AUGUST
Marmot troubles
Marmots digging into graves in the Old Cemetery just off Hwy 97 has been an ongoing problem for years.
Karl Hansen, Public Works Foreman told Clinton’s Council at its Aug. 10 meeting that he had talked to other municipalities having the same problem. He also spoke with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation Officers, SPCA and RCMP, and the general consensus was to shoot them.
Discharge of firearms is not allowed within Village boundaries, but Council passed a recommendation to allow Hansen to implement a firearms program to control the marmot population in the ‘Old Cemetery’.
New RCMP sergeant in Ashcroft
After 31 years of serving with the RCMP in small and large communities, on horseback and in plain clothes, Sgt. Michel Grondin has made it to Ashcroft.
Grondin’s last posting was Salmon Arm, and he replaces Sgt. Dave Prentice as head of the Ashcroft Detachment. Prentice transferred to Kamloops on July 1.
Wastech, MV told to use landfill gas
The Province has given Wastech and Metro Vancouver until the end of the year to propose an implementation schedule for the Cache Creek Landfill’s methane.
In June the Ministry of Environment gave notice to the landfill partners that it was contemplating an amendment to the Operational Certificate that would make beneficial use of the collected landfill gas (LFG) mandatory.
Both Wastech and Metro Vancouver said they supported the beneficial use of landfill gas but that coming up with a plan under their existing contract was going to be difficult and perhaps costly.
Ashcroft Lions’ 60th
The Ashcroft and District Lions Club celebrated their 60th anniversary on Aug. 5 at Chris’ Under the Bridge.
Lions came from Washington State, Kamloops, Lillooet and Vancouver. to observe this occasion. The guest of honour was Jack Kirkpatrick, one of the 28 charter members from 1951.
Rising bus costs worry Council
Rising costs of the community bus are causing Cache Creek Council to think about getting off at the next stop.
Regional manager for BC Transit, Steve Harvard, attended council meetings in both Cache Creek and Ashcroft this month to update councils on the operations and budgets of the service.
“Last year, revenue was significantly higher,” Harvard told them, “but so were expenses.”
He said two large items pushed up costs, including an unanticipated engine failure and rising gas prices.
Mayor John Ranta reviewed the service’s proposed three-year budget and noted “significant increases”.
“I’m apprehensive about the future of this service if these are the cost increases we’re facing,” he said.
Body recovered from river near Lytton
The body of an Abbotsford man who was swept away while swimming in the Thompson River last weekend has been found.
The 41-year-old man’s body was discovered by local fishermen approximately 12 km south of Lytton.
The incident occurred on Aug. 20, at approximately 3 pm, near the Goldpan Provincial Park in Spences Bridge.
The man was not wearing a floatation device when he tried to swim out to a rock and was swept away by the current.
The man’s friends weren’t able to pull him from the water.
Seniors return from Games victorious
Of the five people from our area who competed at the Seniors Games (Aug. 16-20) in Castlegar, Trail and Nelson, four of us brought home medals: Isabel McGrath and Linda Holland won Gold in Bridge, Kevin Scallon won a Gold in Horseshoes and Muriel Scallon won Bronze, also in Horseshoes. We had lots of fun at the Games, and it’s too bad more don’t get involved.
The 2013 Games will be held in Kamloops.
Family grateful for tangible evidence of their history
“We would like to thank the town of Ashcroft for displaying and taking care of Sam McDonald’s wagon,” a family of his descendants recently wrote to the Ashcroft Museum. “It is a great part of a history which we are proud of. Sam was born Nov. 11, 1827 and died Feb. 8, 1908 at Nicomen Island, where the family farm is. He had one son, William, born Oct. 1, 1863 and died June 15, 1932. William had five children. He was also known as ‘Billy McDonald.