WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
APRIL 17, 2013
1 8 9 5
Vol. 118, Issue 60
105
$
Trail Jays grounded Page 9
INCLUDING G.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
School district rejects Rossland’s K-12 offer
SEWER REPAIRS
BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
SHERI REGNIER PHOTO
On Monday, at the intersection of Second Avenue and Hwy 3B, Mar-Tech Underground Services began work on the 2013 phase of the City of Trail’s trenchless sewer repairs. The repairs involve an innovative technology which lines the old pipes with a resin, thereby creating a new pipe lining within the old pipes. The new pipe lining resolves any issues with cracked or broken pipes.
With the cloud of a budget deficit looming above its head, School District 20 (SD20) reiterated to a group of impassioned parents, that it is time to move forward. At the regular meeting of SD20 on Monday in Trail, Aerin Guy, coordinator for Neighbourhoods of Learning, was delegated to open the meeting with her presentation to the board, which included the benefits of blended learning at Rossland Secondary School (RSS); the lack of courses offered at Crowe; and the need for a portable to house students. Trustee Toni Driutti countered Guy, with concerns about the information presented, in particular, Guy’s statement regarding Calculus 12, music and the academies, not being offered at Crowe. “In September these course will be available at Crowe,” said Driutti. “I don’t want misinformation out there, and the people of Rossland need to know that these courses will be available in the fall. And that a portable will not be required as of September.” Later in the meeting, the board addressed a proposal by the City of Rossland to the school district. On April 8, the Rossland council passed a resolution to offer a grant-in-aid of $140,000 per year for three years to the school dis-
trict with the condition that K-12 remains in Rossland for the school years of 2013-2018. The city resolved the right to purchase the MacLean School Annex from the school district by 2018; and that the grant-in-aid be considered full payment for the Annex. Lastly, council resolved that if that offer was accepted by district, then a referendum would be held prior to the dispersal of the funds. The proposal was rejected by the board stating that it could not accept the offer as written, and Greg Luterbach, superintendent, shared nine points of challenge to the offer. One of the most significant is that the Ministry of Education would need clarification if the grant-in-aid can be used for operating funds because it is tied to the transfer of a capital asset (Annex). “We need operational funds,” said Luterbach. “Funds from the sale of city capital can only be used for further construction and not for operating programs.” Trustee Gordon Smith requested an amendment to provide opportunity for further negotiations between the board and Rossland council, which was also defeated. “It’s been over six years now that we have been debating if K-12 should be up there,” said Driutti. See BUDGET, Page 3
To bag, or not to bag, that is the green question Earth Day on April 22 BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
It has been said that the road to a certain hot place is paved with good intentions, but in today’s world, that road is also lined with plastic bags. As the City of Trail began its 2013 spring clean-up program, many residents dutifully rake and clip and place compost curbside to be hauled off to the dump, all tidy and in a plastic bag. The problem is, that once those bag of trimmings hit the landfill, and the plastic is mulched along with the yard waste, hills of useless garbage is created. “I think that people understand the
inherent contradiction in putting garden material in a plastic bag,” said Allan Stanley, director of environmental services for the RDKB. “And I don’t think it is a big stretch to ask them to change their habits. “We also know that the best way to manage some of this stuff is on site, in your own yard, with back yard composting,” he added. Stanley said that it is recognized that a fair bit of plastics continues to go into the landfill, but they ask if people do transport garden waste in plastic bags, to empty it onto the piles and take that bag home to reuse it. “This just creates a better and cleaner product.”
Stanley said that the quality of the “grind” depends on what goes into it. If the grind consists of clean wood, then it can be composted and beneficially reused as compost. Some of the “dirtier” wood from that comes from construction demolition programs is mixed with soil and used as cover for garbage or as a valuable additive for slope stabilization. But the endless mounds of mulch mixed with plastic requires further measures to render it useful. “The material is compost and will be used as a soil amendment. Prior to use, it will be screened to remove contaminants,” said Stanley. See TRAIL, Page 3
Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242
Ron & Darlene
Your Local Home Team We make your Real Estate experience straight forward
BUILDING TRUST - CREATING RESULTS Ron 250.368.1162 Darlene 250.231.0527
Contact us today! We can sell your home!
SHERI REGNIER PHOTO
Mountains of plastic bags filled with clippings lie unopened at the landfill.
Kootenay Homes Inc. See more great homes at
www.hometeam.ca hometeam@hometeam.ca
Canada Post, Contract number 42068012