From the Ashcroft Council on Oct. 13.

Roll Call: Mayor Andy Anderson and councillors Alice Durksen, Jerry Fiddick, Helen Kormendy and Colin Williams

Donated artwork

Council received a letter from Frederick and Virginia Seher regarding an original painting they sent to Bifuka.

Coun. Jerry Fiddick asked if the Village had sent the Sehers a letter of thanks for the donation.

Administrator Michelle Allen replied that the Village forwarded a letter of thanks from Bifuka to them.

The painting was an unsolicited gift and Council didn’t know how to react to it at the time, said Coun. Alice Durksen.

Council agreed to send the Sehers a thank you note

Ashcroft Terminal

Council reviewed a letter forwarded to MP Chuck Strahl by President/ CEO of Ashcroft Terminal, Robert Landucci advising the MP that the project had received the endorsement of the TNRD and asking for an update on their application to be formally included as a full member in the Federal Government “Canada’s Pacific Gateway Partnership”.

Mayor Andy Anderson said he asked Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day at the recent UBCM if there was an opportunity to discuss the port with him. Day invited Anderson to call him to arrange a meeting.

Mesa intersection

Coun. Colin Williams asked if there was a way to have improvements made to the Hwy 97C/Mesa Vista Dr. intersection.

Motorists don’t seem to know just where to make a safe turn at the intersection, he said, suggesting putting painted arrows on the pavement to show drivers where to turn

Mayor Anderson said that Interior Roads would be at the next meeting and they could discuss it further with them.

Municipal bylaws

Council gave initial readings to Bylaw 762, to enforce Municipal bylaws. The new bylaw describes other actionable bylaws and offences, sets fines, and authorizes bylaw enforcement officers to hand out those fines.

Some of those bylaws include business licenses, fire regulation, noise control, unsightly premises, traffic, sewer and water regulations and dog impound fees.

Court services

Coun. Fiddick reported that councillors met with Attorney General Mike de Jong at the UBCM to discuss the return of court services to Ashcroft.

Mayor Anderson said that de Jong advised them that there was no funding or budget for developing the service in Ashcroft, but Anderson felt they could make a convincing case based on the money they were spending to have the RCMP travel to Kamloops for court.

Anderson said de Jong asked them to keep him informed and that he got the sense that he’d like to see it go ahead.

CiB commendation

Council received the Communities in Bloom committee’s national evaluation and commended the committee on its good work. Ashcroft idn’t win this year, but it places very well.

Coun. Helen Kormendy said she spent a lot of time with the judges while they were here and it changed her idea of what the competition was all about.

They’re very thorough and had a lot of great suggestions, she said. She suggested that Council discuss the recommendations made in the evaluation to see how it can improve the areas that the community scored low in.

“The judges are very skilled and I just hate to see this opportunity lost,” she said.

Cemetery bylaws

Administrator Allen advised Council that staff would like to amend the bylaw to say you can’t put cremated remains in anymore full size burial plots because space is running out. The remainins full sized plots should be reserved for full sized remains.

”The cemetery is rapidly reaching its capacity and alternative arrangements will have to be discussed in the near future,” Allen wrote in a report. “The rate of cremated burials to full size casket interments is more than 4:1. The Village has offered for sale full size burial plots that allow up to six cremated remains to be interred in the one area - a family plot style if you will.

“We are now reaching the end of our full size plots and have less than 20 available for sale. We have some cremated remains plots and have the area to develop additional ones as they take far less room. Administration has instructed the staff to cease suggesting these multiple interment plots as we wish to reserve the few full size plots that we have left for full size casket interments.”

The Village will be exploring the establishment of a columbaria for cremated remains. A potential new cemetery on the Mesa is needs a lot of work - also a lot of time consuming paperwork - to turn it into a cemetery.

Next Meeting

Oct. 26 at 7 pm