SPORTS

LOCAL FEATURE

City Works Di

A little respect...and a
whole lot of patience!
rtment talks

WEDNESDAY

December 1, 1993

Vol. 4- No. 2

‘The weekly newspaper with a daily commitment’

Poetry in motion

The Castlegar Sun rz:

75 Cents + G.S.T.

BC Tel

rethinking
options

SHARLENE IMHOFF
Sun Editor

Opposition to BC Tel's
Plan to place an overhead
fibre optics line between
Castlegar and Grand Forks
has caused the company to
rethink its options.

Spokesperson for BC Tel,
Ed Clark, said the utility is
looking at public concerns,
reviewing a feasibility study
and discussing other options.

“We will Probably reach a
decision on whether or not to
Proceed in about ten days,”
said Clark.

Some of the options being
considered by BC Tel in light
of public disapproval of the
Highway 3 route, are to use
the old Cascade route, or to
follow Highway 3 as planned
to place the lines under-
ground. The first option

means the above-ground line,
which is part of a cross~Cana-
da line, would be difficult to
access if a failure ever
occurred. “We're talking
about a route that can have
between fifteen and twenty-
five feet of snow,” Clark said.

The second option, to fol-
low Highway 3 below ground,
is a costly one, and was there-
fore not an option earlier.

It was less than a month
ago when public opposition
was first recorded against BC
Tel’s plan. Community coun-
cils and residents have written
to the company, calling the
plan by BC Tel inappropriate,
Some people feel the over-
head lines would destroy the
areas scenic value, for which
it is currently well known.

On the line

SUN STAFF PHOTO / Jonn Van Putten

Ray Bube, a Trowelex Construction employee, |
sets Up scaffolding in order to proceed with |

remaining form work for the new RCMP building

Chip transportation

Conroy hoping iss

SUN STAFF

to see the chips barged

when this area’s Allowable Annual Cut is

While continued pressure comes from resi-
dents of the Slocan Valley over chip truck
. Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Con-

Weather delays
Petter’s visit

Employees and employers in
the forest industry will have to
wait awhile before getting a
chance to speak to Forests Min-
ister Andrew Petter on‘such top-
ical issues as reduction to the
Allowable Annual Cut and the
NDP’s Forest Pratices Code.

As a result of bad weather,
Petter’s plane, scheduled to
artrive at the Castlegar Airport
on Monday, could not land. His
visit to Castlegar, which also
included a speech to students of
the Forestry and Wildland
Recreation Program at Selkirk
College, has also been post-
poned.

Petter was also to meet with
municipal leaders, industry
groups, labor unions and envi-
ronmental groups.

roy has made a link between that issue and the
lowering of the Allowable Annual Cut, which
he suspects might eventually dissolve con-

cems in the area.

Residents of the Slocan Valley have voiced
strong concern over chip truck transportation
to the Celgar Pulpmill, and instead would like

reduced, it will also mez
to the mill

“The result of a lowe:
brisk, competitive ma:

Provide chips locally.”
What this would me
reduction in chip truck t

SHARLENE IMHOFF
Sun Editor

An item of supreme historical
significance was lost on the week-
end after someone or a group of
people burned down the log cabin
located on Zuckerberg Island.

Police, fire officials and mem-
bers of the Castlegar and District
Heritage Society have not put a
monetary figure on the damage
estimate, but Tom Allis, a director
on the Heritage Society, said it
was a piece of Castlegar’s past
that is now lost forever.

The log cabin, which was
approximately six feet by nine
feet, was built by Mr. Alexander
Zuckerberg. Mr. Zuckerberg lived
in the tiny domain for more than
two winters while he labored over
the construction of what is now
referred to as the Chapel House

The destruction was discovered
by Allis as he was walking his
dog around the island around 8
a.m., Sunday moming

“The dog was really acting
peculiar. And when we got to that
side of the Island I could see

Ll ele
For all the local news and

flames through the trees. There
wasn't much left at that point. But
I immediately called police and
the fire department.”

Police, members of the fire
department and a pumper truck
were soon on the scene, but it was
too late. Allis says he is relieved
that there was little damage to the
surrounding trees.

“TI saw fairly large footprints of
winterboots in the fresh snow that
fell the night before. They did not
belong to small children,” said
Allis.

