The G Sun Wednesday, January 15, 1992 NDP MLA Ed Conroy opens constituency office in Trall’ s Town Square mall TRAIL TIMES _ “The legislature has not been sit- ting, but that does not mean MLA Ed Conroy has been having a quiet time of it since he was elect- ed three months ago. The rookie New Democrat MLA for Rossland-Trail has been scrambling to set up an office and hire an assistant so he can get on with the job of representing the constituency. “This job is a lot of work,” he said this morning after returning from a meeting of caucus mem- bers held over the weekend at Harrison Hot Springs. Conroy has hired long- -time P stalwart Joanne his constituency assistant and has opened an office in Trail’s Town Square Mall. “Joanne has a lot of experience in the party, which is very handy for me. She knows who to deal with and how to deal with them to get things done. This has taken a lot of work off me. We have cleared the pile of work off the kitchen table so my family can eat off of it A major task for Conroy, like the rest of the NDP g: has been trying to figure out if there is any money to deal with his priorities in the face of the bd mg _ He didn’t get many answers over the weekend. grants for various communities whose systems need upgrading, Conroy did a lot of talking in Har- rison but will have to wait for the government's first budget in March to get concrete answers. “The government is well aware of the issues in Rossland-Trail, but it is a matter of whether it is going to be able to deliver in terms of dollars. Things are look- ing very grim in terms of money, there is no doubt about it.” PROFILE GRADE ( rices. NO sacrifi ces. GRADE ( DAV = Verona Walker is responsible for coordinating all activities related to the Aquatic Centre. Story and Photos by Brendan Halper Recreation programs coordinator Susan Campbell, handles everything but the aquatic activities. SLEN CONCENTRATED 4 CONCENTRATED V2& oz LUCERNE ICE CREAM | 48 PINK SALMON EUROPEAN HAM a A] 9 PORK SPARERIBS | Per 100g ‘Side. FRESH. 3.95/ kg Fresh from our In-Store Bakery. 99 Pkg. of 6 FRESH PAPAYA Pe BATH TOWELS Cannon First Quality Selected Colours &Sins__ 1.88 .. Ng WE REDEEM ALL MAJOR FOOD COMPETITOR COUPONS. On items we carry in stock ($) Why sacrifice quali selection or freshness ‘at Safeway's in-store bakeries, we make our bread, buns and pastries fresh from scratch, every single day. Today’s better way...to save to limit sales to retail quantities. Set. Son 31 18, 1992 We reserve the right a-2~ ert = tobamisaebih 2S Std Creating recreation The climb of Castlegar’s Community Complex and recreational commission If you live in Castlegar or the surrounding area, you’ve probably, at one time or another, used a facility or taken part in recreational activity related to the Castlegar and District Community Complex and Recreational Com- mission. Unless you're a true couch potato Started back in 1967, under the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), as the Regional Recreational Com- started looking at hiring additional staff—up until that time there were only two, a director and a secretary. Their annual operating budget of $50,000 has risen over the years to $11 million today. It was also in the mid-1970’s that Selkirk College took over the educational programs and the commission started concentrating on running and programing for the facilities. The According to Metge, community participation in fitness took off in the early 1980's. “That’s where our participation numbers really started to climb,” Metge said. Interest in an aquatic centre started growing in 1983 and on January 2 of 1990, the aquatic centre was opened. According to Metge, that was when the complex became such a focal point of the mission #1 it was the first of its kind within the RDCK. “People in Castlegar decid- ed they wanted organized recreation,” said Castlegar and District Recreation and Aquat- ic Centre director Pat Metge. Well, they got it. ; According to Metge, Castle- gar resident Colin Pryce was the backbone of the commis- sion, getting it off the ground. They offered community volleyball, , badminton, ‘learn to’ classes, English classes (which were popular), book- keeping and typing. In the early years the com- mission operated out of a downtown office, had no facil- ities and yet managed to bring about Pass Creek Park. The recreation commission started to schedule the Pioneer Arena from the city of Castle- gar, which owned the Pioneer at the time. They also started focusing’ on programing through the schools, running summer programs such as camping and canoeing. They had a small budget and relied a great deal on The present director Pat ay Metge, started in 1975 and in the same year the Bob Brand- son pool was turned over to the commission, becoming their first facility. It was in 1976 that the present recreation centre was first opened. “That’s when things really changed,” Metge said. They also took over the Pioneer Arena and » first programmer was hired in 1977. There were actually two separate commis- sions, one for prog: ng and the cc 'y complex commission, until 1985 when new bylaws were established and the two became one—the Castlegar and District C y Recreation and Aquatic Centre director Pat Metge says,” To me, this facility is an integral part of the community.” community. During the winter, an average of 500 people per day use the facility from Mon- day to Friday. “On weekends the numbers really jump,” he said. “It’s a really busy place.” The lex has been home to circuses, Complex and Recreation Commission rock concerts, hockey training camps and provincial championships and is also an inte- gral part of Castlegar’s SunFest. “We put on the Biathlon as part of Sun- Fest,” The present commission programs all the playing fields in town, they offer a variety of recreation programs and organize special events throughout the year; Santa’s visit, Terry Fox Run and dances. They also manage Pass Creek Park and Robson Pool. Including Pat Metge and the two recreation coordinators, Verona Walker (aquatics) and Susan Campbell (programs), there are as many 70 full and part-time staff at any given time. These include full-time maintenance staff, front office staff, aquatics and concession staff, while .those doing fitness instruction make up the bulk of the part-time staff. Metge feels the recreation com- mission is probably one of the larger employers in Castlegar. “To me, this facility is an inte- gral part of the community,” Metge said. “We’re able to bring in events to benefit the whole community. “Many programs have waiting lists and all have high participa- tion levels—people enjoy their recreational activities and the use of the facility.” A recently proposed 450 seat performing and visual arts centre has received support in principal from the recreation commission. “There is the assumption that we would operate the theatre,” Metge said. The proposed new senior’s cen- tre is also strongly tied to the recreation commission. § = All in all it’s a service which S53 promotes a healthy lifestyle. “I’ve noticed people moving here and commenting on how nice the facility and programs are,” said recreation programs coordinator Susan Campbell. “It’s nice to see people really appreciate it.” Campbell describes recreational activities as ‘a-great way to meet people’. “Everything healthy, is going on here,” she said.