TUESDAY
S I N C E
AUGUST 20, 2013
1 8 9 5
Vol. 118, Issue 130
105
$
INCLUDING G.S.T.
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Attack crew responds to fire near Rossland
INTERESTED OBSERVER
Helicopter called in to help douse small lightning-caused fire BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Although the fire danger rating has been downgraded to low in the area, a new fire burning near Rossland was reported Sunday. The fire is 1.5 kilometres east of Highway 3B, north of Rossland, confirmed Jordan Turner, fire information officer at the Southeast Fire Centre. “A local resident saw smoke and called it in to us (Sunday),” he said, adding, “further investigation found that indeed there was a fire, though small in size.” A three-person initial attack crew was on site Monday to set up fuel-free zones, and one helicopter was overhead to bucket the fire. The fire was lightning-caused and considered active at press time. A fire event that happened last week north of Champion Lakes is now classified as out, although crews remain on patrol in the affected area. “We are continuing to monitor it on an ongoing basis,” said Turner. “Increased temperatures can make embers a fire again, and we make sure that doesn’t become an issue.” The fire was considered Rank One, meaning it was a smouldering ground, and creeping surface fire, that burned a 0.3 hectares. So far this season, the centre has seen 243 wildfires which have burned 415 hectares, according to its latest report. The five-year average for this time of year is 220 fires, and this time last year, the number was significantly lower, with 54 fires burning 174 hectares. All but one of the 47 active wildfires were caused by lightning, and with more unsettled weather in the forecast, the Centre is on alert, said Turner. In August, 115 lightning fires were reported in the Southeast Fire Centre, an area covering six zones that stretch from the B.C./Alberta border in the east to the Boundary area in the west and from the Canada/US border in the south to the North Columbia/Golden region in the north. To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, call (star) *5555 on a cellphone or 1-800-6635555.
JIM BAILEY PHOTO
It was billed as Hot August Hooves but this horse had a shady spot while watching the competition during the weekend horse show at the Trail Horseman’s Grounds. See the Trail Times later this week for more details.
Trail ready for next step in boundary expansion Assessment pegs land value at $105 million BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
The numbers are in and Trail is ready to roll the dice and take the city’s boundary expansion proposal to the next level. In May, the city released details about a mutual agreement with Teck Metals Ltd., that outlined Trail’s intent to expand its boundary into Teck-owned land in Area A. At stake is cash, tax concessions
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and land which runs south through Columbia Gardens to the international border. However, before the plan could be submitted to the province for ratification, land values and tax assessments of the 66 parcels of property affected by a proposed expansion, had to be updated by Urban Systems, the company that completed the 2012 boundary expansion study. And what a difference a year makes. A general land assessment released Friday, which included property of eight landowners living in the area, was pegged at $105 million. That number is
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up $28 million from the value the city and Teck referred to in its partnering agreement. Included in the proposed expansion are Teck’s Waneta Reload Facility and the Waneta Dam. In terms of potential net revenue gain from the dam, the city must split proceeds 60-40 with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB). In 2012, the net to Trail was estimated to be $328,000 and the RDKB, $229,000. That figure has jumped to $548,000 for the city in 2013, with the district seeing $349,000. See IMPACT, Page 3
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