De tne ee : ce ee ee HALLIWELL RESIDENTS weren't too amused last week when they discovered their property had been transformed into beachfront lots. The problem was created by heavy equipment working in the area. This compressed the rock and gravel over a water line, causing it to rupture. Water service was cut off for about two hours during the supper hour. Terrace Review Hospital grants - a point of by Tod Strachan The Health Committee of the Regional Hospital District approved a number of items last month. Mills Memorial Hospital has been given the go-ahead for the purchase of a patient ventilator for the Intensive Care Unit. Total cost is $40,080 of which the hospi- tal district will contribute $9,915. Of the balance, $25,208 will be paid by the T.B. Vets: and $4, 958 will be covered by the province. Also approved for Mills Memor- ial was @ lithium analyzer for | monitoring therapeutic levels of lithium which is used in treating some mental ilinesses.. And a urine strip reader which provides a ' quantitative measurement of bio- chemical components in urine. The total value of the two pieces of equipment is $24,433 and the hospital board will go good for $6,109 of that, while the province will take care of the balance. On other funding, the hospital district approved in principal a list of minor capital projects for Ter- race, Kitimat, Hazelton and the Nass Valley. The items on this wish list are paid for 60 percent by The Halliwell Trail _ The expression "No pain, no gain,” isn’t normally used with a construction project, but the Halli- well upgrade may change all that. And the Halliwell residents suffer- ing the greatest pain may be Matt and Kaye Ehses of Northern Light Studio: . In a letter to council, the Ehses explain that they voted in favour of the project with the belief the | job would last from six to eight weeks, With an April start, it would mean the job would be completed before the tourist season began and new pavement would certainty enhance access to their business. As they point out in their letter,- however, "The work has now been going on. for three months and there is talk of at least two months more." The result: "Because of the road construction and inadequate and poorly distributed signs, it is virtually impossible for tourists to get to our shop." In fact, "The number of tourists who visit our garden has dropped from approxi- mately 50 people a day to none." The Ehses realize that, given the current situation, there is little that car be done but they have asked the city to at least post signs at the bottom of each hill to inform tour- ists and tour buses that it "is indeed possible" to reach Northern Light Studio by road. Mayor Jack Talstra agrees that access might be a little difficult. During Monday night’s council meeting he suggested that it’s "sort of a boy scout exercise to follow the arrows around." Alderman Ruth Hallock, on the other hand, suggested that the city isn’t at fault; it was: a few unexpected delays caused by additional work required by Pacific Northern Gas that created the problem. The Halliwell detours and appar- ent lack of road access to Northern Light: Stiidio. cotildni't havé come’ at a worse time for the Ehses. A major upgrade to their Japanese style park at the rear of their prop- erty was already in the works and a "smooth" road would certainly have enhanced this year’s tourist trade, The Ehses, therefore, acquired two neighbouring lots and spent over $10,000 adding an acre to the’ existing park. "We put a rush on the job to have it ready for the summer," explains Kaye Ehses. And the park now boasts another Japanese bridge and a Japanese Style gazebo large enough for an average wedding party as well as a few other additions. But the con- struction work continues, the tour- isis aren’t coming, and the park, and their crafts business, sit idle. City council has asked the direc- tor of engineering to investigate corrective measures but neither he nor the Ehses really believe any- thing can be done. The time to take correclive measures, says Kaye Ehses, was before the job began. If they had known the project was going to take all sum- mer, she explains, they would have relocated their store and perhaps taken a little more time in expand- ing the park. According to Darryl Laurent, though, the Ehses aren't the only Halliwell residents suffering as a result of the project. He says he was told last week-that several residents had thelr. driveways blocked for up to 10 days and people were forced to park their cars across the street in Skeena- view Park. This was apparently a bad idea, though. Last Wednesday evening, four or five cars parked there were vandalized, And there have been other probl- ems; particularly for the elderly or haiidicapped’’ Latirént*’says” the’ 4-1/2 foot deep excavation necess- ary to replace clay with gravel meant many Halliwell residents had to "wrestle" down one em- bankment and up another to get to their homes. He says these resi- dents have suggested that the cily install sets of stairs in future exca- vations to allow residents