8 PAS Sk YS SST SS Se OPINION The C jar Sun ‘Serving the 10,000 people of the Castlegar Area, is published every Ltd. at 465 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, 8.0. VIN 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is politically indepen- dent and a member of the Sterling News Service, Canadian Commu- LC, C editorial comment Dedication through a stressful process Volunteers who were part of the round table discussion Everywhere a sign? After spending a total of $14 million on the new Rob- bridge, on and off ramps and landscaping, you'd think the Ministry of Highways would be able to Mining history must be uncovered If you've ever driven the Hope-Princeton Highway, rather than the Fraser Canyon or more recently, the Coquihalla Highway, you probably stopped briefly at the famous Hope Slide. That's where on January 9, 1965, half a broke put me on their list of friends and insiders, It's better than that. Bill Barlee, British Columbia's intrepid minister of tourism, told me the old Mascot Mine will be rejuvenated and become an away and slid into the valley below, burying a number of people under millions of tons of rock. And unless you were in dire need of a cup of coffee or a quick lunch, you probably whistled right through Hedley, a small community with a restaurant, the last one until you get to P Most of the buildings are in good condition, according: to a study done for the provincial Heritage Conservation Branch by McGinn Engineering and Preservation of Van- couver. The tramway wheel-house still houses the. quad y hoist and friction Aside from the restaurant, Hedley doesn’t seem to offer a remnants of what was once British Columbia's best gold mine, half a mile up the hill, to your left, about a mile north of town. The famous Mascot claim was staked in hdl Antes peru for Hed- ley prospector Duncan Woods. Woods, one of the more colorful British Columbians of his time, had made his way from Prescott, Ont., via hesroor gg State, carrying all he possessed on back. Reduced to a fractional claim, the 17 acres produced a staggering 230,000 ounces of gold, worth more than $100 million in today’s prices. Referred to as mile-high workings, the build- ings are perched precariously on the steep moun- tain side. I'm betting my two gold nuggets that «mot too many miners got drunk in camp. One wrong step, and good-bye miner. It's a long way down. Now, there's a reason I'm telling you all this. No, the Hedley Chamber of Commerce didn't brake, although the 75 horse- power electric motor that powered the hoist has been dry building, the bunk houses, the black- smith shop, the transformer shed, the ore bin, hoist room and ore chutes, as well as commendable practice, but what of the inistory , history of mining in British Columbia, along with its historic buildings? I think not, Nor does Barlee, He agrees with the McGinn report which states that the Mascot Gold Mine site “has the ial to be ped as a model heritage attraction. i ‘We have done it in Barkerville, Now let's do it in Hedley. Industrial heritage sites are. still something relatively new in Canada. Other countries have had them for a long time. The town of Beamish, in the heart of Eng- land’s coal country, has an open-air museum dedicated to the history of coal mining. Millions of visitors flock to Beamish every year to get an idea of what it was like to spend your life under- ground. Barlee, whose enthusiasm for his portfolio office and staff q all in ly good condition, nothing beyond salvage. Barlee says the mine site is the last and best of the cliff dwellings in Canada, and is well worth the cost of preservation which, to McGinn, will be about $250,000. And an avid miner himself, he ought to know. The report says “the Mascot Gold Mine Camp offers a unique opportunity to interpret this largely intact historic mining camp in its stu- pendous location. And a nearby gold refining mill, still being operated by Homestake Canada Litd., but to be decommissioned in 1997, could eventually be incorporated into the historic site. 1 ds that after d in my opinion, even that of former tourism minister Grace McCarthy, can already see thousands of visitors stopping at Hedley and touring the mine, instead of driving though the town or just stopping for a coffee. The $250,000 or so it will take to restore the mine camp is money well spent, And perha&ps it may even help the existing mining industry . Mine sites are to be returned to a natu- ral condition. In most cases, that’s a c the more strident environmentalists that mining per se isn't bad, but bad mining Wednesday, July 13, 1994 The Castiegar Sun rr Page 7A Letters to the Editor Dear Editor: So what exactly is the deal? Does anyone else out there see a problem? My roommate and I are currently enrolled at the college and are, at the moment, for work and waiting for jobs to start. The exploration has endured for the last two months but to no avail, and with the rent due and groceries to phn oad desperate times call for desperate ae wreak our situations dropped us on the doorstep of our local Social Services. Welfare: for the well and fair treatment of all. If anyone would be able to help us out Bureacratic clause is basic