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Creston council to discuss bear bylaw — again

Creston still might end up with a bylaw to enforce bear awareness. Town council voted on June 28 to refer the issue back to staff for another report...

Creston still might end up with a bylaw to enforce bear awareness. Town council voted on June 28 to refer the issue back to staff for another report.

In a meeting two weeks earlier, it had defeated motions to pass a bylaw and to refer the issue to staff. Mayor Ron Toyota reintroduced the motion last week.

“I think we need to take another look at the issue and see if there isn’t a way to support the Bear Aware program,” he said.

 

Council Briefs

•New Creston RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan introduced himself. With 30 years service in the RCMP, Gollan most recently ran the RCMP detachment in Gleichen, Alta. He has assumed command of the local detachment, paving the way for former detachment commander Gord Stewart to take on a supervisory position in Kelowna.

•Accountant Rick Minichiello presented the 2010 Town of Creston financial statements, declaring them to be a fair representation of the town’s finances.

•A public hearing was held in which there was no objection to a Canyon Street sign directing attention to the Kokanee Inn Pub.

•A request to place an elementary school-created mural on the Millennium Park fence received a positive reaction from council, which expressed a preference for the mural to be placed at Centennial Park, which attracts families and children to the splash park and playground.

•Council affirmed its interest in proceeding with discussions with the Regional District of Central Kootenay to create a single fire service for the Creston Valley.

•Creston Fire and Rescue chief Bruce Mabin presented a quarterly report about the service’s activities. The fire department, which has 33 volunteer firefighters, responded to 27 calls for service in the first quarter of 2011, seven of which were false alarms. Four fires were reported, two of them causing damage totaling about $90,000. Mabin estimates the value of property saved by firefighters to be $2.775 million.