Wildfire conference podcast
The board of directors of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) agreed at its July 18 meeting to give a $2,450 grant towards the production of a podcast on the Northern Conference on Wildfire Resiliency that was held in Burns Lake on April 24-26. The money will come from the Regional Grant in aid fund. The Bulkley Valley Research Centre (BVRC), which organized the conference submitted the grant request to the RDBN. Most of the expenses for the project include transportation for the podcast producers Future Ecologies from Vancouver to the Bulkley-Nechako region, and the podcast production tasks such as editing and content creation, according to the BVRC’s budget. The total cost would be $7,375. “Not all of our community members could attend the conference in April, therefore, this podcast will provide a free and accessible opportunity to learn and stay informed about important, local wildfire initiatives in Northern BC,” the BVRC said in its submission to the RDBN. The Burns Lake village council decided in June to give $1,000 from the Community Goodwill donation fund to the BVRC for the podcast project.
LDSS track resurfacing
The board supported a motion to provide a grant in aid of $6,000 to the Burns Lake and District Seniors Society towards the resurfacing of the Lakes District Secondary School (LDSS) track. The resurfacing project has been under consideration for more than half a year, and last November the Village of Burns Lake agreed to support it. Local residents Sandra Barth, Bernice Magee and Kay Saul noted in a letter to the village at the time that there are structural problems with the track and considering how often it is used by LDSS students for physical education classes, and for local recreation, that it should be paved with asphalt. The track is owned by School District 91 (SD91), which support the resurfacing in principle. Mike Skinner, assistant superintendent of SD91 said last year that the resurfacing could cost $100,000. He later told Lakes District News that the work could begin in the spring of 2020 if the funding was in place. The project has also been seeking donations – in the form of $20 per square metre – through the Burns Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, as advertised in signs posted on the fence by the track.
Decker Lake Hall upgrades
The board supported the application from the Decker Lake Recreation Commission to the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) for a $8,002 grant towards upgrades to the local hall. The work would include double doors in the storage room, kitchen improvements and a new sound system storage cupboard. The total cost of the upgrades would be $11,432. Even though the recreation commission is requesting the funding from the NDIT, an RDBN resolution is required before the application can proceed.
Ootsa Lake Bible Camp water improvements
The bible camp is due to receive up to $30,000 from the Federal Gas Tax Reserve Fund after the board supported a request for the monies to help it upgrade its water system. The Ootsa Lake Bible Camp Society said it needs to replace the water pump and install a new UV water filtration system to meet Northern Health standards. That work is estimated to cost about $30,000. Up to $15,000 would come each from the Electoral Area B and E Federal Gas Tax Allocations. The uncommitted funds remaining in the Area B Gas Tax allocations amount to $186,693.38, and $104,114.51 remains in the Area E allocation.
