All five members of Cache Creek council were at the regular council meeting of Nov. 25, which was preceded by a tribute and presentation to longtime Cache Creek mayor John Ranta, who was first elected in 1990 and served as Cache Creek’s mayor for 28 years. During that time he spent eight years as chair of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) board, and was president of the Union of BC Municipalities from 1999–2000.
There were more than 40 people in attendance to see Ranta presented with a watch commemorating his many years of service to the community. Current Cache Creek councillors Lisa Dafoe and Wendy Coomber, who served on council with Ranta, paid tribute to him, with Dafoe saying how much she valued his dedication to the community. Coomber said that Ranta had seen the community through good times and bad times, and noted his calm leadership during the 2017 wildfire season, during which time he was also the TNRD board chair..
TNRD Electoral Area directors Sally Watson (Area “E”) and Steve Rice (Area “I”) also paid tribute to Ranta, as did Ashcroft mayor Barbara Roden, Cache Creek Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Moe and Capt. Don Hillyard, and Al Midgley of the Bonaparte Watershed Stewardship Society.
The regular council meeting commenced at 4:30 p.m., with Coun. Annette Pittman asking for minor amendments to the minutes of the regular council meeting of Nov. 12, particularly regarding her response when questioned about which Permissive Tax Exemptions she was opposed to. The minutes were adopted as amended.
Deb Arnott, the manager of Community Futures Sun Country, made a presentation about the wrap-up of the Wildfire Transition Program and gave an update on the McAbee Fossil Beds site. She noted that some 1,200 people had been through the site between its opening on June 22, 2019 and Labour Day, and hoped that funding would be found to open the site earlier in 2020 and have it open seven days a week, as opposed to five days a week this year.
Under “Policy and Bylaw Review”, Coun. Sue Peters asked if staff had found out how to contact the people managing the former Wander Inn property. CAO Martin Dalsin replied that he had a lot on his plate and had not been able to follow-up, but said “Even the RCMP cannot gain access to the site.” He added that it is probably a federal matter and no one is sure what is going on there.
Mayor Santo Talarico asked if a line could be added to the Permissive Tax Exemption application, saying that those applying must have access to their facilities for those with disabilities. “It’s a way of ensuring that buildings get upgraded to meet new regulations.” CFO Cristina Martini replied that this could be added for 2020.
Under “Public Works and Community Facilities”, Coun. Peters noted that council had recently been given tours of the water treatment plant, the water pumping station, the fire hall, the pool, and the airport, and asked that a letter of thanks be sent to the Village crew for facilitating these tours.
Under “Village Services and Liaison”, Coun. Coomber said that the Friends of Historic Hat Creek Ranch would be holding its AGM on Dec. 11, and at that time would be proposing amending the Friends’ constitution to eliminate all the appointed positions on the Friends’ board, including those from the Villages of Cache Creek, Ashcroft, and Clinton.
Under “Protective Services”, Mayor Talarico said that replacement of the roof of the fire hall had started, and it was estimated that work would conclude within two weeks. On the subject of issues with the recently-purchased Engine 4, Dalsin said that it was almost certainly a warranty issue, but that the person at HUB International—which built the engine—was “never there”. Talarico noted that the engine had been taken to Freightliner in Kamloops two times, only to be told that the parts and means were not available.
“The issue is still with us,” he said. “We’re adamant that we purchased the engine from HUB. The ball is in their court. We cut them a cheque, so we’re going to turn the file over to them.”
Dalsin had a lengthy report detailing the status of several dozen proposed initiatives, many of them concerning the new Official Community Plan, Zoning, and Subdivision Servicing Bylaws; the Age Friendly Communities study; and the Vision for Downtown study. These will be discussed at a strategic planning session on Nov. 30, to see if they are included in the Village’s 2020 strategic plan.
Shortly after 5 p.m., the meeting was taken into a closed session.
Minutes and agendas for all Cache Creek council meetings are available on the Village website (http://www.village.cachecreek.bc.ca/). Video recordings of council meetings can be viewed on the HUB Online Network’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
The next Cache Creek council meeting is at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 at the Village office on Quartz Road, and members of the public are invited to attend.
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