a reason- able opportunity to get to their homes. In light of the complaint from Northem Light Studio and other Halliwell residents, Laurent added a suggestion of his own: "In future when we do a major project like this it might be a valuable exercise fo send letters to each resident informing them of: the scope and duration of the project." Because, - as one Halliwell resident told him, "An informed public might not be an angry public." Another suggestion which Lau- rent says comes from Terraceview Lodge calls for a "temporary" slop sign wheie the "temporary" road across Skeenaview Park meets Kerby Road. According to Laurent, vehicles speeding through the intersection pose a hazard to Ter- raceview residents and staff. A stop sign, he says, “could save a tragedy". Public works has been asked to install a "temporary" stop sign. In the meantime, though,- the construction goes on and for most Halliwell home owners it’s going to be a long summer. Paving Halli- -well from Sparks to Eby is now scheduled for the first week of August. That’s only three or four weeks from now, but the section from Eby to Thomas Isn’t sched- uled to be paved until mid-Septem- ber. contention the province and 40 percent by the regional district’s Regional Hospi- tal District. The regional district's share for this list totals $107,898 with items like an x-ray electrical hook-up and pharmacy fume hood for Mills. Memorial, incinerator improve- ments and a dishwasher for Kiti- mat General, an eye clinic and x-Tay ventilation for Wrinch Me- morial, and landscaping and exterior lighting for the Nass Val- ‘ley facility. While Stewart General Hospital isn’t on that list, they weren’t forgotten. The hospital district offered support for the Stewart General Hospital board who have been trying to nail down govern- ment funding for planning the replacement of Stewart General for a quite a Jong time. The best they have to date, how- ever, is a letter from the Minister of Health dated Nov. 7, 1989, which offers nothing more than he was hopeful that the Treasury Board would approve funds in the “foreseeable future". Since this letter was received, there hasn’t been a single word. So the hospital district has written the Minister of Health restating their support for the project and asking for an update on the status of the planning approval. Then came an item from Kitl- So oe ae | See — Wednesday, July 11, 1990 AS - mat... and. a lengthy debate. Kiti- ‘mat General had a washer/sanitizer listed as number 12 on their prior- ity list and that didn't rank it high enough to make the hospital dis- trict’s capital projects list. Since it - was ranked 12th, though, Kitimat General has changed their mind and wants to place it at the top of the list. But this has a few implications other hospitals in the district may not accept. Primarily, if this item is approved, somebody else’s priorities will have to be placed on the back bumer. And the number of dollars are significant. The washer/sanitizer is worth $40,752 of which the hospital district would have to pay a third, or $13,384. The present piece of equipment is not adequate, argued director John LeSage, and the province had already recommended that it be replaced. He also pointed out that Mills Memorial got twice as much money as Kitimat last year. This was because of the Mills Memorial nuclear medicine facility. Other than from Kitimat director Chee Ling, a motion by LeSage to approve the purchase received no support at all. A couple of other motions didn’t get a lot of support either. Les Watmough suggested they offer what little money was available and Kitimat raise the rest themselves. Pete Weeber suggested they put it on the list and Kitimat can have the money at the end of the year... if there was any left. Finally, the request was tabled; with recorded opposition from LeSage. (ange Lf you wish to announce lbs. 1 oz. and Erin. weighing 8 Ibs. 11 02. the birth of YOUR baby, please fill out the form available in the maternity.word of Mills Memorial Hospital. We will pick up your forms, every week, CRAMM — David and Gillian are pleased to announce the birth of Heather Gillian on June 29, 1990 at 3:57 p.m., weighing 9 Ibs. 11 oz. A sister for Margaret and Jared. DURAND — Lesley and Randy are the proud parents of Joshua Edward, born at 17:22 hours on June 30, 1990, weighing 7 Ibs. 9 oz. A brother for Phillip and Carmen. KEUMPER — Lorne and Karen are proud to announce the birth of daughter Lindsey Marie on July 1, 1990 weighing 8 | MORGAN — Angel R. Morgan is proud to announce the birth of daughter Sheena Courtney April Marie Morgan on July 5, 1990 at 8:15 a.m. weighing 7 Ibs. 3 oz. O’MORROW — Proud parents Brad and Margaret would like to announce the birth of Eric John on June 28, 1990 at 4:36 p.m., weighing 5 Ibs. 15 oz. A new brother for Michael OTTENS — Born to Ralph and Barb on June 26, 1990, their second child — the little sister John wanted — Emily Nicole, FLOWERS A TA CARTES 635-4080 o L. 12-4741 LAKELSE, TERRACE After Store Hours 638-1 954 i Folex 0 04766549 TERRACE FLOWERS A LA CARTE LTD.