Page 8A Right — Sixteen employees of West's Department store were presented with certificates u a successfully complet- «Ing the SuperHost-course. The SuperHost course, ‘spon- sored by the @ Castlegar | Chamber eri Commerce, Is a‘six ' hour course in how to effec- tively communicate ‘and deal with;customer’com- laints,(I-r) Edith Eriksson, ‘anny Hurd, Carol Som: mervitle, Jill Talt, Donna Vatkin, Gail: Shelienberg, Helen ‘Sookachoff, Phyil Ss Goldsbury,*‘Dennis Krahn, Eli Stoushnow and Wendy. Tafld aed Jan Mor Sharon . Isfeld and Judy Morandini: SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper ' Season’s Greetings to ali our.customers from the staff at hy _ Chicken Time We will be closed for the holidays beginning Dec. 25th Re-open again Jan. 3rd. 365-5304 2816 Columbia Ave. The following message has been submitted by many concerned citizens of the City of Castlegar, who believe these might be a few, answers as to why » the recent paving referendum failed. . — Pavement Referendum — All costs were not disclosed at a public and open meeting at which the citizens could ask questions and listen to all people’s opinions and ideas. No firm cost to the citizens w: isclosed, it was felt that we might be voting carte blanc. Saying we might or might not t pay for something i is not t good enough. “eae City Works Yard —People would like to kuow the cost of the move, what is going to be done with the land and the reason for moving all the way out to the industrial park. This move will definitely cost’ more money in relation to the policy of all: city employees going back to the works yard for coffee and lunch breaks. weak . Sewer and Water projects There seems to be a lot of these planned for the mpecming year. What are the costs and the time frame involved? : atk RCMP building—What is the cost and where is the money coming from? Renovations —Please explain the extensions and renovations to existing city hall. : : > eae : Fire Hall —Why do we need one and where will it go? sek Senior’s Centre — How much money will this cost? Art Centre —How much will this cost? ek Sewer problems by the tennis courts —Has this problem just popped up, or has it — ongoing for the past 18 years. The city says there is a problem with clay in the area. ek Wages —What are we paying city staff and why does the city haya a eae disclosing this tomatoe Why are we contracting out administrative positions? sek * Residency requirements —Why is it not a requirement to have city staff live in the city limits of Castlegar. seek Settlements —How much did the city have to pay when Bill Hadikin, Ken Hemple and Bob Mann were let go? None of your business is NOT a satisfactory answer. seek Twin Rivers Park —How much money are we looking at here? eke ; : Downtown revitalization —How much is it going to cost the taxpayers to renovate buildings of the downtown property owners? ack mee : Celgar building permit —How much did they pay and what was the basis for the charges? ak How much time is the mayor allowed away from the office without taking a cut in pay? aac How much rent do we pay for the council ‘chambers? If this building was necessary, was purchasing the ee investigated? What about the cost of ‘moving back and forth? “soto As you can see, there are some justifiable questions out here in this sleepy little town. ‘When you are meeting and wondering why the referendum failed, consider the above. I think that you can : understand why the citizens think city officials: are being very ambitious with our money. Up ate and honest answers are what we want. "" Submitted by many, many people. Christmas trees are ly pose fire:. hazard | ‘Tis the season to be jolly. To keep it that way, practice ‘fire safety at home and in the work- place, ‘says Fire Commissioner Richard Dumala. On average, six fires 2 yéor are caused by Christmas tree's’in British Columbia. Dumala said last year four Christmas-trée- related fires injured four pedple and coneet $136,000 in property Dumala warned that natifal All of the Chri 1 tree fires reported in 1990 w ere associated with natural not artificial trees, , “It is essential to keep ‘dut trees as moist :as Possible. ° Dumala said. “and remember, ‘the longer a tree is kept in the hoine, the more likely it will be involved ina fire.” Dumala urged Columbians to prevent holiday tragedies by removing fire haz- ards commonly associated with