The Chilliwack
Progress Thursday
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Road Check
2011
Football
Court restores full arsenal of roadside penalties against drunks.
Continuing our look back.
High school football returns.
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Dogs kill Jersey calves in Greendale Farmer issues warning Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
Up to 150 people can be served in the dining room at the new Ruth & Naomi's building. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
More funding needed to realize dream Ruth & Naomi’s looking for an additional $400,000 Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Construction on the new Ruth & Naomi’s Mission building in downtown Chilliwack is a few weeks away from completion. The $1-million project is an expansion of the services offered by the mission, with the plan to offer transitional housing spaces for up to 24 residents. About 100 to 130 street people arrive at Ruth & Naomi’s Mission on Fletcher Street every day to be fed. That’s down from the maximum of 150 per day they were feeding a while back, but officials are eager to get on with the long-awaited housing component.
About half the Ruth & Naomi’s project value has come from donated materials and labour to date by 80 members of the Chilliwack construction trade, said Paul de Koning, a project manager and board director. But it is now clear they are going to be short an estimated $400,000 to finish the upstairs section of the new building. The shortfall means they will need to raise more operational funding, including an estimated $15,000 per unit in the eightroom section, either from government funding or donations, as well as $150,000 to furnish the now-empty units and computer room. “We have not approached the
province for any funding at this point, but the board sees that is going to be necessary,” said board chair Wayne Massey. They have to furnish and staff the transitional housing component they’ve been promising. A commercial-grade kitchen, spacious dining hall and washroom facilities are now in place on the main floor of the new building, as are the residential units upstairs in the 8000-square foot building. Project proponents thought initially they were going to be able to finish the downstairs portion first and get their occupancy permit right away. But city officials notified them that the upper portion would have to
be completed, staffed and operational as well before the permit would be issued. “We misunderstood and thought we could separate the components,” he noted. Part of the current financial crunch was caused by “moving goalposts” in terms of provincial environmental cleanup standards which changed in recent years, Massey said. Plans and design for the new building were ready to go several years ago. But the former dry cleaners’ site had to be environmentally remediated first at a cost of $350,000, the board chair said. “It was an unexpected setback,” he said. Continued: FUNDS/ p18
Two calves are dead and two are recovering after a brutal dog attack Monday at a Chilliwack dairy farm. “I’ve had enough,” Marc Dalton told The Progress from his Greendale dairy farm. “This has got to stop.” It’s the third time that livestock has been attacked, he said. The two large dogs were described as “pit bull-cross looking things.” They gutted one Jersey calf, ripped open another and tore the ear off a third. A fourth managed to escape. The dogs stopped, turned and looked directly at him as they were attacking the hapless animals in their little hutches. “When I went out there, they turned on me and weren’t scared of me at all,” said Dalton. “I had a stick and swung it at them, and they just sauntered away.” He gave chase but the dogs took off, scooting down a nearby driveway. The farmer said he finally called RCMP and made a report, and Animal Control officials circled the block yesterday in a truck, searching for the animals, to no avail. They told him they’d had numerous reports recently about dogs on the loose, Dalton said. Neighbours have also reported being chased by big dogs while cycling in the agricultural area. There are many of his neighbours who have kids playing nearby. “People shouldn’t be allowed to keep aggressive dogs like that. There’s no need for it,” Dalton said. “This should never have happened.” Police officials told the farmer he could kill any dogs roaming onto his property to attack livestock. Dalton said he knew that, but added it was nice to hear it directly from the police officers in this case. “People need to be aware that these dogs may be out there. Everyone needs to know so they can be extra careful.” jfeinberg@theprogress.com twitter.com/CHWKjourno
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