bogus at best would be this office right? Not exactly. You see, my roommate and I are not yet 19-years-old. Being only 18, with both our birthdays arriving within a few months, we are still considered ‘children’ and therefore, under the responsibility of our parents. But here’s the deal. We are old enough to vote, old enough to drive and we pay taxes like every other ‘adult’ in this ‘wondrous country. Astounded, we told ‘well-fair’ that we no longer consider ourselves children, as we have been living independently for nearly a year now: paying rent, taking care of a house But you see, most students go home for the summer we are told. Gee, that's funny. We are home. This is our home, in the house that we share in downtown Castlegar, more than 20 km away from any of our parents. Does anyone see a problem here? Will this ridi clause mi disappear next month when I become an ‘adult’, I fail to see the intelligence in any of this bureaucratic nonsense. But then I stop and praise myself, this is the kind of marvel- lous predicament that I will have the fortune of dealing with all of my ‘adult’ life. Leannah Fidler Tors Sees he aren Gar unas Ghaghr of ellie cbvloa exe become confusing if the proper signage isn’t place to allow for quick decision-making and signalling! Hopefully those adequate signs will be in place before the summer is through. Do you see that light through the dust? Two thumbs up for the residents and businesses of Castlegar who are surviving the dust, noise and all-around of the ongoing D Revitalizati Phase Three of the project, according to City Adminis- trator Jim Gustafson, is progressing as it should, with only minor hold-ups here and there. Curbs have now been com- and soon the entire road (2nd Street and a portion of 11th Avenue) will be graded. By next week, after work underground is week. So, if you are a regular user of the library, be pre- pared to search for other parking spaces. One thing to note: when line painters begin their job in front of Machado’s, the angle parking that was once com- mon there will be changed to parallel parking. It will be imteresting to note how many Castlegar drivers take heed of the change and follow the law! ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shail not be liable for approval. ate. No contingent orders accepted. Printed in the U.S.A. saa ea tetera linens gine se 9 ine Bt Ball field controversy a safety issue as well atll school starts and ‘student loans serive, it and attending school. ‘Child’ Shortsighted journalist in no position to grade MP Dear Editor: If The Vancouver Sun's Peter O'Neil has based his ratings of Reform Party MPs on what he sees in Question Period he should broaden his perspective before pontificating and assigning grades to MPs. I, too, watch our MPs on Question Period insofar as the TV news permits me, and I their pictures on the news than in building a better Canada. That Jim Gouk does not score well in Question Period (Castlegar Sun July 6) does not perturb me. Twice in the past two months I have heard Gouk give presen- tations at public hearings—the peceral Elections Boundaries cannot help ig that too many of them come across as pompous asses more hearing in Nelson in May, and the hearing on the Me prop of the Slocan Valley Rail in June, also held in Nelson, In both cases Gouk gave well- researched accounts of the sub- jects and gave compelling reasons for resolution that will be beneficial to our riding. On other matters, gun control and native land claims among them, it is my opinion that Gouk speaks for most of his con- stituents and does not back off out of fear of being considered as I am ‘not a member of the Reform Party of Canada but I have no qualms about being rep- resented by a man who is aware that he must represent all of his constituents, who will call a spade a spade—and can see whether or not an emperor is wearing any clothes. Fred G. Marsh Casti Water fiasco sprinkled with heavy hand of city hall Dear Editor: All the official sound and fury which followed the failure of the water shut-off project for June 20, left me a little less than i but considerably irked. So there were 60 radio announcements, signs in public downtown places and some per- sonal calls by staff. Where was the Castlegar Sun, the Trail Times, the Nelson News and the Advertiser? Obviously the shut- off date was known well in advance? Why then was not some of the money which was paid to the 60 radio spots, posters and house-to-house calls donated to the notices in the newspapers. It certainly would have given some of those ‘unbe- lieving”, “disappointed”, would- main in one’s house on the bath- room tap. Doubtless there were some cit- izens who chose to ignore the warnings. It is, however, both poor public relations and blatant- ly irresponsible to condemn the many for the faults of the few, because of the failure of some. I for one am deeply resentful of it. I understand that the city sprinklers were seen later operat- ing beautifully and ineffectively in the week in a heavy down pour of rain. Should we then charge the whole city office? What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. John Charters This “HELPING Lcd CARE" p in who, ugtT Pp xg! have