Skip to content

Notes from the January 10 Nakusp Council meeting

The first meeting of Nakusp Council on Jan. 10 covered a lot of ground.

Auditorium improvements

Beth McLeod, treasurer of the Cultural Community of Nakusp and Area Society (CCNAS) gave a brief presentation on the Cultural Conference Centre Committee’s (CCCC) progress on revitalizing the Nakusp Auditorium.

McLeod provided plans for renovations to the auditorium that make the serving kitchen larger and more food-safe, and the building of a sound booth as well as improvements to spotlighting for the stage.

The group is also reviewing the rental rates in tandem with the Recreation Commission in response to input from some community groups that the rates were too high.

Unfinished business

At the moment, there are 47 items of unfinished items, some  for the Village council and some for staff, to address. Mayor Hamling said that at every meeting there will be items on the agenda for the council to address.

Mayoral highlights

Some highlights from the mayor’s report to council included the RDCK board’s approval of Green Fleet Policy and Purchasing Policy, which sets sustainability considerations as part of vehicle purchasing. The mayor also reported that Area K and Nakusp working on the Animal Control Bylaw and the Building Code Bylaw.

Medical update

Dr. Lea has secured funds for emergency department access, which will help fill on-call shifts. If more funding is garnered from the latest application, the money will likely go toward recruitment, lending a hand to doctors to get them out here by helping with moving costs and living quarters.

More ferry debate

The mayor received a letter from Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom which said there will be one new ferry built to replace the two ferries shuttling between the Galena and Shelter Bays. The letter address the concern that having one new ferry without a backup vessel won’t do much good if the one ferry breaks down.

The mayor refuted the Minister’s claim that two ferries aren’t economically feasible by saying it’s not economically feasible to have a single ferry break down with no backup.

Councillor Guy Duchaine agreed and added that when the ferry is built, we need to insist it is built here, not in Revelstoke.

Final Economic Summit

Councillor Duchaine then presented the report from the Nakusp and Area Development Board (NADB), which will be holding its final Summit meeting on Feb. 7, location and time to be announced. A committee was also created to organize the strategy for Tourism Revenue Expansion, the next step for which is a meeting between the Village, Chamber and NADB.

Hot Springs plan

Councilllor Ulli Mueller began with a report from the Hot Springs Commission. The marketing position was extended for the next three months or to a maximum of $5,000 as the need for a marketing position is seen as vital by the Commission. Once the five-year plan is reviewed and budget has been decided, a full-year marketing contract might be arranged if in line with the plan and the budget.

Waste revenues increased

Mueller also mentioned that since there has been a new operator at the Nakusp landfill, there has been a $7,000 increase in revenues, which may be due to fees being more consistently applied.

Nacfor in action

Councillor Tom Zeleznik presented the Nakusp and Area Community Forest’s latest planned logging activities. NACFOR are planning to harvest four of five blocks this winter, and the final block is to be harvested next summer.

“NACFOR is arranging for Arrow Lakes Logging Ltd. to harvest the remaining blocks on the permit,” wrote Jesper Nielsen in the letter submitted to council, “We estimate there are 30,000 cubic meters (around 750 logging truckloads) to harvest.”

Although log prices are still below average, NACFOR is confident that the program will be profitable.

Monday meetings scheduled

Council meetings will be held on Mondays starting February 13. The move to Mondays will allow all council members to attend most meetings. Monday meetings falling on a statutory holiday will be rescheduled for the following Tuesday or another agreeable day.

Water and sewage review

Council will review water and sewage rates on January 18. The CAO will also give a presentation to Council on the budget cycle and financial plan process on the same evening.

Need a new woodstove?

The VIllage of Nakusp will be participating in the RDCK woodstove exchange program again, so if you’ve got an old woodstove and are looking to get a new one, get more information about this program from the RDCK website or at the Village Office.

Happy Birthday, Nakusp

Plans are being made for the celebration of the 120th Anniversary of the Village of Nakusp, with the date of July 1 being a likely candidate for the party. Councillor Duchaine brought up the possibility of combining the celebration with a black powder reenactment of the War of 1812. Duchaine said there is federal funding for reenactments that we should try to get, which would really make for a great Nakusp/Canada Day celebration.