OPINIO ‘ WEDNESDAY, August WZ The C stiégar Sun ATS Serving the 16,000 people ot the Castlegar area, The Castlegar Sun is pr every y, Sterling Lid, at 465 Columbia Ave, Castlegar, B.C. ViN 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is politi- cally independent and a member of the Sterling News Service, Canadian C BC. c y Newspapers Assocation, and the B.C, Press Council, Established 28, 1990. Mail 10420. PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG DEREK ZEISMAN CHRISTINE MOYER EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF GARY SCHNEIDER REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT JEFF GABERT CATHERINE ROSS SPORTS REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA OFFICE/CIRCULATION MANAGER — ADVERTISING REP. CARI DOLGOPOL FRED JACK LASSIFIED ADS ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom 365-5579 Fax 365-7762 CCNA editorial comment The diamond in Trail will be a glittering gem It is perhaps more than mere coincidence that one of the greatest baseball spectacles is coming to our area just as one of the greatest baseball players of all time passes into legend. Suffice to say. the Mick would have loved the Babe Ruth World Series in Trail. Mickey Mantle came from a small Oklahoma town a lot like Trail. People are hard-working, they love sports, and they love baseball even more Sure, ‘Trail doesn’t have the sprawling cornfields and the enormous cattle ranches, but it does have that one precious gem that ties every community together across North America — the diamond. Mantle knew about the brilliance of the diamond, which is why he had a broad smile on his face every time he stepped across its boundaries. But as with all riches, a person can become jaded with opulence. And then, the great player finally real- izes that he can never glimmer as long as the dia- mond itself. Diamonds are forever . That’s what happened to Mantle and that’s the dark side of the game. However, the brilliance of the game can never be darkened, and that light will shine bright this week- end and next week in Trail.The entire week will be dedicated to a game not tarnished by greedy owners, high-priced talent and the absurd ticket prices associ- ated with both today Pure baseball will be the game on display in Trail. Now, some people may say baseball is just a game. It’s not important and it’s only, at best, a recreational activi ' Tell that to the kids on the field, tell that to the umpires behind the plate and tell that to the fans in the stands. Then take a second look. Baseball is like life, you see. It can be leisurely and boring at some points and then, with a stroke of the bat, a shocking wave of exhilaration or disappoint- ment can sweep the field. There can be happiness, there can be pain and there can be unbearable stress. Every emotion and feeling can be found within the diamond. It’s no wonder that the old-timers still say “Baseball is life and life is baseball” Butler Park in Trail will be alive with baseball and even the weather can’t give it a death sentence. Who will be watching? Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle will all be there. As will every other player big and small .who ever set foot inside those long white lines. They have all contributed in their own lit- tle way to the great legend of baseball, and they all own a small glitter in that big ‘ol diamond. So if your life needs a little glitter or if you'd like to learn about a few legends, why don’t you go out to Trail for a game or two. Sit down and get yourself some peanuts or Cracker Jack. Chances are, you won't care if you ever get back ... to the real world And if the Yankees’ old number 7. is doing his job, you'll have at least a few broad smiles to show for your efforts. JG ERRORS: 1 agregs that the publisher shail not be hable tor darrages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the arnount paid tor the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error ts due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and there shall be no ability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. All advertising subject to publisher's approval. Contracts must be completed within one year trom contract date. No contingent orders accepted The advertise —_—____] —_—____ Local traffic problems 2psaeale 74 gilt Wednesday, August 16, 1995 Downtown clearcut coul d have been “Jewel in the crown” of Castlegar Dear Editor: As a long-time resideht who attended the old wood-framed Castlegar Elementary School in the 1940s, I have to say how shocked I was to see what hap- pened to the delightful little piece of woods that used to border our schoolgrounds, What ever became of that fine proposal for a Japanese garden there? Like many other people, I had begun to pic- ture a delightful array of Japanese maples surrounding a graceful water fountain. Realizing that this peaceful place was in for major changes, I stopped there about a month ago and took a little walk for old time's sake. I needed a chance to say goodbye. It was cool and shady and quiet there — virt unchanged since the days when the Goreskys and other children used to walk that wooded trail on their way to school. From tower- ing pines overhead to the verdant hazel and syringa in the under- storey, everything was delightfully green. Indeed it was so quiet that I almost forgot I was in downtown Castlegar - at the peak of rush- hour traffic. Returning to the courthouse lawn, I-stopped to revisit that majestic Ponderosa pine still stand- Transport study no solution when money is scarce The City of Castlegar is on the verge of commissioning yet another, study into its own rapid growth — this time dealing with local transportation problems, and how to remedy them While the goals set out in the city’s study proposal are noble even innovative, it is unlikely that anything either good or bad will soon come of the transportation