A breath of fresh air at climate change ... - Valley Voice Newspaper

16 KASLO & DISTRICT
Kaslo council, April 24: Loggers Sports cancelled this year
by Jill Braley
•Jim Archer, President of Kaslo &
Area Chamber of Commerce, advised
that the 2007 Loggers Sports event
planned for Sunday, May 20 had been
cancelled. He said this was mainly
because of a lack of commitment this
year from the regular supporters in the
local logging industry, as well as lost
props from last year’s flooding of the
loggers sports site. Archer said every
effort would be made to restore this
event for May Days 2008, and that the
Chamber and others were making plans
to replace the event with other fun,
family oriented activities for this year.
Council voted to express its regret,
and support in principle for the event
continuing in the future, with the
understanding Kaslo’s status on the
international logging sports circuit is not
jeopardized by this cancellation.
•Bruce Freeman of the Kaslo
Curling Club asked permission to hold
a beer garden for three days at the Vimy
Park picnic shelter during May Days.
There would be an 8’ fence around the
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beer garden, with checkpoints for entry
and exit that would be patrolled by the
RCMP. Freeman said this would be a
very important fundraiser, as the curling
club is in need of a $30,000 - $35,000
piece of equipment (chiller). This
request was referred to the April 30
Planning & Development committee
meeting, where a recommendation was
made to allow the club to operate a beer
garden on Sunday, May 20 and
Monday, May 21 at a location to be
determined with the May Days Coordinator.
•The RDCK sent the Village a draft
of an information household mailer
regarding the proposed new fire
protection service for Kaslo and Area
D. The service would extend from
Coffee Creek to Schroeder Creek and
would consist of the Kaslo fire
department (including a new fire hall)
and a new fire department at Woodbury.
This proposal will be discussed at a
public meeting on May 24 at 6:30 pm
at the JVH Lighthouse Theatre. Council
approved the content of the mailer,
which includes taxation information.
•Council received correspondence
regarding the provincial building from
ARES, Lynch Building Inspection
Services, and lawyers Staples & Co.
Lynch Building Inspection Services was
to be contacted to provide a list of
urgently needed repairs to the building
prior to a special meeting of the
Administration & Finance committee.
The email from Staples on the Offer to
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referred to a May 3 meeting of
Administration and Finance, for
recommendation to the May 8 council
meeting.
•Two FortisBC representatives
returned as a delegation in regards to
the company’s $850,000 project to
improve the substation at Arena Avenue.
To carry out the project, an encroachment
on Village right-of-way will be
necessary. They suggested a land for
right-of-way trade in the area of the
substation, with all costs to be borne by
FortisBC. Council referred this to the
April 30 Planning & Development
committee meeting, where it was
decided to send a letter of agreement to
Fortis.
•The Mayor and CAO were
authorized to sign a lease with the Kaslo
Area Youth Council for land and
improvements at the Scout Hall for a
period of three years, with rental in each
year of the lease to be $99. The lease
will include a requirement for a building
inspection report within one year of
signing, and no compensation for
leasehold improvements. Councillor
Vass was opposed.
•The Mayor and CAO were
authorized to sign a lease with North
Kootenay Lake Community Services
Society for the community garden, for
a term of three years at $1 per year.
•The Mayor and Chief Administrative
Officer were authorized to sign a
lease with the Kaslo Boat Club and the
Kaslo Bay Marine Club for a period of
five years effective December 2006,
with rental in the first year to be $910
for each club.
by Jan McMurray
The position of woodlands
manager for the Kaslo and District
Community Forest has been filled by a
team of four. Team members are Rainer
Muenter, Maureen Muenter and Dave
Karassowitsch of Monticola Forest Ltd.,
and Richard Marchand of Osprey
Resource Management. All four currently
live in Nelson, with the Muenters
soon to move to Fruitvale. They plan to
have a strong presence in Kaslo,
working regularly in the KDCFS office.
The three men are Registered
Professional Foresters. Dave and
Richard will be involved in the
operations of the community forest, and
Rainer will oversee the team. Maureen
will handle the administrative and
accounting work.
Richard says Rainer is well known
for his innovative views on forestry. “He
finds solutions other than the industrial
model. We are all open minded, and try
to figure out what’s best for the land
and forest, not for the shareholders of
the company. This is positive for the
community forest.”
Monticola currently manages a
To Nicole,
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with our business.
You are an incredible
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Love, Tyler
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•Helen Woolgar wrote to council
voicing her concerns about a Development
Variance Permit application made
by Peter and Melanie Bryce, who would
like to replace the existing building at
the corner of Centre and Front Streets
with a duplex. The letter was referred
to the Planning & Development
committee.
