re UA aye Hello Meet the local band making its stage debut tonight i in Terrace \COMMUNITY Bt we PQeat Re Pearse, At Agreement Find. out the details ofa. | deal between the Tahitan and a mining company ' Kings | PG This weekend’ S games , against Kitimat just a- “warm up for the Coy — me Cup\SPORTS BS "up north\NEWS AQ Plex. a “By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN ot BIDS ON ‘the proposed, second sheet ‘of ao ‘ice/sportsplex’ project. have come in a:. ‘whopping $1:8 million, higher than: bids | received just] last summer. - --»* The.23.per cent increase now léaves _° - City: council decided i dn. August 2005 city: ‘council .with: much thinking. to” do™. to. retender: ‘the. project this winter in’ : “about how to proceed with the project. ° hopes of fetching more competitive bids : ~ Wayne. Watson Construction, based. ‘on the project and perhaps attract a larger out. of Prince George with extensive ex- |. number of. contractors than. the’ bid pro- mL perience’ in’ this area, once again. came. cess ‘did last year. - ° os, din. the low bidder with : “a price tag of But just like the previous ‘bid process, - $10, 540,000~ $1,849, 362 more than’ its «- only three companies responded to the * previous bid. on the. Project in June 2005, ‘tender and projections have soared above of $8,590,638. : and beyond estimates made by the city. In December 2005 the city | laid out its “cent. Su a A. third bid. was, : received’ from Ta City: Contracting of “Kamloops ‘ ‘$11,790,000. “The bids from Wayne Watson. Co n own estimate. for the project — $10. 225, “ the building, it t hasn’ resulted i in 'any firm million:,That included ani allowance for . commitments yet. . a 10 per cent,rise in construction costs ~. “The final figure keeps jumping faster, ‘adding: up to $830, 000, and .a $625,000 than we can find’donors ‘so’ it’s’a disap- - ~ contingency fund. . | "pointing exercise,” Talstra said, . Bids received now.already exceed the _ , City officials are expecting ; a report . struction and “Yellowridge’ Construction. city’ s estimate:and does not,include the from: its architect Allen Jury. of PBK » are so close that until the bids are ana-.; “$1 million contingency ‘fund city officials Architects in: ‘Vancouver Feb. 23. It will - lyzed in more detail it is. impossible. to. have. consistently said ‘it also: needs ‘to outline | more specifically how the bids | determine who is’ the. low bidder,” says. “make the project a go: | - came in and if there is room to reduce the: director of. leisure services Ross. Miln- » _»“Tt’s tough because I think our thought prices at all. - a thorp es ‘process at the time was ‘the bid might in-: Wayne Watson “Construction nar-. °° “PBK Architects will be analyzing the: crease but I don’t think we expected for i it rowly edged Port Moody’s ‘Yellowridge . bids and providing city staff with a ‘teport 5 to be that much,” says Talstra. ” .... Construction Ltd.’s bid of $10, 600, 000. which will guide us in determining 0 our Though the city says it has continued : | by just $40,000. . ~ course of action.” : to pursue other options to raise money for - . That’ sea difference of just 0. 57 per. Cont'd Page Az. “hoping, for.: 8 _..“T think that’s disappointing but as ‘Todd Bertuzzi says, ‘it is what it is,’ and ; there itis — $10.5 million, ” says. Mayor Jack Talstra. a oe a s not the. result city officials. wweie | Going for gold ROGER HARRIS and Brian Downie have got their fingers crossed the Canadian men 's hockey team nwil be playing in the e gold medal. match this Sunday, Feb. 26. They’re hosting a party at the banquet room of the Terrace Arena starting bright. and early at.5 a.m. «. ~ when the gold meda! game will be ‘televised live. They’re inviting everyone in Terrace to get decked out in Canada red and white | and come cheer on the boys to victory. The Terrace Downtown Lions.Club will be cooking:up a pancake breakfast fundraiser. It’s.the _ . first event held: by the local Spirit of B.C. Community Committee of which both men are 2 members. Bp . 