Marshall Lake support
Representatives from the Marshall Lake Stewardship Group made a presentation to Grand Forks city council and asked for a letter of support to Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson, to continue to maintain the dam and Marshall Lake as it currently exists.
John Greaves, one of the organizers, said, “The group that I belong to is concerned that the province is making a mistake in its direction in trying to download the cost of operating and maintaining Marshall Lake onto local government.”
Greaves noted that the group is not asking any of the local government to provide any monetary funds and that they already have over 1,000 signatures on its petition to save the lake.
Coun. Gary Smith had reservations about supporting the lake.
“To decommission the dam isn’t getting rid of the lake, but just lowering the water levels,” he said. “Another concern is that the lake has an invasive species, the sun fish.”
City council voted six to one in favour of writing a letter of support, with Smith voting against the motion. The City of Greenwood and Village of Midway have also written letters of support.
Dog park
The Grand Forks Dog Park Association presented several proposals to improve Grand Forks’ dog park to city council on Aug. 20.
Ideas brought up include the extension of the dog park to include a second section adjacent to the current park, the construction of a structure to provide shelter from weather elements, and more signage on the highway so visitors can find the dog park.
Phoenix Mountain
The City of Grand Forks received correspondence from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in regards to an updated master plan for Phoenix Mountain.
The plan serves to outline short and long-term goals for the ski area, and would allow the Phoenix Mountain Alpine Ski Society to sign a new operating agreement with the province. Within the plan includes an increased parking area, first aid building and an extension to the rental/ski school building.
Stop sign, four-way stop
Traffic and safety concerns were also brought up at the city council meeting in regards to the intersection of 2nd Street and 72nd Avenue and the intersection of 2nd Street and 68th Avenue in Grand Forks.
The decision of making those intersections a four-way stop was deferred to city staff to determine if there were any other possibilities for those intersections, such as the possibility of a roundabout.
City staff will return to council after looking at various options at a later council meeting.
Campground fees
City council had the first, second and third readings of Bylaw 1940 to discuss the possibility of changing the rates of City Park’s campground fees, which would occur at a later date.
Though there would be no substantial increase in fees, the change in the bylaw would reflect all fees charged to include applicable taxes.
Current rates at the City Park campground are set at $16 plus taxes for tenting, $20 plus taxes for recreational vehicles (RVs) with no hook-up, and $29 plus taxes for RVs with water, sewer and 50 amp service.
With the possible change in the bylaw, the total price would include to the fee and taxes to the nearest dollar.
Rates for tenting would rise to $18, $23 for RV parking with no hook-ups, and RV parking with water, sewer and 50-amp service to $33.
These rates will be advertised in the BC Accommodation Guide and may be effective as of 2013.
