Time for tough choices on municipal hall expansion
The Town of Lake Cowichan didn’t get the grant money it hoped for to renovate the town hall, but it’s time to face the music: the job must start, Mayor Ross Forrest told his colleagues March 13.
He previously said that employees were working in cold, leaking quarters, and added fuel to the fire last week.
“I’m going to use an example that happened two weeks ago in the office here. Somebody came in about a bill, and it was delinquent, and while they were trying to deal with it, there were other people coming in and lining up right behind them. The person is embarrassed to talk about it. There’s no privacy for people to do business at the front counter there. It’s not a satisfactory place to do business anymore. We have to do something, and the sooner the better. We just can’t go on like this. It’s not fair to the public, it’s not fair to our employees and it’s just not right,” Forrest said.
Council has already accepted that once the renovation is started by the town, there will be no opportunity to apply for further grants for the project.
“During the budget discussions, I’ll be looking for a resolution to this issue, and action,” said Coun. Bob Day. “And it won’t be paint.”
Tim McGonigle said, “Fair enough. We will find out what is in [the contingency fund] and then we will move forward.”
Student banners ready to go up in Lake Cowichan
A project that has taken quite a while to bring to fruition is finally nearly ready to go.
Coun. Carolyne Austin has been working with Lake Cowichan School and was able, at a recent council meeting, to show some of the banners that have been painted by students to be placed on the poles along South Shore Road and Cowichan Lake Road.
“I am very impressed with Rebecca Scheer, the teacher. She sewed the banners (12 of them) and got them ready for the students to draw on and paint. It was not an easy job. She says they will be ready for public works to pick up at the end of March,” she said. “I think it is important to show the community what our students are doing and the dedication of this teacher.”
