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Mayor lays out a busy city agenda

THE CITY needs to spend nearly $300,000 to tear down the former Terrace Co-operative complex on Greig Ave. for any chance of something happening to the property there, Mayor Dave Pernarowski told a Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon Sept. 22.

THE CITY needs to spend nearly $300,000 to tear down the former Terrace Co-operative complex on Greig Ave. for any chance of something happening to the property there, Mayor Dave Pernarowski told a Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon Sept. 22.

“That we feel is a good step forward as we move to find some investors to partner with the city or come in on their own to develop that property,” the mayor said to approximately 50 people on the occasion of his annual State of the City address.

Tearing down the Co-op building was on the city’s ‘to-do’ list but until a provincial grant of $375,000 arrived in the summer, it could not afford the cost.

The city is spending $284,000 of that $375,000 grant to have the complex demolished.

Interior demolition is underway and the building itself should come down in little more than a month.

Pernarowski also provided updates on other key city projects and initiatives.

There’s now a 24-unit low cost housing project on Davis Ave. where the farmers market was once situated.

The housing project was financed by the provincial and federal governments and the city contributed the land.

Davis Ave. itself was rebuilt this summer as part of a ramped-up roads plan that includes major work on McConnell on the bench.

The city is working to become more environmentally-friendly by improving transportation options, becoming more energy efficient and encouraging the development of local food production, Pernarowski added.

The city encouraged the opening of an adult day treatment program for addictions run by the Northern Health Authority. A youth program was also set up.

As for economic development, Pernarowski city the city expanded its borders to take in  land it bought from the provincial government as the first part of a long term plan to develop an industrial park.

The land is located just past the Northwest Regional Airport.

Construction of an access road from Hwy16 into the property is to start next year.

The city is also building its partnership with the Kitselas First Nation to help develop the industrial park.

To encourage industries to come to the area and become tenants at the planned industrial park, Pernarowski said the Terrace Economic Development Authority (TEDA), financed by the city, has prepared a community profile of the area.

Information specific to the Skeena Industrial Development Park, as the airport lands are called, is also available.

The mayor said TEDA is working on a new website devoted to investor information and that one for regional development is also in the works.

Pernarowksi said the city is also working on reducing the amount of waste produced within its boundaries.