Upgrades to the Arrow Lakes Hospital emergency room have been a priority by the West Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital District.
Nakusp Mayor Karen Hamling related the news to council at its meeting last Monday, Apr. 14.
She said the decision came after the board visited the hospital last year.
“When they got to Nakusp the board was quite concerned the hospital was built in 1975 and there was no upgrades to the ER in that time,” she said.
At the hospital board’s last meeting, Hamling introduced a motion to make renovations a top priority for the board. The motion was accepted unanimously.
“We need to do a push to start getting this on the road because it can take a couple of years to get this moving,” she said.
The 30-member hospital board met last month and decided to allocate $2 million from this year’s $4.6 million budget to reserves, confirmed Stuart Horn, chief financial officer for the Regional District of Central Kootenay and hospital board treasurer. The district now has $5.7 million in rainy-day funds.
Upgrades are also being looked at for Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail and Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson. An Interior Health planning report issues last November says an overhaul of the Trail hospital would cost $44 million and a replacement would cost $84 million. Upgrading the Nelson hospital would cost $30 million and replacement would cost $63 million.
Do Not Enforce clause put in building bylaw
Nakusp council gave first three readings to a “Do Not Enforce” amendment to the village’s building bylaw.
The amendment is being put in place to avoid confusion with the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s building bylaw. The regional district provide building inspection service to the village, so the amendment would mean that the RDCK’s building bylaw is the one that applies.
“It’s my opinion as CAO that is not necessarily the most desirous model for us to be operating under,” said chief administrative officer Linda Tynan.
However, she added so far communication with the RDCK has been strong, so she was ready to recommend the amendment.
One concern raised by Tynan is it is the RDCK board that would make dcisions on any building related issues — not village council.
“The directors sitting on the board from Nakusp will have to make sure things aren’t brought forward for bylaw changes before they’re brought to our community,” said Mayor Karen Hamling.
Tynan said the village could always withdraw from the building inspection service if it’s not working out.
New defibrillator’s could be coming to village
Nakusp could be the recipient of two new defibrillators, depending on the success of applications that have gone to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
The possibility comes after the Nakusp Library approached the Mason Hall about funding a defibrillator for the Centennial Building, which houses the library.
According to a staff report, the Mason’s then went to the Village and suggested they apply to the Heart & Stroke Foundation for the free defibrillator, since the location is a public building, and the Mason’s could then use their funding for another one, possibly for the Senior’s Centre.
The defibrillator would come from the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Public Access to Defibrillation Program.
Council gave staff the go ahead to apply for the machine for the Centennial Building.
Karl’s Woodfire Pizza applies for sidewalk patio
Council gave its support to an application by Karl’s Woodfire Pizza for a patio on the sidewalk outside the Broadway Street restaurant.
“I like that basic idea and I would like to have a conversation to take it one step further,” said councillor Ulli Mueller. “I would like us to look at doing that on Broadway where a cafe or pub could use a parking stall and put the tables there instead of on the sidewalk.”
The application is to put four tables on the sidewalk during the summer season from May 1 to Sept. 30. Village policy allows for sidewalk patios but according to a staff report, this is the first request of its kind from a Broadway Street business.
