MAY
50th anniversary of Royal Purple Lodge
Ashcroft Royal Purple Lodge 263 celebrated its 50th Anniversary on May 7.
A get together was held at the Cache Creek Community Hall with the Ashcroft Elks as the hosts. Mayors from both the Village of Cache Creek and the Village of Ashcroft attended and brought greetings from each Village.
Ashcroft adopts tax hike
Ashcroft Council voted to proceed with its 22 per cent tax increase despite meeting with about 35 protesters before the Council meeting on May 9.
“It’s hard to take a 20 per cent increase when your pension only goes up five percent,” said one man.
“I love Ashcroft,” said Dolly Lowe, “but I see the whole town just going down the tubes.”
Buffalo Station restaurant owner Darrell Starbuck said that his business taxes have more than doubled in the past four years. He asked Council to improve the outlook for businesses before collecting money to pave streets.
He suggested that the Village could save money in road repair by keeping industrial traffic off Railway Ave.
Starbuck asked Council to consider an 86-signature petition that asked them to delay adopting the budget for a few months while an altenative was discussed, but all Local Governments in BC are required by law to adopt their annual budgets by the middle of May.
Half a century for Clinton Building Centre
The Clinton Building Centre held a celebration on May 14 to mark its 50th anniversary in business. Well-wishers and bargain hunters turned out in spite of the cool rainy weather.
Store Manager Murray Kane kept the smokies and hot dogs coming while Angela and Katie Kane kept an eye on the table of condiments and beverages.
MP Strahl keeps office in Lillooet
Mark Strahl was sworn in as the new MP for Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon last week in Ottawa, setting up an office there before Parliament resumes June 2.
Vilage to take on DTR
Cache Creek Council will assume the responsibility of the Downtown Revitalization (DTR) area from the Chamber of Commerce next Spring.
The DTR stretches from the Star House Restaurant at the south end of town to the elementary school, leaving the highway businesses at the north end of town noticeably barren.
The Village collects extra taxation from the businesses in the DTR area and gives it to the Chamber. Amounting to approximately $22,000, the Chamber hires a contractor to maintain the area.
Bonaparte flooding causing concerns
Cache Creek was off and on Flood Watch during the last half of May as snowmelt caused fluctuating levels in the Bonaparte River.
By May 30, the lower areas of the Cache Creek Community Park were drenched as water came up through the ground. The saturated soil made it impossible to bring equipment into the park to work on the town’s drinking water upgrade.
The Village stockpiled 25,000 sandbags, placing some at Sage ‘n Sands trailer park along the Bonaparte River, and the rest in the Public Works yard, which is also situated on the river at the opposite end of town.