BY LORNE ECKERSLEY
Advance staff
Creston Town Council held it’s regular bi-monthly meeting on June 13 with newly elected Councillor Adam Casemore sitting in the gallery. Casemore will be sworn in and able to assume his duties in July.
After introducing Casemore, who received a round of applause, Mayor Ron Toyota led Council through an agenda filled with a number of small issues.
• A plaque is being designed for the new flag pole at the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce. It will acknowledge the assistance of Creston Valley Forest Corporation (which supplied the pole), FortisBC (for the pole’s installation), Brisco Wood Preservers Ltd. and the Town of Creston. Special thanks will be given to Coun. Jim Elford, who prepared and stained the pole.
• Discussion took place about another plaque that will be installed by the Creston Rotary Club at the entrance to the new Devon Street Trail. It will acknowledge Columbia Basin Trust, J.H. Huscroft Ltd., John R. Huscroft and the Town of Creston.
• Toyota did not receive support for his suggestion that the new flag pole be nominated for a 2017 community recognition award from the Canadian Wood Council. (The Creston Valley Rotary Club’s pavilion in Centennial Park won an award last year.)
• Council approved a request from Eden Yesh, whose business, Kootenay Produced, will park a truck for two hours each week on the farmers’ market location to pick up local produce to be sold in the Invermere area.
• A second request for a discretionary grant for Zone 7 of the BC Senior Games Society was received. Council recommended future request be made through the Community Initiatives grant program.
“I will support helping youths for these activities but I think adults should pay their own way,” Coun. Jim Elford said.
• Approval was given to the Creston Community Forest Corporation to survey Town property for a potential trail to link Helen Street to Goat Mountain.
• Council agreed to cancel the scheduled June 20 committee of the whole meeting due to a lack of agenda items.
• Chief Mike Moore reported on fire department activities in April and May. The department responded to 98 emergency incidents in that period, the majority as first responders to emergency calls.
Moore reported that one of last year’s Work Experience Program firefighters, a Creston resident, has started a full-time position with Vancouver Fire Rescue. Most of the program’s participants have found full-time work as firefighters, Moore said.