study. upon its completion this coming November. The reasons for this ufé many although they all basically come down to the same root: a lack of money. The proposal lists nearly a dozen transportation subjects upon which the upcoming study should focus. Let's take a quick peek + Make recommendations on where new traffic signals, are needed, A good plan, but new signal machinery is expensive, and where is the extra enforce- ment for any new signal sites going to come from? Castlegar RCMP are already understaffed and overtaxed as it is, without further contributing to the work load + Recommend locations for new pedestrian crossings. Well, street paint is cheap enough, but enforcement problems crop up once again. ‘ + Examine building an alter- nate route other Columbia Ave. north, such as an extension of Woodland Drive. Great in theory — everyone seems to comment on ‘how odd it is for Columbia to be thg one main thoroughfare downtown. But let's be realistic here. The city can’t even properly keep up half the roads already ZEISMAN under its jurisdiction, let alone set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct new traffic routes. Meanwhile, the construc- tion of new flower beds right down the centre of Columbia Ave. downtown promise to cause new traffic headaches and inevitable accidents for unwary local drivers. 4 + Prepare a plan to cope with increased traffic on Columbia Ave. south. Once again, sounds great in theory, but it's simply not feasible without either twinning the road, or creating a full-blown alternate route. Both options would be very expensive to implement, with the first idea a direct threat to what’s left of Columbia Ave.'s residential dis- tricts. The latter idea would be even more expensive, and most likely quite ineffective to boot, given Columbia's natural trans- portation pre-eminence in the community City council should have thought twice about dropping commercial development all over Columbia Ave before belatedly throwi bolic bone to the are. traffic crisis. + Prioritize and schedule high- way construction and upgrading Projects over the next 20 years. This concept is simply not very realistic, given increasing budget cutbacks at all levels of govern- ment: Who knows where the region, the province, even the country will be in 20 years? Probably in the poor house, if today’s fiscal situation is any indication. + Suggest parking policies and methods of financing future pub- lic parking areas. A largely use- less concept, given the fact that with only one part-time parking inspector on staff, the process of parking is an uncontrolled free- for-all just about everywhere in the city. About the only truly sound objective of the transportation Study is to provide recommenda- tions on potential alternate trans- pon methods for local residents, including bike routes, hiking trail networks and pedestrian walkways. An examination like this would be a positive move for our growing, environmentally-sensi- live community — but it need not be carried out within the auspices of yet another bureaucratic ram- ble, one that will likely end up gathering dust in the basement of city hall. Unless the City of Castlegar is seriously prepared to start charg- ing commercial and residential developers the true cost involved in bringing the roadways sur- rounding new developments up to snuff, we should not expect to see the grand plans outlined in the transportation study proposal become reality anytime soon. The city would be far better off taking the thousands and thou- sands of dollars it will inevitably end up pouring into its proposed transportation study, and sink that money instead into a few much- needed, but relatively inexpen- Sive, traffic control projects around town. Much-beleaguered local drivers and pedestrians alike would be very grateful for it. For the past year I've been an avid reader of The Castle- gar Sun. Not only'are most articles well-written and interesting, but the paper also describes many facets of the community's life in an objec- tive style. it was, therefore, with a sense of dismay that I read the expression “...useless as jugs on a bull...” ini John Kereiff*s Rock File in the August 9th edition of The Sun. I was very offended by the use of this expression. I am not paying to read sexist comments in your newspaper. As the editor, 1 hope that you will review acceptable standards of language with Mc. Kereiff. Margaret Hill Crescent Valley From. Christina Lake to Kootenay Lake: Area forest concerns take high priority with readers Dear Editor: Since 1991, 90 per cent of the Christina Lake Ratepayers Asso- ciation'members have objected to logging on the slopes of Christina Lake, particularly the watersheds, in their attempt to protect the water quality of the lake, the habitats of wildlife and the natu ral beauty of the viewscape Much has been discussed, researched, written and presented to the various levels'of govern- ment regarding the future of the private logging on the slopes of Christina Lake It is sad to realize that some landowners would choose to scalp their land of all trees. with total disregard of the possibk increased runoffs, causing changes to the quality of our good healthy lake water and the unnecessary scarring of the Steep slope The combination of work done firstly by the Christina Lake Ratepayers Association and then the Official Christina Lake Com- munity Plan for all of its resi- dents, in a sane and reasonable manner, seems to have been of little avail to date, in preserving Christina Lake. The question is why can 55 million of our tax dollars be spent to protect large tracts of land as parks and to restrict log- ging, as at the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island and no consideration given to the preservation of the Christina Lake/Boundary area before it is too late We need to do everything in our means to protect the good