The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine director who held up a payment to the Heritage Park museum in Terrace says he would have no objection to supporting the facility as long as his constituents agree.
Ted Ramsey, who represents Thornhill on the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District Board, said the money would have to come from a specific program agreed to by all parties.
Ramsey held up what is called a grant-in-aid to Heritage Park earlier this year, questioning why a facility in Terrace would want money from regional district taxpayers when he could not determine what value his Thornhill constituents were getting in return.
Speaking last week, Ramsey said a grant-in-aid is meant to help groups for a one-time specific purpose and not become an ongoing annual payment as became the situation with Heritage Park.
“I hear people in Thornhill saying their tax dollar would be better spent in the community on seniors,” he added.
The prospect of an agreed upon ongoing payment would start with his meeting with Heritage Park for a presentation on its activities and plans, he said.
“Then I would want to see the budget, see what’s planned,” he said.
“And then I would have to ask my community,” Ramsey explained of his approach.
Ramsey said he supports the park as an individual as he routinely drops $20 into the donation box whenever he visits.
And he’s surprised there is never ever any acknowledgement of Thornhill or the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District at events held at Heritage Park.
Ramsey’s refusal this year to approve of a payment to Heritage Park from Thornhill became complicated as the City of Terrace, in following past practice, forwarded the dollar amount to the museum without first receiving it from the regional district.
That procedure dates back to the first payments made to Heritage Park whereby Thornhill and the larger rural area surrounding Terrace called Area C provided 30 per cent of a payment to Heritage Park and the city the remaining 70 per cent.
The city would send the entire dollar amount to Heritage Park and then invoice the regional district for the Thornhill and Area C portions for reimbursement.
This year, with Ramsey not agreeing to Thornhill’s payment, the reimbursement by the regional district to the city was $11,044 short.
“We’ll continue to communicate with the regional district to understand the full impact and options of this shortfall and avoid situations like this in the future,” said City of Terrace Communications Advisor Kate Lautens.
Area C Director Bruce Bidgood agreed to his area’s payment but has already said he might need to ask his constituents for their opinion from now on.
Kitimat-Stikine Regional District Communications Coordinator Marta Nelson said it does take specific requests for specific reasons into account, citing a recent resurfacing of the Thornhill tennis courts using money from a Thornhill parks and recreation service.
“Currently, there isn’t an established grant-in-aid policy, but there is a plan to develop one in the near future,” she said.
Regional district taxpayers do support City of Terrace facilities such as the library and recreation amenities by previously-approved and ongoing annual payments.
Heritage Park noted 40 years of existence this year of a facility that began with collecting log buildings from the rural area and then placing them within one central location.