kevin nimmock
kevin@invermerevalleyecho.com
At the District of Invermere’s most recent regular council meeting, issues from sidewalks to Rotary Club funds were discussed.
Invermere mayor Gerry Taft started the Tuesday, May 26 meeting by introducing a late item to the agenda: the Permanent Resident Retention and Attraction Plan. Phase one of the plan was approved for $50,000 worth of funding during a Columbia Valley Community Directed Funds Committee meeting on May 22.
“I do not think people realize how much of an impact this could have,” councillor Justin Atterbury said. “This could be a big deal for the whole valley.”
The first step of the plan is to hire a consultant to do a literature review of efforts by other communities to increase permanent residency, conduct interviews with valley community members to seek their opinions and develop a specific plan for making Columbia Valley a more attractive place for people to move to permanently.
Taft brought the plan to Invermere council to seek volunteers for the steering committee.
“There is a lot of experience in this valley and if we tap into it we can do a great job,” councillor Al Miller, who was the lone volunteer from council, said
Encroaching sidewalks
Council voted on a potential five-year renewable sidewalk encroachment agreement for vendor Gordon Fraser, located on the sidewalk adjacent to the Bank of Montreal. Fraser’s previous agreement expired in 2014 and he has never broken the rules of the agreement.
“In most cases, we would just give a one-year contract, but because of the history, we can probably offer some business confidence,” Taft said.
Considering the Bank of Montreal’s consent on the matter, council voted unanimously to approve the agreement.
Rotary Request
Council voted on a request from the Rotary Club of Invermere for $250 worth of funding, most of which will go towards Loop the Lake.
Taft said council has a good history with the Rotary Club, so deciding to support future initiatives is not overly complicated.
Loop the Lake is an annual 10-kilometre and half marathon run in support of the Rotary Club of Invermere. Council voted unanimously to accept the request.