RELAY FOR LIFE PAGE 5 merrittherald.com
LEGACY MERRITT PROGRAM PAGE 13
HOME BUILDER’S GUIDE INSIDE
Nicola Valley’s News Voice Since 1905
MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
City won’t renew Flying Club’s lease By Michael Potestio THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
2ND ANNUAL TY POZZOBON PBR INVITATIONAL THIS WEEKEND Exciting bull riding action returns to the Nicola Valley this Saturday with the second Annual Ty Pozzobon PBR Invitational at the Merritt rodeo grounds. Merritt’s own Ty Pozzobon will be on hand to compete of course, along with 29 of the world’s best bull riders from both sides of the border and as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Last year’s winner, colourful Chase Outlaw from Hamburg, Arkansas, will be back to defend his title, but he’ll have his hands full with the likes of Matt Triplett from Columbia Falls, Montana (seventh in the BFTS world standings right now) and Canadian Scott Schiffner from Strathmore, Alberta (CFR champion, three-time World’s finalist, 11-time Calgary Stampede competitor). In addition to watching over 40 thrilling bull rides, there’ll be great entertainment from world-renowned bull fighters, a mutton bustin’ competition for the youngsters, pyrotechnics (that means fireworks, folks), a giant replay jumbotron, a 50/50, a beer garden for the grownups, and an after-party at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena put on by the Merritt Centennials hockey club, where many of the bull riders will be on hand to meet and greet. There’s a free shuttle to and from the rodeo grounds, the Travelodge and the arena. Tickets for the 2nd Annual Ty Pozzobon Invitational are available at Purity Feed at the advance price of $20. There’ll also be tickets available at the gate for $25. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. and action gets underway at 5 p.m. on Saturday. For more on this year’s Ty Pozzobon PBR Invitational, turn to page 21. Ian Webster/Herald
The city will not renew the Merritt Flying Club’s lease at the airport over ongoing issues of unpaid bills and mismanaged leases. City council voted in favour of directing city staff to notify the club that their expired hangar land premise lease at the airport will not be renewed at its regular meeting on Tuesday. The issues between the city and the club are detailed in a 400-page report prepared by public works manager Shawn Boven. The report contains communications between the two parties that date back over a decade. The report finds the flying club owes the city almost $42,000 in various bills stemming from the club’s 25-year terminal building premise lease and the recently expired land premise lease on which their hangar building resides. Those fees include unpaid development cost charges, hydro bills and rent from the flying club’s sublease with the company Graham Air at the terminal building. Under that sublease – which was approved by the city in 2011 at a rate of $100 per month – the city is owed 75 per cent of the rent collected by the flying club from Graham Air. The city has never received funds from the sublease, Boven said. However, the report also finds the flying club in breach of its hangar land premise lease for allowing a commercial business to operate out of its hangar. Boven said that in 2013, he was told by the city’s then-CAO to send a letter to the flying club requesting the commercial helicopters be relocated from the leased land. He said he was later told to drop the issue because the CAO had been receiving phone calls about it, Boven told council at a May 6 committee of the whole meeting.
See ‘No formal contract’ Page 3
399
$
NEW Chicken Wrap Meal Grilled or Crispy Deluxe Cheeseburger Meal
The report also finds the club is charging $15 a day in tie-down fees, which are set by a city bylaw at $6 per day. At the May 6 meeting, council voted 4-2 in favour of making a recommendation at the May 27 meeting for a forensic audit of airport operations. Merritt Mayor Susan Roline and Coun. Dave Baker voted in opposition, and Coun. Mike Goetz did not attend the May 6 meeting. When the recommendation for an audit came up at Tuesday’s regular meeting, council voted not to go ahead with it. A forensic audit could cost more than $50,000 to conduct, a report to council stated. That report also stated that the flying club would need to co-operate with auditors and allow access to club accounts and bank records. “All we can ask for is financial statements and stuff like that,” financial services manager Ken Ostraat told the Herald. “I don’t think a forensic audit is going to be the route to go.” The Merritt Flying Club’s hangar land premise lease expired in May of 2013 and the society continues to operate on a month-to-month basis on that land with the lease expiring again at the end of May, Ostraat said. A renewal of that lease was prepared and brought before council in March but it was deferred. At Tuesday’s meeting, council voted 4-2 in favour of denying the lease renewal and having staff prepare a request for proposals for operations of the airport. Roline and Baker were opposed, and Goetz abstained from the vote due to a perceived conflict of interest. The vote went against city staff ’s recommendation to council to direct staff to continue working with the flying club with the intent of finding a resolution acceptable to all parties.
Upgrade your sundae to a small Blizzard TREAT for fgfg $
1
dq.ca
Baked Fresh
Any Flavour
Valid until May 31, 2014 3-pc.Chicken Strip Meal
$E7OLF 7AY -ERRITT "# s