|
Council held it’s last scheduled meeting for 2004 on Monday December 20th
and will meet next on January 10, 2005. This has been a busy year with
the biggest news being the Mt. Mackenzie deal and approval of the Master
Plan. Many other projects or business has been overshadowed by Mt.
Mackenzie but none the less are very important to Council, city staff
and the citizens at large. One of the most recent is the announcement
that Revelstoke is the 2005 Forest Capital of B.C. With that comes a
year round celebration that involves a diverse range of participants
from the whole community, events start in January and terminate in
December. More information on these activities and events can be
obtained from Alan Mason, Director of Community Economic Development.
Alan is involved in another interesting project with the Revelstoke
Spirit of B.C. Community Committee and has identified a number of
potential projects for Revelstoke to the LegaciesNow Society. 2010
LegaciesNow will make invaluable contributions to communities around the
Province and leave lasting legacies in the areas of sport and
recreation, arts, literacy and volunteerism. Hopefully Revelstoke will
be fortunate to take advantage of this great opportunity.
Council passed a
resolution that will consider the extension of City boundaries to
accommodate the proposed Mount Mackenzie resort development. This
extension is referred to as Phase I and will be advertised in the local
paper, any resident or landowner will have an opportunity to respond to
the City in objection. Final approval must come from the Minister of
Community, Aboriginal, and Women’s Services.
Council has received a
letter from the Public Health Inspector with respect to a lack of a
comprehensive engineered study for CPR Hill. Due to the dense soils,
high water table and land slippage in this area, Interior Health will
not be issuing sewage disposal permits for the area until an engineering
study is complete. They have asked that the study include an overall
plan for development on CPR Hill. Public Works staff is aware of these
problems and currently is working on a management plan for the area.
On Friday December 17th
the CPR Holiday Train arrived in Revelstoke and put on a great show.
Citizens were out in large numbers to watch performances from Tracey
Brown, the Ennis Sisters and The Moffatts. This annual event is a
fundraiser for community food banks and Revelstoke can be proud of its
contributions. Over 1500 pounds of food and $700 in donations was
collected. The Holiday Train also made a $4000 donation. Later that
evening the Arts Council held a Christmas Carol Reading at St. Francis
Catholic Church and $1100 was raised for the Food Bank. Credit goes out
to Patti Larson our Food Bank co-ordinator and her cast of volunteers
who have donated over 500 hours in the month of December. With these
dedicated volunteers and your generous donations many underprivileged
citizens will have a merrier holiday season. Much thanks goes out to
Patti for her hard work, please remember the Food Bank is open year
round and can always use your support.
As this is the last
Mayor’s Report of the year I would like to take this time to thank all
city employees for their hard work and dedication in 2004. Also special
thanks to our volunteers at the firehall who give of their time so
freely and provide a much needed and valuable service to the city. Thank
you also to our Mayor Mark McKee who has shown leadership and courage in
dealing with the many difficult projects, tasks and decisions in 2004.
It’s been a great year and I look forward to a busy and prosperous 2005.
Prepared by Councillor Peter Frew
|