the to st “at home ivi required for this srpscatarhbhd tal comer will be taking place in C: Successful candidates will be familiar with local community resources and the health care ‘system; be capable of an 1g In Sep Pp app to adult have group p ability, and an interest in caregiving. These are part time C materials, a training will be provided guide book and months. Offering a unique training opportunity, an honorarium of $15.00 per hour is provided for the lead facilitator with the Co facilitator acting in a volunteer capacity. Interested applicants may submit a resume to: Wendy Amett - Chal Steert mmittee on ving 1472 Columbia Avenue Castlegar, BC V1N 3K3 of ap) 3 College faised from this event will support the Selkirk College Golf Management program, the Athletic Program and the Selkirk College Foundation. A special thank you to Sunshine Radio and the Birchbank Golf Club. SEARCHING FOR THE BEST BURGER Gardelfo belowe that ane of our queate,,. It’s my turn to enter the “great ball field” controversy. For me the issue is more than who is using what field. The issue is, who is responsible for ensuring that there are safe fields on which to play? For the last eight or so years, my big enjoyment while suffering through Kootenay winters, was to know that in the spring I could play slo-pitch and have fun. It’s a great game. Ten players on the field, ten players hitting every inning. Everyone, no matter what their skill level, had a chance to play and hit every inning. It doesn't matter that we're getting older and it takes longer to run around the bases. We're having fun. Many of our teams are sponsored by local businesses and some even have their sponsor playing. We're all out to have fun. At the end of the game, we yell out a cheer for the other team and then walk across the field to shake their hand and congratulate them on a good game. It's fun. Although some believe that I am highly competitive, I chose to play im the recreational league. I'd rather con; someone for a good try than listen to the grousing, swearing and yelling after an error. Over the years the league has grown. As many as 35 teams have been registered im the Castlegar slop- itch league. At an average of 15 play- ms per team that means a minimum of 525 players. The season is spread out over 13-15 weeks (depending on when the snow leaves). Ensuring that each team plays at least twice a week is a headache for the scheduling committee since they not only have to juggle 35 teams and eight fields, they have to base! line, somebody decided that the 500 or so adult taxpaying slopitch players were second class citizens, and therefore relegated many of their games to the local school fields. That's not fun. At KMS the players stand in a pray for no wind because the sand- storm will blind us. We no longer play at Twin Rivers school because the children playing in the play- ground located in centre field are considered a hazard. At Woodland Park we dodge soccer (or is it football) goal posts in left field and pray the ball doesn’t hit the parking lot and to the left, oe ae tig and then collapse as your ankle hits a pot hole and tries to do a 360. Ie’ 's going to be even less fun playing condition. As taxpayers and users of the fields and parks, we deserve to play on fields that rior school fields which are not maintained for ball. Let’s face it. The population of the community is pation in sports is growing, and more and more people want to can only do that if we play on fields that are appropriate for the sport and refuse to play on fields members accountable for ditions of all the fields. If ony can’t maintain them, we have to play on them. It gives me very serious concem as to what will happen next year there is no excuse for injuries that occur because a field was not prop- erly designed or maintained for that when someone is seriously injured should leave administrators, board and their insurance policies. It’s about time that the city, regional district and the school dis- tnct took a good long look at their fields, find out who uses and needs them and then designs, budgets for and maintains the fields in proper playing conditions of the fields? We all arc; and we better start liv- ing up to our responsibilities soon. Marilyn Strong is publisher of The Castlegar Sun and was an avid slopitch player until a serious injury last week forced her to the sidelines where she will remain on crutches most of summer. be finers of residents who “blatantly abuse water” (sic) a legal base for action. And, more significantly, why do I sense the heavy hand of bureaucracy in all of this bom- valves for different areas of the town? One doesn’t shut-off the in Memory of Alex Plotalkoft July 15, 1989 | look up at the sky at night, to wish upon a star. Not to wish you back again, but to see just where you are. As the autumn leaves turn red against the bright blue sky, I see the purple mountains and wish that | could fly. Like a Seagull | would sail past the moon and sun above, all the way to heaven to be with you, my love. | wouldn't wish you back here-God needs you more than |. | know that we will meet again at the garden in the sky. 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