SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
66
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ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO.
12
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S U M M E R L A N D,
by John Arendt
Artists of all ages are hard at work painting street banners.
Page 10
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T H U R S D AY,
MARCH
21,
2013
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20
PA G E S
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$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Water options shown Hundreds ask questions about water billing
Banner art
B.C.
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
More than 300 people attended an open house last week to learn more about water metering and the proposed billing options for the community.
The municipality has installed residential water meters and staff and council are working to determine a fair billing system so the meters can be used beginning early in 2014. “We had a lot of questions. We had a lot of data,” said municipal planner Ian McIntosh. He said many of the
questions raised at the open house were about the two billing methods under consideration. Both billing systems begin with a base rate for the service. From there, rates are based on consumption. The initial water use is billed at a much lower rate than the rate charged for excess use.
McIntosh said municipal staff will now consider the comments received and may make adjustments to the billing structures as a result. Mock bills, to show water consumption and the charges under a metered water system, will likely be sent out in early June and throughout the summer.
In October, another open house on water metering will be held. “There are a lot of people in the community who have a lot of good ideas,” he said. If the concerns can be addressed quickly after that open house, metering will likely be in place at the start of 2014.
Orchard award
A Summerland cherry grower has received an award for his work.
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Earth Week
Summerland has many events and activities in place for Earth Week next month.
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Apple funds
Growers of two new apple varieties are receiving provincial funding to help promote their apples.
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Okanagan origins
An upcoming presentation will examine the origins of the region.
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Hockey tourney
Three Novice hockey teams from Summerland hosted a weekend tournament.
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YOUR SMILE Have you heard about the new restaurant on the moon? The food is great but the place has no atmosphere.
Examining water rates
Jeremy Denegar, director of corporate services for the municipality, shows Ali Hawk how her water bill would be affected under two proposed billing options. The municipality held an open house on the water billing options last week.
Food bank gets larger space by John Arendt
A community resource centre in the lower level of the Summerland United Church has given more space for the Summerland Food Bank. On Tuesday, the food bank moved into the larger space, replacing the cramped quarters it had
used in the past. Other services and resource information will be in the centre in the future. John Bubb of Summerland United Church said the centre will be fully operational in April. An official opening will take place in early May. The centre has been in
the works since the fall of 2011 as a one-stop centre for people in need. In October, when the concept was presented to Summerland council, Bubb said the centre was needed since Summerland has been losing social programs. In December, council approved a $20,000
grant-in-aid for the Summerland Community Resource Centre. The cost of operating the centre is estimated at $42,000 a year. Money for its operations includes $12,000 from Summerland United Church, $10,000 from the Summerland Food Bank and the remainder from the
municipality. Bubb said the church is still looking for an employee to staff the centre. He added that there is a need for the centre in Summerland, but not necessarily a need for the various agencies to have a full-time presence in the community.