Barb Brouwer
Black Press
Summer Stomp fans will have to wait another month to see if a 2012 version will run in Silver Creek on the third weekend of July.
Event organizers had asked Columbia-Shuswap Regional District board members to consider a request to temporarily dispense with bylaw enforcement on two Salmon River Road properties.
But directors deferred a decision until they get answers in the form of a detailed operating plan.
At issue is the fact that neither of the proposed properties is zoned commercial. And, while the CSRD board last year decided not to enforce the bylaw because of the economic opportunity they saw in the event, the Agricultural Land Commission refused to allow non-farm use on the land located within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
This year, organizers have made arrangement for two properties located about two kilometres south of the Silver Creek Community Park and note the portion of the land they wish to use is not inside the ALR.
But board concerns extend beyond zoning.
“I’ve had phone calls and emails from residents not thrilled about it being close to their homes,” said Falkland-Silver Creek director René Talbot.
“Noise is an issue, fire is a huge issue. They always want a fire. I don’t know of any other event that has fires.”
Talbot also took issue with what organizers have planned in terms of security and possible damage to the Salmon River.
“I see nothing here about them talking to RCMP and it’s the same weekend as Sturgis – we will have lots of people running down Salmon River Road,” he said.
Mike Smith, president of the Summer Stomp committee and member since its inception in 1998, was given the opportunity to address some of directors’ concerns.
“We have many things in place – a water truck onsite and a big open field. We’re not fools and it’s not our intention to burn the mountain down,” he said. “When we had it in the park, it was way closer to the trees.”
Smith told directors the committee had not yet approached the RCMP or begun detailed plans because they wanted to know the regional district would support them before the volunteers spent a lot more time on the event.
“We don’t want drunks on the road or people dying either,” he said, pointing out organizers would not be selling liquor on-site this year, but would have a shuttle bus operating to and from the Silver Creek Store. “We did approach the Neskonlith, but they don’t want us this year. The danger is, if we don’t have it this year, people lose interest in the event.”
Smith also reminded directors of the “stacks of letters” supporting the stomp that the committee had delivered to the CSRD.
“I am happier than I would have been if they had said no,” said Smith at the end of the meeting.
“We will move ahead with the planning and filling the requests they have here. Waiting another month makes it tough, but doable.”
