It was close, so close in fact a recount was needed in order to decide last Saturday’s referendum to include 9,000 acres in Cranbrook’s city boundaries.

However, when the dust settled and the votes were counted a second time, it was the no votes that led the way by the smallest of margins, 35 votes to be exact.

The final tally was 2616 no votes and 2581 yes votes.

Sheldon Isaman was definitely disappointed with the result.

“It was an opportunity for Cranbrook and the citizens to have a say in what happens with that property. As I’ve said all along, we will move forward with the regional district,” said Isaman, one of six investors who own 2,400 of the 9,000 acres included in the expansion application to become part of the city of Cranbrook.

Tony Novak owns the remaining 6,600 acres.

Following the vote, Isaman said the lands are now closed to the public.

“Any and all access into these properties is no longer permitted.”

The ownership group has also changed its mind about donating a 1,370-acre parcel to complement Cranbrook’s community forest. However, another piece of land might be handed over down the road.

“It would be a different configuration,” Isaman said Monday. Until that happens, all of the 9,000 acres are now off-limits. Trails are slated to be decommissioned and some trees are being selected for removal.

When contacted by the Kootenay News Advertiser Monday, ‘No’ proponent and Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook Society president Sharon Cross refused comment.

However, a flyer distributed by the CLC outlined its reasons for not supporting the proposal as follows:

1.Taxpayers would pay for the expansion.

2. Cranbrook doesn’t need land to accomodate growth.

3. Cranbrook is run down and needs to be fixed first.

4. Doubling the size of Cranbrook won’t create a long-term secure economy for future generations.

5. Bringing the lands into Cranbrook would cause more fragmentation.

6. Cranbrook can still have a say in the lands’ development.

7. There’s plenty of opportunity to plan without expansion.

8. It's a myth downtown businesses would benefit from the expansion.

9. Taxpayers would rather be consulted than convinced.

10. The community forest would be at risk.

As a strong ‘Yes’ supporter, Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak is disappointed with the lost opportunity, but not the fact that the people have spoken.

“I’m not disappointed that this is the will of the majority...that’s their decision.”

Though the city could turn around and offer another referendum, Manjak said he won’t chase the expansion.

“We will not pursue this boundary extension any further, it’s time to move on.”

Manjak was disappointed that the referendum was solved by such a narrow margin when so many people affected by the outcome chose not to participate.

“The fact is 9,000 people stayed home.”

One topic embraced by many ‘no’ supporters that Manjak didn’t understand was the call to fix Cranbrook’s roads before taking in more land.

“Road conditions have no correlation to whether or not we increase our land base.”

As spokesman for the ‘Yes For Opportunity’ campaign, Brian Sims found himself the target of angry ‘no’ supporters—taking a series of aggressive phone calls at his private residence, and even coming home once to find manure flung across his front lawn.

Sims said the extra manure ended up as a nice addition for his flower beds.

“It’s unfortunate they apparently singled me out, but I’ve got pretty wide shoulders,” he said. As for the 35-vote margin, Sims said he’s “surprised and very disappointed”, adding, “It appears the citizens of Cranbrook want no growth, no opportunity and no say in the big chunk of land that’s on their doorstep,”.

With the town—or at least those who voted—divided, mayor Manjak said it’s time to step back and look at the bigger picture.

“Let’s take a deep collective breath and see how fortunate we are to live in this community.”