•Council received an email from Jill
Braley regarding dirt bikes on the
pedestrian trail on the north side of
Kaslo River. Braley cited concern for
public safety and the increased trail
maintenance caused by skid marks.
Council will advise that if persons can
be identified, action through the RCMP
might be possible. Council referred the
matter of motorized vehicles using
pedestrian trails to the Community
Services committee for recommendation
to council.
•Jo Brown, transit co-ordinator,
informed council that because ridership
numbers on the Kaslo bus service have
been low, a draft of possible scheduling
changes has been prepared to get
feedback from Kaslo and area residents.
She asked council to circulate the draft
schedule and to provide feedback.
Council voted to receive the
correspondence only.
•A special meeting was scheduled
for April 26 with Tom Lancaster to
determine the composition of a Citizens
Advisory Committee (CAC) for the
OCP review process.
•A letter of thanks will be sent to
Barry McLean, RDCK treasurer, for
providing additional information as
requested on McDonald Creek
salvage licence on Kootenay Lake and
licences on several pieces of private
land, including two large properties in
the Salmo and Fruitvale areas.
Richard Marchand started up his
own forestry consulting company,
Osprey Resource Management, about
seven years ago. For the last three years,
he has been working with Monticola
on different projects. “When KDCFS
had an opening for the manager
position, we decided to team up to make
a stronger proposal,” he explained.
Richard will be the one to write the
Forest Stewardship Plan and finish up
the Probationary Community Forest
Agreement application.
Dave Karassowitsch, prior to
joining Monticola, worked for a
company out of Kamloops that helps
woodlot and ranch owners with all kinds
of management issues, including
marketing their timber. “As a result of
working with them, I spent a lot of my
time marketing timber in the Nelson
area,” he said.
Rainer and Maureen have lived in
the Kootenays since 1990, primarily
managing large parcels of private forest
land. Rainer is originally from
Germany, and holds a Master’s Degree
The Valley Voice May 9, 2007
finances. Councillor Jones asked for and
received clarification from council that
this was only a thank you letter, and the
McDonald Creek financial issue had not
been resolved.
•Mayor Holland reported on the
RDCK meeting of April 21. The board
passed a resolution to support the
Village of Kaslo in its efforts to be
recognized by the Province as a
municipality that is impacted by the
operations of the Kootenay Lake
Reservoir, and thus entitled to receive
BC Hydro grants in lieu of taxes. This
same resolution was advanced for
inclusion in the service review of the
general administration function.
•The Ministry of Transportation
will pave to the school bus turnaround
on Kaslo Road South and to the airport.
•Eight additional picnic tables and
six fire pits for the 2007 campground
season will be purchased with the Phase
11 Community Tourism funds.
•Bylaw enforcement and a review
of business licence rates was referred
to the Administration & Finance committee
for recommendation to council.
•Council received a letter from the
Ministry of Community Services
regarding the small community grant
program. These grants will increase
again this year, as per the 2005
commitment of the premier to double
the grant over four years. Kaslo will
receive $262,776 under the program this
year.
•Bylaw #1043, 2007 Water
Frontage Bylaw, was read three times.
The annual rate for 2007 is $1.93 per
foot of taxable frontage.
Management team hired for Kaslo and District Community Forest
in Resource Science. When asked how
they felt about stepping into an
organization that has experienced a lot
of controversy, Maureen said they had
the sense that this is the right team for
this time in the development of the
organization. “We have a lot of
enthusiasm for working in the
community there and we think we can
really help them move forward.”
KDCFS to hold
spring AGM
by Jan McMurray
The Kaslo and District Community
Forest Society has called an AGM for
May 16 at 7 pm at JV Humphries
School. The community forest’s new
management team, hired at the end of
April, will be in attendance.
Several resolutions will be on the
agenda, addressing such issues as the
society’s constitution and bylaws,
society membership, establishing a
legacy fund, a public comment period
for the revised PCFA application, and
special projects.
There are three vacancies on the
board. Don Scarlett, society secretary,
reported that the nomination committee
approached many people to ask them
to serve on the board, and was only able
to find two: Patrick Mackle and Brody
Whitney.
These two will be acclaimed, as the
society’s bylaws do not allow
nominations from the floor at the AGM.
However, there will be an All
Candidates meeting with Mackle and
Whitney, as per the bylaws, just before
the AGM. Scarlett says he imagines the
new board will discuss appointing
someone to the one remaining vacant
seat shortly after the AGM.
Retiring board members are Steve
Anderson and Kelly Abby. The other
vacancy was made when Erika Bird
resigned in December. Continuing
board members are Don Scarlett
(secretary), Rob Mitchell (chair and
Village appointee), Dave Russell (vice
chair and RDCK appointee), Suzan
Hewat (treasurer), Stan Baker and
Donna Cormie.