the Okana- gan city had a 10,000-name New wheels on way for local RCMP officers NEWS STAFF 2 The local RCMP will be getting some new wheels. Council approved a motion to lease two bicycles from the Castlegar Bicycle and Sport Shop for the local RCMP de- ‘tachment at a cost of $181 per bicycle, per year. The lease will run from April to October each year, and would provide a new bike each year with no charge for parts or labor. As well, an ad- ditional one-time cost of some $150 per bicycle to cover hel- mets, lights and _ reflectors would be paid. Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore made two proclama- tions at the begin- ning of Tuesday’s council meeting. Mayor Bindes ‘declared June 3 Clean Air Day and at the same time, announced that the week of June 1-7 was Hire A Student Week. The month of April was a good one for city firefighters. Although they had to an-, swer three brush fires in the month, none of the 15. total calls answered involved a “dol- lar loss.” Castlegar RCMP enjoyed a more relaxed pace in April as only Assault and Impaired Driver totals were up over the previous month’s totals. 601-18th St. Castlegar 365-3368 Don't be caught short Castlegar Savings Credit Union "Your Community Financial Centre” 3026 Hwy. 3 Slocan Park 226-7216 & There's something for everyone! petition go unnoticed because names on paper weren't the solution. “We can pretend it’s not happening. We can believe the PR people,” she said. “Or we can inform ourselves on the is- sues and do what we can to keep our post office in Castle- gar.” And to do that, Groepler said, individual effort won’t work, team work will. “We need the support of the whole community,” she said. “Spread the word about priva- tization. “No way can we save the post office on our own.” Canada Post spokesperson Tlona Beiks has agreed to ap- pear before council on June 16, and Groepler said she has two questions she would like to ask Beiks. “I would ask her to guaran- tee me that the Canada Post Office will never close,” she said. “If she can’t, what input can we have in our community if you do decide to close the Castlegar post office? 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