A new welcome
The Village of Hazelton was granted permission by the board to place their new welcome sign at the south-west corner of the Upper Skeena Rec Centre.
The new sign is expected to be installed this spring. All construction and maintenance costs related to the sign will be paid by the Village of Hazelton.
Library request
Terrace Public Library director David Tremblay presented to the board to give an overview of their program successes from the past year as approximately 25 per cent of library users are outside of the Terrace area.
Rising costs, which include a new ebook database and library app, has amounted to an overall increase of 2.16 per cent in expenses for 2020.
Board directors motioned for the library to submit a funding request that will be then referred to staff in the next budget process.
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Preserving heritage
Heritage Park Museum art curator Anna Glass gave the regional board an overview of the museum’s 2019 year in review.
Due to their one-month closure in September, the museum saw lower than normal numbers with only 917 tourists visiting the site.
Despite fewer visitors, Glass noted that the Terrace Mutiny book was released, more historic walks and senior teas were introduced, and the gardens were improved.
Increase in project costs and overall operating fees has raised expenses by 2 per cent for 2020.
This summer, the museum will apply for funding to hire four summer students in comparison to five last year.
The board motioned for the Terrace and District Museum Society to submit a funding request that will be considered in the next budget process.
Safety devices
The RDKS has authorized the purchase of two Garmin ‘in Reach Mini Satellite Community devices to improve the safety of directors traveling for Regional District affairs, totaling an annual cost of $1,818.78.
The suggestion was proposed at the Nov. 15 board meeting following previous discussions regarding safety issues due to long distances of no cell service on highways.
Directors can use the device for two-way texting communication, auto-tracking of location, navigation and an SOS rescue button that can signal emergency response in time of need.
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Highway talk
The RDKS motioned to send a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) regarding safety concerns and impacts from rises in commercial traffic on Northwest highways due to increased industrial projects.
In the letter, the board has also invited them to present at a board meeting.
Mining application
The board has no objections to extend the mining lease for Tru-Grit Abrasives Inc. for another 30 years to operate a slag quarry facility, provided they sent a letter to appropriate First Nations for review and comment, and address any environmental concerns.
The site is located 125 km northwest of Terrace, approximately 23 km west of Kitsault on Granby Bay. The site is only accessible either by boat, floatplane or helicopter.
natalia@terracestandard.com
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