It was carried unanimously at the Regular Meeting of Council, February 17, 2014 that there would be no by-election held to fill the position left by Jason Earle and that council would finish the year by job sharing.
Council priorities for 2014
During the March 3 Regular Meeting of Council, it was moved by Councillor Maynard and seconded by Councillor Harkness that the minutes of the Feb. 24 Special Meeting of Council be adopted. During this meeting, council set their priorities for 2014 to include; Mapping of Infrastructure, Public Access to the Dykes, Urban Deer Management Program, 2014 Paving projects, Old Hedley Road improvements and Aquatic Service options. The motion was carried.
Business Advisory Group
Thanks were extended to Susan Robinson for facilitating the Business Advisory Group and to the group for the work they are undertaking.
CAO Rick Zerr informed council that the Business Advisory Group had decided on a goal to, in conjunction with the Town of Princeton to raise the in town population to 5,000. Themes they will be working on in separate committees include; Regulations/Bylaws, Resources/Capacity Planning, Promotions/Marketing, Attractions and the Industrial Park. The purpose of the Business Advisory Group is to ‘Assure the sustainability and growth of the business and economy of Princeton.’
Princeton and District Museum and Archives year in review
Robin Irwin, manager of the Princeton Museum came to council to present her yearly report for the museum. One part time employee (Irwin) and a handful of volunteers have accomplished a great deal over the past year.
The museum has made gathering knowledge from our Princeton elders as a priority. Volunteers from the museum will record history from the local elders so that their legacy and the history of the community lives on.
During the peak season the museum saw: 2500 visitors within five months, hosted three exhibits; Amber Ski Hill, Toys, Toys, Toys and a Wildlife Conservation exhibit (available for another month or two).
“A stellar group of students this year,” said Irwin, were funded with grants from Heritage Canada and HRSDC. Alexia Musgrove, Mia Crawford and Kaitlyn Laseur were a fantastic team. Archiving and inventory, summer camps for kids and Canada Day celebration all took place during the peak season as well.
During the “Closed Season” (not really closed—can be visited by arrangements with Irwin) the photo and identification project has been underway with Archivist Brian Wilson and volunteers: Len Harker, Lori Weissbach, the late George Kassa, Len Price, Hank Rabe and Rollo Ceccon.
The archiving of 20,000 items is ongoing. Digitization of the Granite Creek Mining records and the acquisition of a bookkeeper and financial reviewer has taken place.
A collection that inspired the Wildlife Conservation Exhibit was donated by the Burr Family—a Princeton family dating back to the early 1900’s. This collection includes documents and photos as well as the 1928 Burr Mule Deer (19 point record breaker) This deer is the twelfth largest a-typical mule deer captured in North America and still holds the record to this day.
The museum has also been host to parties, presentations, home school programs, Pro D Day camps as well as local and visiting schools, New Beginnings and Seniors programs over the past year.
