City trail vision to expand New community plan A LONG-TERM city plan to add more trails and walkways is expected to be approved next week despite some opposition. The walkway strategy is part of the city's new Official Community Plan, which could get final approval from city council June 24. The. trail plan calls for a westward exten- sion of the Howe Creek Trail past the bottom edge of -Kalum Lake Drive to connect to a pro- posed new park on the Kalum River. The plan also calls for a riverside trail run- ning from near the old bridge south under the new bridge to the eastend of Haugland Ave. That would go past property just south of the new bridge owned by local businessman Glen Saunders. He.urged council not to put the trail in the plan, saying it will restrict his ability to deve- lop the land in the future - possibly as a hotel or restaurant. “T feel it’s an expropriation,” Saunders told council. “It’s taking almost lwo acres of my land and putting restrictions on it.” -“T’'ve bought it to develop in the future, [’m paying taxes on it. And I’m not in favour of putting restrictions on it.” The trail would run along the top of the bank, in a buffer strip that the city has already designated environmentally sensitive where no development can take place. City planner David Trawin said the trail won't encroach on any useable land. He said the plan simply indicates the city’s goal to eventually havea trail there — and to negotiate with Saunders to purchase it. “The community has said ‘We want a walkway along the river,'” Trawin said. In fact despite the owners’ wishes, walkers and mountain bikers already use a rough trail along the river running north of Haugland. The city could also require the trail be built if the owner chooses to subdivide the land. “] generally think that private land should hot be expropriated unless it’s absolutely ne- cessary,” said councillor Val George. TROY KOELEMY walks his dog regulary along a tra that runs along the west side of the Skeena River underneath the new bridge. JEFF NAGEL PHOTO He said such measures may be needed when a new road is necded to prevent traffic gridlock, but trails aren’t in the same category. “This is sort of a nice-to-have,” George said. “I have a real problem with that.” Other councillors said the city must act with vision now for future generations. “You get one chance to secure these walkways,” said councillor David Hull, adding the trail plan is a “hope and a dream” that might take decades to be realized. “I can’t see one development that wouldn't benefit from having a nice walkway along the river there,” he added. The walkways plan doesn’t include a trail that would run along the rest of the river. Trawin said the Agricultural Land Commis- sion indicated it would not approve such a trail unless every single property owner on the south side of Graham Ave. approved it. Saunders also objected to plans to extend development permit guidelines now in place for select areas to many other commercial and industrial zones. They allow the city to contro] how a development looks to meet local goals. The guidelines indicate properties flanking the new bridge - and at other stalegic points around tawn — be treated as “gateways” to the city requiring more intensive landscaping when development proceeds. The new plan also adds bicycle routes to downtown. Most of the changes to residential zones in the new Official Community Plan involve the bench, The city would no longer let properties be subdivided down to two-acre sizes, instead preferring either larger or smaller sizes. That change drew opposition from bench area resident Brad Harrison, the only person to oppose the new Official Community Plan at a June [0 public hearing. Thorpe says bank may repay FRBC money SKEENA CELLULOSE silvicul- able to make an announcement.” The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - A3 News In Brief ture contractors owed nearly $800,000 in Forest Renewal B.C. money, that was seized by the TD st ‘September, may: soon get ie sit. smoney batk;, ‘enterprise minister. Rick Thorpe: says.» 3 Thorpe said last week he’s close to a resolution that will lead to contractors getting the money they’re owed. Contractors had carried out the tree-planting and other silviculture work despite SCI’s shaky position last summer. because..they were assured..the ,money, to pay them . was coming from FRBC aad could not be affected by any fi- nancial difficulties. But the TD bank seized all the money in SCI’s TD accounts last September — including the FRBC money —when it opted ta call loans, forcing the company into creditor protection. “We're. working very, very hard. at getting that money back. from’ the TD,” Thorpe said last Thurs- ' day. “And I’m very hopeful that by mid-week next week [ll be Davinder Sangha, one silvicul- ture contraclor awed just under $5,000, said he and others would ‘welcome “any repayment by the “I'd be ecstatic,” Sangha said. “'d be happy to get some money.” Cocaine and pot seized TERRACE RCMP said they confiscated more than an ounce of cocaine, an undisclosed amount of marijuana and what they call trafficking parapher- nalia from a local home May 31. Six officers executed a search warrant on a house on the 4600 block of Graham Ave. in Ter- race in the late evening, police said. Two adult male residents of the home were ar- resled and later released pending an upcoming court appearance in early July, police said. . Drug squad officers said they anticipate charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking to be laid, Summit elects exec THE FIRST NATIONS Summit elected Wet’suwet’en representative Herb George to its executive last week. He, Tl’azt’en Nation rep Edward John and Cow- ichan Nation rep Lydia Hwitsum will serve two- year terms. Outspoken Summit member Bill Wilson was de- feated in tightly contested elections. Outgoing Summit rep Gerald Wesley, of Ter- ace, said he decided not to run for the executive again, opting instead to concentrate on his duties as chief negotiator for the Tsimshian. Summit members also denounced the provincial government’s recent treaty referendum, unveiling 29,000 protest ballots collected by aboriginal groups. Wesley estimates about 1,000 of those came from this area. The 725,000 bailots returned to Elections B.C. are still being counted, Forest fire risk rises’ SUMMER IS here, with warmer weather bringing BBQs, lazy beach days and increased risk of forest fires. “It’s a more moderate to high risk now,” said Fire Information Officer Kevin Creery. “Campers should be aware of their campfires and be careful io report any wildfires.” Last Thursday June 13 there was a fire in Date Creek in North Kispiox. It was 1:5 hectacres in size, which comes to about one and a half football fields. “It’s been contained but there’s still action and we're working on it,” said Creery of the Kispiox fire last Friday. There was also a report of a fire in Telkwa at the airstrip last Thursday night, but by the time a crew arrived it-had already gone out: Two Northwest fire crews have been sent up to Atlin and Telegraph creek due to dry and high-risk weather. So far, 48 B.C. fire crews have been sent to help with raging forest fires in Alberta. One of the crews is from Kitimat and one is from Burns Lake. Wildfires can be reported to Fire Officials at 1-" 800-663-5555. Terrace Furniture Mart & Radio Shack on all furniture, appliances and electronics including computers. 25” Colour T.V. BY Y TERRACE FURNITURE "365 Intel Celeron Computer 15cu. ft. Fridge neg. $809 "3599 1.1 GHz. 256 RAM BY Y TERRACE FURNITURE 206HD. 1095 32 MB Vi Video 32x12x48 CD-RW oe 17” Samsung Monitor 5 pc. Dining Table Set|)' Reg $1319 Reg. $919 EMRE MADR lay TERRACE FURNITURE BY TERRACE FURNITURE 4 709 130 =| te