Christmas trees and holiday dec- orations, He also urged British Columbians to continue taking precautions against common causes of fires related to cooking, heating equipment and smoking materials, ae 10 tips for prevention 1, Buy your tree early and keep it as fresh as possible: Don’t buy trees with loose needles or brown spots. , 2, Cut the base at a 45 degree angle, place the base in a bucket of water and keep out-of-doors until you are ready to decorate. Keep the tree well watered. Check the water level every day. 3. Never leave lighted candles unattended, especially when there are children in the home. 4. Always turn off Christmas lights before leaving home or going to sleep. Never leave - Christmas lights on when no one is at home. 5. Keep your Christmas tree, decorations and presents away from heat sources, such as fire- places, candles, heaters, lamps and wood burning space heaters or stoves, 6. Wrapping paper is highly flammable so take extra precau- tions when your family is unwrapped gifts. 7. Carefully inspect lights strings, cords, plugs and recepta- cles. Check for wom or frayed insulation and loose connections. Dispose of damage or wom items, 8. Don't overload electrical Circuits or extension cords. Read and follow instructions on cord labels regarding connecting light strings to extension cords. 9. Use plastic holders for stringing exterior lights. Avoid nailing or stapling through wires or wrapping them around nails.?:! 10. Use only lights which have been laboratory tested. Check for the Canadian Stan- dards Association (CSA) Iabel.** 5 » British : Find it inthe — Classifieds -. 7 HAIRLINES 1444 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, BC, 365-6700. ; Mon.-Sat. Wed. é& Thurs, ay. 8:00 pm Junker amo JIM ZEEBEN Sun staff. . Steve Junker fits with the Future stars Of the NHL. ar Last Wednesday, the 19-year ‘old product of Castlegar minor hockey, ie i to breakfast at the nati jun ior team camp in Tkitche : didn't pre much the night bigsee the final cuts,” Junker said 3(fom Kitchener's Valhala Inn, “If ay5u ‘were going to be cut they ‘Cyould bsee: and get you in the eR iy assem 4) we 1 probably got about five s a urs. of ‘Pretty restless sleep, SByery noise I heard—like when mite maid knocked on the door at }0 a.m. just scared the hell ut of me," Junker said the only way to be re you made it was to get a ‘yyilke-up call for the moming meal. and his roommate, French ale Local sports glance Gitt Wrapped Ice * Next Friday West's depart- ment store is giving the resi- lents of Castlegar a belated Christmas present. : ‘Anyone who wishes to may, kate free of charge at the com- munity complex from 2 -3:30 nn. 7. te The free ice is being paid for Ee ;| by the department store. : High Schoo! thlete of the Month The Kootenay Broadcasting System announced its high chool athletes for November. KBS has been handing out | the honors to local athletes for 1 WO years. The players are cho- “1 sen by members of the athletic .| department at each school. For 's ‘| Castlegar, Stanley Humpries ;| Secondary School's Sandra Rogers won forthe girls... |” Dan Kooznetsoff won for the boys. os Rogers helped the Rockettes | finish third at this year’s AA -¢| provincial volleyball champi- onships. She was also selected */ {fo the toumament's all-star team. Kooznetsoff was the top play- éron the boys volleyball team for their thirteenth place finish ;,] at the provincials. Canadian David St. Pierre of the Quebec Junior. league, stayed up until two. a.m. talking about the © cuts, But after some: unneeded sus- pense from the chamber maid, Junker got his call for breakfast. “My roomie gave me a high 4 five and told me.to get out of, bed," Junker said, “I let out a big sigh. It didn’t feel too good just laying in bed listening to every ~ noise I heard.” Junker impressed .national coach Rich Comacchia with his ability to play at-both ends of the rink, In the last exhibition game before the final cuts; Junker ¢‘") played on a line with B.C, Junior League star Paul Kariya and Jeff’ Nelson from the Prince Albert Raiders, : Junker is a of the ** “T feel | really privileged tobe in the select group that I'm innow,” he said, adding that Comacchian has changed the lines before every exhi game, , The national team beat a com- bined Gue! iph Storm/University of Guelph team 3-1 in the final warm- up before leaving for Germany, and the World Championships. And though Junker didn’t: getay” Point in the last game he thinks he played a solid game, - “I penalty killed alot,” he said‘. gold for the third year in a row. : “'T don't have a clue because I've only watched (other countries) play on T.V,,” he said. “But I do know we have a lot of talent here—this is the best talent I’ve played with'so far in my hockey career.” Some of that talent includes the likes of first round draft picks Eric Lindros, Scott Niedermayer, and John Slaney, “T think all the players that are | here right now ‘are going to play in the NHL," Junker said,.who was drafted himself in the fifth © round by the New, York Islanders EEEAARRRGGGHHHHII!!! ofa role he will play a key part” |” 7 in.’ ‘ ‘ST think I havea big role on- ‘this team for defensive purposes, : ) “What I mean by that is I think Yma good defensive player and there are a lot of guys on this: team that can put the puck in the Ret. Thave | to do my, job in my. Western Hockey . League's Spokane Chiefs. Junker doesn’t know what Canada’s chances are to win me Rockers win | home opener | JIM ZEEBEN Sun staff An aggressive Rockers basket- ball team charged ‘their way to victory in their first league home game of the season. The Stanley ies Sec- as the teams headed into the sec- ond quarter. But the Rockers slowly took over. By the third .quarter Stanley Humphries had "things in hand as they led 37-25. .*In the practice before the game we worked on picking up the i ly on defe ” the ondary School senior boys beat JL. Crowe 66-38. “We were able to drive through their defense,” coach John Ritchie said. “We were looking to attack and be more aggressive.” Dan Kooznetsoff and Marcel Dusseault tied for the scoring lead with 16 points each, , Ryan Vatkin had 13 points. “Ryan and the guards had a “thuch better game than they did against Northport.” The Rockers lost that Tuesday night game 50-30, but Ritchie said they learned some lessons. “They (Northport) weren't that much better,” he said. “American schools typically attack relent- lessly if they find a weakness.” In Castlegar’s case it was their base-line defense said Ritchie. A weakness the team worked on for their. match against Crowe. Kooznetsoff opened the scor- ings 9 at 9:35 of the first-quarter. d to gain the lead Rockettes aim ZEEBEN 1Sun staff he little drummer boys didn’t }bave much to do with Christmas. ‘They did have.a lot to do with noisemaker night at the Stanley Humphries Secondary School gymnasium last Thursday. In the din of drums, kazoos and. even accordions, both the boys and girls senior basketball teams ‘had no problem beating their counterparts from J.L. we. The Rockettes dominated the Hawkettes from Trail -winning 58-37. Still it was an improve- ment forthe Trail school as they had lost to SHSS by 60 points earlier in the season. “Trail’s getting better,” Rock- ettes coach Jack Closkey said. “They played with more confi- { » coach said, Once the Rockers settled their defense in, the offense took off. Kooznetsoff challenged the Hawk defenders almost every time he touched the ball. “He dominated the boards,” Ritchie said. “It was his most game both ively and defensively.” ss Kooznetsoff also ed his team in rebounds. “Part of the secret of being a good rebounder is being very aggressive,” Ritchie said. The Rockers next game is a boxing day match-up against the alumni. The next regular season game won't happen until the new year: January 7 at home to Grand Forks. “Even with the score of the last game against Trail I still think anybody can win in this league," Ritchie said. give fans a dence. I think they'll give us a good run at the end of the year.” The Castlegar team was trying out a new zone defence which proved ineffective at times. In the final quarter, with the game well in hand, SHSS controlled the pace of the game but were unable to set up many break out passes to add to the score. Meanwhile Hawkette players were pestered by the raucous crowd—especially daring attempted free throws. More than 80 spectators filled about half the available seating in the building. “We're hurting from a lack of practise,” Closkey said. “We've been playing too many games.” The Rockettes played 10 _ games in a 15-day period, includ- ing two tournaments. “The kids get ragged from playing too many games,” - Closkey said. “They have to prac- tise because you can't correct them in a game,” Last year, Closkey’s team fin- ished third in the province—the highest placing in the coach's 24- year history with the team. : — “We might be closer this year .than we were last year,” he said, ng future NHL stars on national junior team year, : “T don't want to jost stop and be happy I made the team. I want to help this team win three gold medals in a row,” Castlegar viewers will be able to tune in to the World Junior Championships on TSN. “passe Rearin’ Ryan vatkin soars for the hoop as the Rockers took it to the J.L. Crowe Hawks 66-38. Vatkin was third among Castlegar scorers with 13 points. ‘SUN STAFF PHOTO / Jim Zeeben reason to make noise referring to the chance at another Provincial tournament medal. “All these kids have grown up playing in athletics together for years.” Five foot nine Rory Perrier, with 14 points, led Rockette scor- ers in the game. Perrier was also a part of the school’s volleyball team which finished third in B.C. this year, . “Rory’s starting to come along this year,” Closkey said. “She had a really late start because of vol- leyball.” Along with Perricr, Grade 11 student Rhonda Dawes, at six feet, has provided much needed height to the team. [Rhonda really enjoys when she gets out to play,” Closkey said. “When we get them on the court together against a good team theyre tough to stop.” The coach adds that the strongest element of this year’s team is not an individual but the depth of the roster. “Our bench is really strong,” he. said..“"There's no one you could look at and say that’s our tenth player.” -. One: individual who has really shined so far is Closkey’s daugh- ter Laurel, playing asa senior this year. ‘Another “daughter, Wendy Closkey, is in Grade 11 this year and has also been a bright spot. by S.ALT. about playing ball for their college next season. “I'm going to wait and see what else comes up,” she said, For the team, the next thing coming up is an alumni game on Last / the R ‘won a tournament at the Southem Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. Laurel was approached De 26. After that, a tour- nament in Northport on Decem- bee 27-28, will do it until the new Men’s hoop eagle set for ’92 The closing week of the 1991 schedule in the Kootenay West Men's Basketball League set the stage for a crucial new year opening. Selkirk College moved into position to challenge for first place overall as they defeated RHC Realty 92-73. Mike Perra led the college with 29 points while. Eli Cherenkoff scored 28 for RHC, who remain winless after six 5. Selkirk improved their record to S-1 and play their next game on January 7 against 5-0 Castle- gar Realty. C.R. had the bye among the five-team league last week. In the other Tuesday game both teams went into the contest hoping to get their third win of the season. It was the Winlaw Pistons who came out ahead as they beat Cowan Office Sup- plies 86-58. Winlaw's record jumps to 3-3 while C.O.S. stays behind but with a game in hand at 2-3. Although Castlegar Realty remains on top in the KWMBL, their namesakes in the Trail league haven't been quite as suc- cessful. Playing with an almost entire- ly different roster the Trail ver- sion of C.R. dropped their record to 2-4 with a 65-55 loss to Victo- tia Place, Banjo’s moves out of cellar in time for new year. JiM ZEEBEN Suni staff: Castlegar Pressure Wash, who had'the week off, remain second.’ * On “Two teams pulled big wins out of their stockings: in the final , week of. play, in the Castlegar Recreational Hockey, League. - Banjo's. Pub “won'once ¢ and Com- puters: annaed to sneak past Castlegar Sports Centre 7-6 and move into first-overall. Chief: Mercer had one goal and three assists for Computers while . . Lome'Anderson led Sports Cen-'- tre SEHR | ‘with. two goals anda. pair. ists: Niki Hyson Dlew a’ , chance to.get the tie when he was stopped on a penalty shot by K.C. goalic Tim Swanson. Last Tuesday, Banjo’s took a three goal lead into the third-peri-" od but had to settle. for a 7-7 tic against Sports Centre. Frank.Costa led Banjo’s, scor- ing once and adding four assists. ;. Anderson |lad.a hat. trick and “two assists: Banjo's victory, on the of four unanswered thiid poziod goals, came: Thursday. night against Shell. Larry Price had two goals and an assist in the 6-2 The weekend's games marked the end of the first half of the sea- son. The schedule resumes Jan- uary 2, 1992.-: Ne