6 SARAH / A ZIMMERMAN PHOTO — Private dot ba : joined the search fot seven women missing ‘along wy ; - Ray Michalko of Valley Pacific Investigations ‘Ltd. - ‘in’ J. Surrey placed an ad in The Terrace Standard :earliet this ". month-as the first of several advertisements designed t to‘en- tice individuals with any information on the © missing, women .-. . to come forward. " -_ ee! a o becoming i involved i inthe case...” - : “Te hada persona interest and have been. thing abou 7 have gone missing in that sort of limited area, i. “It seems to be unusual.” year and the extra time he now. vis ser to ved in case, C loser to : ity heeole who may be too intimidated,” she | says.’ -’. He will share any information he receives with the: au: thorities and plans to make a trip to the northwest but isn t ‘sure when. : ‘Michalko,” who’ Ss. been a private: investigator’ ‘for, seven years, says his business usually includes investigating insur: : ance-related cases. . He works with.a number of lawyers and a couple ‘of cor- . orate clients ona referral-only. basis. . BY SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN THE DRIVE: to establish the Kermode bear’as the mascot of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is regaining speed. . Former. Skeena MLA Roger Harris ‘and city. councillor’Brian Downie are _ ‘spearheading a renewed effort to pro- mote the bear.in the coming months in .. hopes it will be selected as the mascot. by the Vancouver Organizing Commit- ‘tee (VANOC). A prior drive in 2002 arid 2003 was > unsuccessful in securing the bear as the symbol of the games — the Inukshuk was chosen instead. But with the organizing committee’ s - decision on its. mascot for the 2010. games not expected to happen until the end of 2006 Harris thinks the timing’s right to restart the lobbying effort. And he says the recent announce- ment that the province plans to make the Kermode its official animal (see story on Page A2) gives the project. even more momentum. “We do believe it will be difficult - for VANOC to ignore,” Harris said. “My intention is we want to get in» front of VANOC.” Late last. year VANOC. chair John Furlong spoke.to the Terrace and Dis- trict Chamber of Commerce about Olympic opportunities outside of Van- couver-Whistler. In an interview with The Terrace Standard he said the com- mittee has heard more about the Ker- mode bear than any other idea for a 2010 emblem. That includes an endorsement. from one of the world’s most respected an- thropologists — Jane Goodall, who. ap- "proached committee members about using the’ bear as its mascot, he said. “It certainly is a formidable item~ to consider,” Furlong said, . adding VANOC will likely hold a competition late in 2006 to decide what the winning mascot,.or mascots — willbe. He disagreed the Olympic mascot lacks the prestige of the Olympic em- . blem. Olympian push underway _ to highlight Kermode bear “The mascot isa very big marketing “tool,” he said. “This thing speaks for us when we are not around.” - ; And he said’ he’s impressed with the lobbying:efforts of Terrace people. making the case for the Kermode bear. “What is more important to me is that people are doing what you’re talk- _ing about, they are thinking about it,” Furlong said. Harris says he and Downie, who are 7 “on a committee mandated to promote . the benefits of the Olympics to all Brit- -ish Columbians, will take Gimpy — the . | stuffed Kermode bear on display at the airport — on another road trip: hoping to raise its profile and convice others _ around the: province and also Alberta - e that it is the right choice: “There is no limit to how we, right across Hwy 16, will benefit if the Ker- ° mode is chosen as the mascot,” Harris said, adding it would lead to more rec- ognition of the northwest on the inter- national stage which could mean more toursism and investment here. — EPainttime _ ROBERT E. Stanley Sr. paints ¢ a raven design on the wall of the Terrace Nisga’z ao Society’ 's carving-shed in the basement of the George Little House. He’s look- - ing for other Nisga’ a artists to. ‘help decorate. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO