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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 | Volume 31 No. 16
NOD FOR LESS TRIPS
WEATHER Chance of flurries High -4 C Low -7 C SNOW REPORT Sun Peaks Resort Mid-mountain: 169 cm Alpine: 223 cm Harper Mountain Total snow: 257 cm
AJAX FROZEN?
Greyhound allowed fewer buses between Kamloops, Kelowna
Project manager says company undecided despite recent reports
NEWS/A5
NEWS/A3
Development aims to bring spirit to square
[web-extra]
More coverage at kamloopsthisweek.com
THROW DOWN AT THE GAMES
BC Winter Games athletes Kai Richardson (top) and Jaeden Wilson of Williams Lake warm up on the mat Thursday in preparation for Friday’s under-16 judo competition at South Kamloops secondary. For additional coverage on the Games, which runs through Sunday in Kamloops, Stake Lake and Sun Peaks, turn to pages A36 and A38. KTW has been covering the Games since a hosting bid was first made in 2012. For past stories and up-to-date coverage through the weekend, go online to kamloopsthisweek.com and click on the BC Winter Games tab.
ANDREA KLASSEN STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
ASK Wellness Society executive director Bob Hughes has seen many things turn up in Spirit Square over the years: old mattresses, used needles and an abandoned car or two. Community gatherings that use the North Shore space as it was originally intended have been rare. Spirit Square was created in 2009 with funds from the provincial government as it celebrated B.C.’s 150 years as a Crown colony a year earlier. The province offered matching funds of up to $500,000 for communities that wanted to create a Spirit Square. Kamloops received $375,000 in matching funds from Victoria to create the square between MacKenzie Avenue and Yew Street. Hughes is hoping two new housing developments, one market and one with affordable units for those 55 and older, will help bring life to Spirit Square. “This area, something needed to be done and just fencing it and leaving it as a big, empty park
DAVE EAGLES/KTW
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IT’S NOT THE FIRST SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECT PITCHED IN THE AREA. KAMLOOPS CITY COUNCIL REJECTED A PLAN BY THE JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY ALMOST TWO DECADES AGO. READ ABOUT IT ON PAGE A7.
made no sense,” he said. “Doing this is, I think, is going to be one of the most transformative projects this city’s ever seen.” ASK Wellness and developer Arpa Investments announced on Wednesday they will partner on the construction of two mixed-use buildings centred on Spirit Square. ASK will own and operate the building on the MacKenzie Avenue side of the square, which will house its administrative offices and contain more than 40 affordable rental units. The other building, on the Yew Street side, will feature 7,000 square feet of commercial and restaurant space on its ground floor and offer about 33 market-rate units for purchase. The development will also feature 75 surface parking stalls. See PROJECT, A6
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