and safe water quality of our lake ate in August's Christina Lake tepayvers Asso: ciation meetings an protest in writing to Premier Harcourt or telephone him at 1-800-663 7876. J.C. Hall, Chair Christina Lake Ratepayers Association Dear Editor: There is ancient forest still intact and standing According to the Ministry of Forests, there may be 3000 hectares of forest 361 years and older in the Kootenay Lake Tim- ber Supply Area, an area 1.1 mil- lion hectares in size The provincial government has yet to issue a moratorium on the logging of old growth Less than ten percent af our land is covered with forest over 250 years old (age class 9a) Less than one percent of our land is forest over 360 years old (age class 9b) The Singing Forest includes an area of approximately 650 hectares of operable forest, forest that is available for logging: not all of that is ancient forest according to the Ministry of Forests A cutting permit for the Singing Forest has been grant- ed to the Japanese-owned Meadow Creek Cedar, which intends to log in the singing forest despite appeals by the Applied Ecological Steward- ship Coalition to defer log ging in the area. \ There is ancient forest still remaining We should protect and pre- serve the existence of a unique rainforest like the Singing Forest In fact the Singing Forest asks that it be spared. This is a critical time to pre serve and maintain the life of an area that provides spiritual uplift- ment and experienced lessons in the workings of the earth when encountered hing forests Our forests Protect the Singing Forests and legislate the preservation of forests that are more than 300 years old. For us. Forever. Robert Stof Nelson Airy Mountain Appliance Service call ONLY *20 For friendly service anytime call COMING SOON Castlegar & District UNITED WAY KICK OFF . DAY 2 Saturday, Sept. 23 Community Complex Includes Market - Outdoor Flea ? Breakfast ed by it Credit Union Castlegar Savings Credit UNION Plan to attend! For more info. call 365-7331 Castlegar Chamber of Commerce Supports The United Way ing where the school-yard used to be. It's hard to believe that fifty years have passed since we played tag around that faithful tree and threw harmless pine cones at each other. Though we short-lived humans have now advanced well into middle age since then, our lofty pine has hardly changed at all Changes were coming — I knew that. But nothing could have prepared me for the scene of dev- astating that met my eyes on pass- ing that way two weeks ago! “Was it a clear-cut?” I wondered. “Or a strip-mine? Or did some enemy aliens arrive in the night to attack with atom bombs?” Mobile home raw deal from Dear Editor: In response to the article “Local couple lock horns with land developer” (Aug. 2), | would like to clarify a few points. As far as Mr. Bell's offer to take our single wide mobile home on trade for a new modular home for our lot in Castlegar, our first reaction was favorable. However, upon talking with Dean Johnstone, the sales manag- er for Mr. Ron Bell's S$ out- lets, Columbia River Homes in Castlegar and Castle Mountain Homes in Christina Lake, we were unhappy to learn the Modu- line modular home has low 7.5 foot walls and fairly rigid stan- dard designs. And, of course, we weren't pleased that the trade in price was $17,000 compared to the govern- ment assessment of $24,000 and our appraisal of $43,000. There- fore, we turned down the offer. However, we presented Mr Now, I'm almost afraid to go to town again for fear of finding our faithful schoolyard pine lying in the log pile nothing but a bat- tered trunk. Needless to say, I'm greatly disappointed that we came so close, yet failed to get a Japanese garden there. Although I'm not clear on the reasons for the change in plans, I think it’s a shame to have given up on that delightful proposal for a peaceful garden in that lovely place, Tt could have been the “jewel in the crown” of downtown Castlegar. Harry F. Killough Castlegar owner claims developer Bell with an alternative offer; that he buy us out for $30,000 and we would vacate our mobile home in two weeks. He, in turn, rejected this offer. It seems to me that $30,000 for our mobile home and additions would have been a fair price to pay to facilitate a $2.7 million housing development. Draw your own conclusions. Secondly, the Residential Ten- ancy Act states that, in this par- ticular situation, the notice period to end the fenancy must be at least 12 months and the landlord must pay the tenants actual and reasonable moving expenses up to $10,000. In the meantime, amid the dust and noise in which we now live, the hunt goes on for a suitable lot to either rent or buy, on to which we.can relocate'our mobile home Harvey, Diana & Justin Orser Castlegar For detailed in Gail O'Hara 442-21 INRSI NATIONAL REAL ESTATE SERVICE Christina Sands Estates, Hwy #3, Christina Lake, B.C. 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STK# A-4125-0 Openin Columbia Basin The Columbia Basin Trust and the pleased to announce the opening Columbia Basin Power Projects. | These projects represent a portion of The Information Office will help wit Columbia-Kootenay residents to visit, with any questions or comments conc Manager, Comm Ph: 604-365-3189 (out Fax: 604-3 10:00 am - Columbia Basin Trust Col — Announcement — Information Office. August 16, 1995 The proposed Projects involve expansion of power stations at the existing Keenleyside, Waneta, and Brilliant Dams. River Treaty downstream benefits and have the potential to create up to 4,400 worker years of employment over the next decade. ensure that public views are inc ‘Ofporated into project planning and design. The Columbia Basin Trust and Columbia Power Corporation encourage Contact: Wally Penner Columbia Basin Power Projects Information Office 1125 - 4th Street, Castlegar, B.C. 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