The Arrow Lakes News sat down with Mayor Karen Hamling between Christmas and New Years’ to ask her to reflect on the year that was for the village, and what might be in store for 2018. Here’s the transcript from that interview.
What stands out for you in 2017?
There are a lot of really good things that stand out in my mind. From the village’s perspective, I would say we got the Trails Master Plan completed, and we did the Downtown Revitalization Plan completed with a group of people. That was a real positive thing.
We also had the galvanized water mains replaced, the last kilometer of those. That was a huge thing. And we started with the North Road to get their water and sewer happening.
Getting the contract done with the union was huge. We’ve been trying to get that done for the last couple of years. So that was wonderful.
There were things we worked on with the community, like the waterfront lighting getting extended by the Rotary Club, which was a real plus, that was really nice. Then the Rail Society, with their caboose and their snowplow, we helped them, putting in lighting and helping them along the way. Plus I think the July 1st and the Canada 150 celebrations, a lot of people came to the plate and made sure that those happened.
And then also it was nice to see volunteers step forward and make sure the Christmas parade happened. So those were all pretty big highlights.
And a huge personal highlight for me was going to the CBT [Columbia Basin Trust] symposium and hearing the Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, talk. It was amazing listening to that man. He was so positive and such a can-do type of person.
So has it been a year that you think the village has gotten ahead?
Oh absolutely, we have accomplished a lot in this village. People tend to forget the amount of grants that we get and the things that we’re doing that are saving taxpayers money. So we had a great year for that.
And is the community better off at the end of these twelve months?
I sure hope so. I think the fact that people came together and got the July 1st happening, the events committee, and the Christmas one. In the past it seems it was felt council should do everything and now there seems to be people redirecting the thought process, because it’s not going to come from us. It doesn’t matter what council and the mayor say, people have their own opinions. But when you get people from the public saying ‘Hey this is our job to do’, I think that is huge, and that’s gratifying.
That’s the same with the Downtown Revitalization Committee. We had to meet every week through the whole summer, and they turned up for the whole of that. So it’s nice to see positive things coming from the community.
So a lot of planning done in 2017, do you think we’re going to see those plans implemented in the new year?
Well, I sure hope so. We’re looking at trying to find the funding for starting the downtown this spring. And I don’t know if it will be the late spring or what but we’re looking hard for funding to make that happen. Because the one thing I don’t like is to have a study done and have it sit on the shelf. There’s no point in that.
Is that the project that’s going to consume a lot of time for the staff next year?
I think so, yeah. It depends on whether we can do the sidewalks or whether we can bring someone in, but it’s still going tot take a lot of staff time.
Why is that project important?
It’s important for our economic development. Because it’s a beautiful downtown but the sidewalks need replacing, it’s a safety issue. We’ve run out of the bricks, we have no more bricks to put in there. And to just get the sidewalks a little safer for the elderly and for people who have diversity issues, I think that’s really important.
What else do you look forward to from the village’s point of view?
My big wish is we get the funding for the Arrow Lakes Hospital emergency room done. And I think that’s a huge thing. That’s something the West Kootenay Regional Hospital Board made as a priority in 2014, but it’s something I’ve been fighting for since 2010. So to get that project complete, to get that ER — it was built in 1975 — there’s been nothing done to that emergency room and that’s way too long. And the medical staff has been working under those conditions and doing an excellent job but now — well, that’s my big wish.
Any other village issues or projects coming up in new year?
It’s going to be nice to see Alexander Road and the Nakusp East Road, we’re going to be upgrading those water systems, and once we get that done, that is the whole water system upgraded and that’s huge.
And financially, is 2018 looking solid for the village?
As far as I know. That’s the thing about this job, you don’t know what’s coming down the road. And a lot of what we do is out of our control. Because the province will pass regulations, let’s say on water and sewer, and we have no control over, and how are we going to fund them? Like they keep upping the game on what we can do with water and sewer and that sort of thing and you don’t have a choice, you have to deal with it. And so it’s often out of our control what comes down the pipe and then you have to find a way of financing it.
Were there any difficult issues the village faced in 2017 that you think could have been handled differently?
I can’t think of anything because we have a really good staff that have taken a look and a council that really is willing to think outside the box. So I can’t think of anything, the only thing I can think of is we had to shut the trail off around Zack road because of that slough and because it’s railbed, it doesn’t belong to us. People would like us to take it over but we don’t have the funding to fix that and keep it up. So what are you going to do about that?
If you had a message for the citizens of Nakusp in 2017 what would you say to them?
My message would be to keep on supporting your community and before you get angry about things you hear, check them out. Because often the message that people are hearing in the public isn’t exactly what’s happening and people tend to jump on that. It’s very easy. Phone anyone on council, phone the Village office, or you can email them, and find out what’s happening.
The elections are coming up in October, what’s your plan? Are you going to run again?
Ask me again in June. I never say never.