REVIVING PROGRAM
LADIES’ VOLLEYFEST A SMASH HIT /PAGE 17
Despite not having any current auxiliary officers, city wants to bring back program / Page 3 merrittherald.com
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MERRITT HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
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Plans are still being developed for ER renovations Michael Potestio THE MERRITT HERALD
ON THE BALL
Rose Howard (red jersey) and the MSS senior girls soccer team finished second at their own 12-team tournament. For complete details, turn to page 17.
Conceptual plans are still being developed for planned renovations of the Nicola Valley Hospital’s emergency room and they are expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Health for review in a few weeks. Berni Easson, IHA health services administrator for Thompson-Cariboo rural, said she isn’t sure how long it will take to get the rubber stamp from the health ministry to move forward with the renovations. “There’s so many different things that the Ministry of Health could be working on, but we have to wait until they approve it, and we don’t know how long that will take,” Easson said. Once receiving that approval, the next stage will be to develop detailed drawings, which will include more consultation with staff, physicians and community partners, Easson said. Those detailed plans will then be sent to the ministry for approval
again. Approval from here will lead to the construction phase. Last year the Thompson Regional Hospital District and Interior Health Authority agreed to split $600,000 in planning funding for the renovation of hospital’s emergency room, agreeing to a 60-40 per cent split, with the IHA supplying the larger share. Those funds will only cover the cost to produce these conceptual designs. Detailed design plans will require more funding. Whether or not the physical space of the ER will be modified will be determined by the conceptual designs. “This is a renovation project, it’s not an addition, but perhaps in the renovation we might be doing some changes around the walls and that kind of stuff,” Easson said. She said the amount of space needed will be determined based on
See Plans Page 10
Community Policing Office on the move Michael Potestio THE MERRITT HERALD
RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore hopes that when Merritt’s Community Policing Office (CPO) packs up and moves its operations to Spirit Square, it will be a form of crime prevention. The CPO will be moving down the street from its spot on Quilchena Avenue to the former Fireside Centre at Spirit
Square by the end of May. Dunsmore, who works out of the office as the RCMP’s liaison, says they’ve been considering making the move to this new location for a few years. She said the perks of moving to the new building include added space, and the fact the CPO can be front and centre at Spirit Square. “It may deter some of the crime that we see over there.
We see open drinking, a little bit of loitering, a lot of skateboarding and bike riding,” she said, adding that having CPO programs using the square and more of a public presence may deter criminal activity. She told members of city council’s police committee that she doesn’t think the move will deter people from visiting the
See Community Page 3
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