Community news briefs

Revelstoke Bear Aware is urging City Hall to make “some form of secure garbage storage… a requirement of the building process for all future developments in Revelstoke.”

Bear Aware Coordinator Sue Davies made the proposal in a March 2 letter to Mayor David Raven and members of City Council and she specifically points to a proposed new subdivision in Upper Arrow Heights.

“The subdivision in Upper Arrow Heights is particularly prone to incursions by wildlife due to it being bordered on one side by the forested slopes of Mt. Mackenzie and on the other side by the wildlife corridor that follows the Illecillewaet River,” she said.

“Retrofitting a wildlife-proof garbage storage area to an existing property can cost a minimum of around $600, which is a significant sum to outlay for many people. However making it an integral part of the building process could reduce the cost, as well as making it mandatory at a time when the extra sum would be less significant as part of financing the building process.”

This is not the first time that the City has been urged to mandate the use of bear-proof garbage containers.

“For many years now Bear Aware has been educating the people of Revelstoke about locking up their garbage in a wildlife-proof secure area in order to reduce the chances of conflict between humans and bears. However, in many situations residents do not have any secure storage facility on their property in which to lock their garbage. A secure garbage storage facility would be either a lockable garage with space for garbage cans, a secured steel enclosure, or a strongly built shed with a lockable door.

Council voted to refer the letter to staff for comment.

Please click here to read Bear Aware’s letter to Council.

***

The City issued business licence s to 13 firms February, bringing the number of licensed business in Revelstoke to 898.

The licenses were acquired by: building contractor Siemen’s Canada; Mountain Cleaning Living; Big Shreddy Bed & Breakfast; Twisted Annie’s Eatery Ltd.; Valet Restorations (Revelstoke); Cartier Mountain Chalets;. Refinery Day Spa; The Roost; Wildland Consulting Inc. DBA (doing business as) Columbia River DVD; Eagle Pass Logging; Armate Holdings Ltd.; Hart Enterprises; and Inkpen Painting.

At the end of February 2013 there were 879 licensed business in Revelstoke≥

***

Remember the early January road closure that saw hundreds of travelers stranded in Revelstoke?

Inept handling of the situation led to confusion and saw some buck-hungry individuals attempt to exploit desperate travelers by offering them places to sleep for as much as $379.

Well, that may (ideally) become a thing of the past with a recommendation to Council by the Economic Development Commission.

In a report to Council at its March 11 meeting, the EDC recommended that “the City take the lead in working with other community organizations to develop a plan to deal with road closures and ensure there is an expectation for the emergency response network to make housing available for stranded travellers when required.”

Chief Administrative Officer Tim Palmer said some of “the internal communications issues that lead to confusion” have been addressed administratively.

“Additionally, the City has had debriefing with emergency management personal and the department of highways,” he said in comments attached to the EDC recommendation. “As a result, future similar events will be managed differently by the City mitigating the inconvenience to visitors. The Chamber has also suggested that they take a potential lead role in the registration of available rooms and the creation of one waiting list.”

Please click here to read the report to Council.

***

The Revelstoke Theatre Company is extending its deadlines for show and director submissions to June 30.

The community acting group invited new directors with show ideas to submit their proposals by March 31.

“We are looking for directors and shows to produce in the coming theatre season,” it said in a statement. “We will also accept submissions for actors, stage crew, technical or production team members! If you would like to be involved in any way, let us know!”

To submit a proposal please visit http://www.revelstoketheatrecompany.org/call-for-submissions.html to complete an online form.

technical or production team members! If you would like to be involved in any way, let us know!

***

The Okanagan Regional Library’s Revelstoke branch is inviting registrations for its Springtime Preschool Storytime.

In a statement, it said there would be fun stories, songs and activities for preschool-age children.

The free program will be held on Thursday afternoons starting at 1:15 pm from April 3 until May 29.

The Revelstoke Branch of the ORL is located inside the Revelstoke Community Centre at 605 Campbell Road. To register please call 250-837-5095. To find out more about what’s happening at your library, visit www.orl.bc.ca.

***