A light first snow covering the ground was not enough to deter people from attending town council last Monday evening. Foremost on the minds of attendees was the political forum. Two issues rose out of the forum that needed to be addressed.
The first issue of concern was the deer problem which has continued to cause concern for residents. Since attending the UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities Convention), Councillor Earle has started the process of implementing the urban ungulate conflict analysis that communities are required to follow in accordance with the provincial government. Earle connected with other communities who have followed or are following through under the same process and has been keen to get the program underway in Princeton. Earle mentioned Cranbrook as an example. “Cranbrook started the process two years ago. This isn’t a quick fix. The main thing residents need to do is report and document any interactions with wildlife. Reporting means contacting town hall and the Ministry of Environment. Please be extra diligent with your garbage and don’t feed them. We can’t do this alone. We need the community’s help.”
Councillor Ray Jarvis attended the community dinner held on Oct. 27. “I hope it turns out to be an annual event.” The community dinner was organized by the town to help community groups co-ordinate events on the calendar. Mayor Randy McLean along with Councillors Jason Earle, Marilyn Harkness and Frank Armitage and recreation coordinator Nadine McEwen served dinner to the crowd.
Councillor Harkness attended the library board meeting and asked that council consider offering financial aid to the local branch for much needed shelving as per their request.
Councillor Armitage accompanied Chief Administration Officer Patrick Robins and McEwen to the fire hall and said, “we thanked them for their services. They are a great bunch and a real asset to our community.” Armitage also attended Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat’s book launch for Dead Horse on the Tulameen and said, “My wife Darnella stocked up on it for Christmas gifts.”
Armitage reminded residents to attend the Christmas Light-up scheduled for Friday Nov. 25. and was pleased that the museum is staying open for the first time throughout winter. One disappointing piece of news for town staff was museum manager Sharon Anderson’s decision not to renew her contract with the museum. “She has been invaluable,” Armitage said, “and she will be missed.”
Armitage also spoke of an incident his in-laws recently experienced. “Darnella’s mother had to fend off a deer and fawn with her walker. Fortunately, they were okay. Darnella phoned the Conservation Officer in Merritt and he got all the details and came over to investigate the incident. Because the action of the deer was aggressive, he came right over and found 15 deer in the vicinity. He made note of the six foot high fence. “It is really time to take some action,” he said.
Councillor Earle also praised the Let’s Talk dinner. “I enjoyed seeing how flexible the groups were when it came to conflicting dates.”
Earle announced that youth nights at the Legion continue. “They played a game called bigger and better and went door to door trading items starting with a paper clip. They ended up coming back with a foosball table.” Earle was sporting a moustache in support of Moustache Mouvember to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer. “I won’t be shaving my upper lip until the month end.”
Lastly, Earle made mention of the Princeton Performing Arts new play Glorious that is in the works. “I am looking forward to seeing another great production from them.”
Mayor McLean said, “I spent the afternoon with Hut owner and Encorp operator Bill Vowles investigating how his enquiry into purchasing a lot in the Industrial Park was handled. I will be following up on this issue some more.”
McLean praised Bartlett and Ruebsaat for their new book. “I was cheerful after reading a few excerpts from it. It is well worth the investment to purchase.”
McLean attended a thermal energy seminar in Kamloops. “From small plants to large plants, they had some great information on systems for homes and bigger projects like rec centres. These ideas if put to work, could reduce heating costs on a centre substantially.”
A Run to Remember participant David McGuire will be travelling through Princeton on Nov. 25. Council suggested McGuire’s presence be incorporated into the Christmas Light-up festivities. McGuire is raising awareness for brain injuries and is running from St. John’s Newfoundland to Victoria, B.C.. The run is also raising funds for BrainTrust Canada to prevent brain injury and support those with brain injury in Canada.