PROVINCIAL POLITICS | Local Conservatives welcome support for leader and MLA’s departure [A6]
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Bird collision sparks Bailey Road blaze JENNIFER SMITH Morning Star Staff
Firefighters managed to douse a grass fire off Bailey Road and keep it from spreading to a nearby home. The approximately two-and-ahalf hectare blaze, which broke out just before 1 p.m. Monday, was started from a bird hitting a hydro line. “We have confirmed that it was a bird that started the fire,” said Steve Olson, forest protection assistant. A bird striking a power line was also linked to a fire near the landfill in August. Forest Service crews, in their office just down the road, were on scene within record time Monday, followed by Vernon Fire Service crews. The fire broke out on the hillside just above a caretaker’s home in the seed orchard above Highway 97. Seed orchard manager Chris Walsh also rushed onto the scene to help hose down the caretaker’s property. Flames spread just inches onto the caretaker’s property, but the majority of damage was done up the grassy hill away from the home. “I thought it was a lot worse,” said Walsh, “but it looks like they have it under control.” For video and photo coverage of the fire visit www.vernonmorningstar.com
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Chris Walsh, seed orchard manager, lays down a sprinkler above a caretaker’s home to help prevent a grass fire off Bailey Road from spreading Monday afternoon.
City positions Coldstream Hotel property for sale The City of Vernon hopes burying power lines will reignite development plans downtown. Funding will be sought from B.C. Hydro to put utilities underground on the city-owned Coldstream Hotel parking lot on 31st and 32nd avenues. “The works proposed on the Coldstream Hotel lot would promote development,” said Ed Stranks, engineering development manager,
in a report Monday. The total cost of placing the utilities underground is not known, but if the Hydro grant was received, the city would contribute $570,000. “It would be possible to get that money back from the sale of the property,” said Stranks. The city purchased the property in 2004 for about $2.8 million (that doesn’t include the Ed Stranks cost of demolishing structures at the time). The original plan was to con-
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struct a cultural complex on the site but the city proposal eventually shifted to a residential/commercial development. Nothing has transpired and the lot is currently used for parking while city staff use a building on the site. City staff say that relocating the utility lines will increase the land available for development and increase its value by $1.43 million to $4.3 million. Some councillors want assurances they can reconsider the project once B.C. Hydro has determined if it is providing assistance. “A $570,000 item is a huge hit for tax-
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payers and I would like the opportunity to discuss that without committing ourselves,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. Concern also came from Coun. Patrick Nicol. “I can’t imagine this is No. 1,” said Nicol of the city’s capital priorities. But the only opposition to seeking a grant from B.C. Hydro came from Coun. Bob Spiers. “It’s a beautification program and it should not have risen to the top of the barrel. We have more important infrastructure projects,” said Spiers.
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RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
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