Invermere council at its most recent council meeting executed several fee for service agreements and discussed a request from a resident to improve the traffic and the roads around the local museum and library.
The fee for services agreements included $30,000 for the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce; $25,000 for Columbia Valley Arts (CV Arts); $12,500 for the Windermere District Historical Society; $10,000 for the Lake Windermere Ambassadors; $6,000 for the Columbia Valley Hospice Society; and $5,000 for the Toby Creek Nordic Society.
All were unanimously approved by council during its Monday, April 13th meeting.
“I’m glad to see the Hospice Society getting a bit more this time. They’ve made big strides and are doing great things,” said councillor Greg Anderson.
Councillor Al Miller said he was glad for similar reasons to see the Historical Society receive more this time around.
Councillor Justin Atterbury launched a discussion on whether or not the district should start warning these societies that the district might have to tighten its spending in future when it begins to pay for the new multi-use centre.
“I think we need to get that message out. I think when September comes we’re going to have to do some slashing in our budget. I think we need to prepare people for that,” he said.
Other councillors agreed the district may need to tighten spending, but said they hoped regional district funding will help keep funding for these societies at current levels.
“Most of these groups have services extending well beyond the district boundaries,” said Invermere mayor Gerry Taft.
“We do get some regional district funding, but it’s often ad hoc, one-off and not operational. The idea of an economic service area (for the Upper Columbia Valley), which has been discussed, would address that and provide a consistent funding stream.”
No Parking signs requested
Council received a letter from Invermere resident Shirley Campbell at the April 13th meeting, requesting the district reconfigure the roads around the museum and library.
She said in her letter that it’s getting unsafe to have the upper road by the library and the lower road both exiting on a curve onto 7th Avenue at the top of a hill.
She pointed out that this all happens on 7th Avenue opposite a daycare facility and what will eventually become the new multi-use centre.
Campbell also requested the district put No Parking signs on parts of 6th Avenue.
Invermere chief administrative officer Chris Prosser said he’s perplexed by what Campbell envisages on 6th Avenue, but surmised it might be a reference to a parking stall behind Lake Auto which should never have been painted in the first place and which will be deleted this spring.
Prosser added that museum/library road issue is on the district’s radar.
“There are some dollars that will need to go into it,” he said.
“It’s a busy little parking lot there, but we own it and that’s the key piece because it means we can do something with it.”
“It’s an accident waiting to happen there. As traffic increases in the area, it will only get worse,” said Anderson.
No action was taken following the discussion, but district staff said they would contact Campbell.