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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - A3

| Job cuts result in a flood
| of surplus equipment

PROVINCIAL JOB cuts
_have spawned an unexpec-
ted side effect in the
northwest — a flood of of-

_ fice furniture and other

equipment that's no longer
needed.

There’s been so many
surplus desks pul up for

.auction lately  they’re
going for as little as $5
and $10, says John Hilde-
brandt of Marjon Auctions
who is handling the bulk of
the. provincial disposal
work in the northwest.

He's had auctions in
Prince Rupert, at his home
base in Terrace; up north
and.in Smithers to sell off
provincial supplies and
equipment since it began
shedding employees just
over a year apo.

“They told us in auction
school that this is the type
of business that can do
well if the economy is bad
or good,” said Hildebrandt
last week,

“We've
busy.”

-Hildebrandt'’s contract
with the provincial govern-
ment disposal people has
him selling everything and
anything.

~The only item he can’t
-sell is computer equipment
because of the data that
‘might. be stored or -re-
trieved on hard drives,

Computers are

been super

sent

south to-be dealt with

there, said Hildebrandt.
Dawson Smith is the re-

City council plans more

CITY. COUNCIL is plan-
‘ning to spend more money
travelling this year.
“It’s tentatively put
$40,000 in the city budget
for council travel.
That's up from the
$16,000 that was ultimate-
ly spent in 2002, Council

had originally budgeted |
$26,000 for travel spending «
last’ year, but chopped that ‘

figure back.
Councillor David Hull

IT’S NOT quite a kitchen sink, but this windmill
shown with Marjon auctioneer John Hildebrandt is a
symbol of haw busy he is disposing of surplus pro-

vincial government equipment. Provincial job cuts
have resulted in numerous items being auctioned
off throughout the northwest.

gional disposal agent for
the government manage-
ment services ministry and
works closely with Hilde-
brandi. '

It’s normal business for
the provincial government
to dispose of unneeded as-
sets by auction but Smith
is busier than usual in the
northwest and north in

said spending needs to be
boosted to advance Ter-
race’s issues.

“If we don’t stay in
touch with our colleagues
and our peers in terms of
local government we’re
going to fall behind,” Hull
says.

Council: travel is domi-:-

nated by% conferences: “such
as the Union of B.C. Muni-
cipalities and North Cen-
tral Municipal Association

general because of the job
cuts.

“When you consider the
downsizing, if you have
1,000 employees and
that’s being reduced by 33
per cent, that’s a lot of
desks you don’t need
anymore,” said Smith.

First call on surplus
equipment rests with the

conventions.

Such gatherings allow
councillors to work with
other mayors and councils
on mutual goals, lobby
provincial government of-
ficials and partake in in-
formation workshops.

Council also sometimes

‘embarks on. emergency .

lobbying trips to Victoria
= another is now being
contemplated by councils
from around this region,

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dian owned and operated

ministry affected.
Anything not transferred

to other operations is then

turned over to Smith for
disposal who then arranges
for auctions.

“We sell anything and

everything the government
no longer needs,” said
Smith.

There are no reserve .

bids placed on the equip-

ment and revenue realized
ends up in the general pro-
vincial government coffers.

In Terrace, for example,
surplus desks and other
equipment from the legal
aid office have already
been sold and items from
the transportation ministry
are next,

trips this year

And in 2001, mayor
Jack Talstra repeatedly
travelled to Vancouver to
monitor court proceedings
related to Skeena Cellu-
lose.

Hull said .the city is
also boosting its travel
budget for city administra-
tors,so -they. can. continue,
to attend. their own: ‘confer-
ences. The closé™ tO:
$18,000 spent last year on
staff travel is to be in-

creased to $28,139 this
year.

“At some point you do
yourself a disservice if you
cut too low,” Hull said.

"He said city travel is no
frills — efforts are made to
book two people to a
room, pursue discount air-
line Hckets and
rides,”

“T We're being very, very’

cost-conscious,
frugal,” he said.

very

share
“Fy:

News In Brief

Letter writer stops —
TERRACE RCMP officials say a letter writing
campaign targeting two families in the local East
Indian community has stopped,

The letters contained accusations involving
members of two local families, police said. The
letters were lengthy, hand written in Punjabi script
and sent to friends, coworkers and neighbours of
the people targeted.

Police say since the case was publicized no
more letters have appeared.

“The people haven't received any further letters
at this time,” says RCMP sergeant Jas Basi.
“Nothing in the past three weeks.”

Last one closes

WHAT WAS the last department store restaurant
in Terrace closed two weeks ago when the kitchen
equipment and seats were taken out of the location
at the Bargain Shop.

It first went into operation in 1968 when Wool-
worth, the predecessor to the Bargain Shop,
opened its doors there.

At one time there were three large-store eateries

in Terrace, But the one at the Terrace Co-op retail .

complex on Greig Ave. shut down in 1997 when
that store closed and the one at KMart closed
shortly thereafter when that store was converted to
a Zellers.

Bargain Shop manager George Demedeiros said
the closure of the restaurant there isn't tied to the
planned expansion of the Safeway store.

“We were going to close it regardless,” he said.

Safeway officials say they are still working on a
real estate deal that, 1f successful, would see their
store expand eastward into the section of the Bar-
gain Shop that also contained its restaurant,

The project would ‘be accompanied bya renova-
tion of the inside of the current Safeway store and
a revamping of the exterior. At the same time,
Safeway wants to build a gas bar in one corner of
its parking lot.

Book thief sought

TERRACE Crimestoppers is asking for help in
nailing down a book burglar.

Police say a young man stole two large books
from the Terrace Public Library at about 10:30 a.m.
Dec, 31, 2002,

The young man reportedly removed the dust
cover of a Random House dictionary valued at
$150, took it and another book from a table at the
library and made off.

Police said he dodged security devices and left
the building.

The young man is described as being between
16-20 years old. He was wearing a light coloured
hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap and a dark
coloured backpack, police said.

The suspect: may also have- been wearing head--

phones:::. -
If you hive aly" jifotinatise about this incident”
contact Terrace Crimestoppers at'635-8477,

~

1 | Edition:

3210 Clinton St.
Terrace, B.C.
V8G 5R2

| 2003
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