Castlegar Fire Chief Gerry
Rempel says the fire is definitely
of a suspicious origin, and he is
guessing at this time that it was
started the night before

“It was a slow burn. And no
one could see much to report it
because it was on the far side
the Island,” Rempel said

Police and the fire chief are
also examining the fact tt
Zuckerberg’s log cabin, whict
also contained a tiny porch
being used as a ‘hang-out
older youth

The investigation continu

chips heading west to Kamloops and east to
Skookumchuk, leaving Pope and Talbot to

can Valley and area highways

‘Mayor no Moore’

Tuesday night

of council, city staff

marked the final
council meeting for
members
holding municipal
office—including the
‘institution that is
Audrey Moore’

Approximately
two dozen well-wishers extended
their thanks and praise to Moore,
as well as past councillors Doreen
Smecher, Jim Chapman and
Lawrence Chemoff.

In delivering her final address
as mayor, Moore was teary-eyed
and emotional

“It's been a privilege to serve
this community. This is a city that
values honesty, integrity and has
a spirit of cooperation.”

Moore touched briefly upon
the excellent shape that Castlegar
1s in now, both in planning and in
dealing with priorities. She

Mill owners

SHARLENE IMHOFF
Sun Editor

Several

On-going start-up troubles
with the new Celgar Pulp mill
combined with low pulp pric
are speculated to result in lay-
offs or even a temporary shut
Jown of operations

Because it is speculation
only, Mill Manager Jim Brown
Oud OL Comment on whether
the information received by The
Sun is simply a bad rumor or
the facts of life in the pulp

But Conroy said that

an a reduction in chips

“Take care of the city,
it’s my home too.”

— AUDREY MOORE
Final address

stressed the positive working
relationships that now exist
between the city and other munic
ipal and regional boards, and
hoped they would continue

Moore also commented gn the
fact that her loss in this election
has resulted in the province losing
its turn to have a B.C. resident as
president of the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities.

In concluding her speech,
Moore said, “Take care of the
city, it’s my home too.”

She received a Standing ova-
tion from the audience, members

industry.

“It's not concrete informa-
tion. I know we don’t want to
have lay-offs and we certainly
don’t want to shut down the
operations,” said Brown, who
admits hearing of the possibili-
ties awhile ago

“It's always a Possibility
when the price of pulp is lower
than the costs of making it. And
it’s been that way for a couple
of years now

Brown said he is planning to
attend a Joint Management

ue will solve itself

Conroy says others in the forest industry
Say his theory could very well prove to be cor-,
rect. “What I‘m saying is that I think the

demands and changes in the market will solve

© AAC will be a more
rket. I can see more

the problem itself.”
A wait and see attitude, according to Con

roy, might be the best alternative at this time

though he suspects Slocan Valley residents

won't feel the same way.

an, said Conroy, is a
raffic through the Slo-

Police and volunteer fire crews,
ind firefighter Doug Rutherford,
Sunday morning. The fire beg

many Island paths

“Why should we make major changes to
the chip transportation infrastructure that may
be redundant in five years.

and members of the
media. +

At the conclusion
of the meeting there
were a number of
salutes to Moore,
including one from
Heather Hallett who
stated that “her depth of vision,
quick mind, and tremendous
energy has resulted in many of
Castlegar’s causes being taken to
higher levels of government.”

Moore also received gifts from
the Chamber of Commerce and
from the city, on behalf of Castle-
gar residents.

“Castlegar has grown up under
Audrey Moore. Her dedication to
local, provincial, national and
even international affairs has
been of great benefit to the city,”
said City Administrator Jim
Gustafson.

mulling over industry lows

Committee meeting in Vancou-
ver next week, where these very
issues will be discussed with the
mill’s owners.

Last week, a breakdown in
the new mill's fibre line resulted
in a voluntary time-off period
for workers that lasted approxi
mately four days

Surprise
road check
nets charges

SUN STAFF

Police in Castlegar sur
Priséd motorists by holding a
pre-Christmas road check
over the weekend, resulting
in one driver facing charges
of impaired driving

Police also scored two
small marijuana seizures and
ten traffic notices for vehicle
defects were also issued.

Motorists can count QT
seeing a number of surprise
road checks being conduct
ed by RCMP over the
Christmas season.

including Captain Dick Dunlop (foreground)
responded to a fire on Zuckerberg Island early
an inside the log home of Mr Zuckerberg, and it
completely destroyed the small cabin which is located alongside one of the

Heritage site lost after fire burns cabin |

UN STAFF PHOT Van Putter