I have represented Christina Lake as the Area C regional district director for the past two terms.
The following is an overview of what director for Area C means and the workload involved in that position.
In the past few months the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) and Area C has attempted to share information by meeting with small group gatherings, holding more community meetings, adding information on rdkb.com, and working with newly-formed christinalakewpos.com.
We have worked to make our community safer by hiring an RCMP member for Christina Lake for July and August and worked with the local Citizens on Patrol.
We have worked together to a successful completion with the triathlon and celebrated community past and present at the homecoming. In the past few years we refinished the tennis courts, upgraded the ball field and funded improvements to the community hall and started a Park/Recreation/Trails Service.
We have also built a beautiful welcome centre, which showcases our community and constructed a Solar Aquatic which is a prototype of how sewage can be handled through biological means, both projects funded from grant dollars.
We have entered into an agreement with the City of Grand Forks, Area D and Greenwood to provide animal control, because the SPCA was unable to continue service.
We have a maintenance person who looks after park and recreation sites and a dog park down at the end of Swanson Road.
We even managed to get through the Aquilini proposal using the proper legislated process, thereby keeping the lawyers at bay and still legally turning it down before it went to the regional district board. We have worked with the Seniors Housing Group, completed a cemetery report/study and worked with the volunteer group.
We have brought Dr. Art Hister to Christina Lake twice and introduced Hugh Bulmer of Maynards antiques appraisal to our community this summer. We continue to support the Christina Lake Elementary School in the hope of keeping it open.
We support the numerous athletic groups, including the newly-formed youth soccer league, which involves 300 participants across the Boundary. We support, work with, and facilitate for, the Christina Lake Stewardship committee and also meet with these groups.
More public information meetings have been held at Christina Lake than any area in our region and the last five years we have held community town hall meetings to talk about the regional district budget (we have never had this before).
We have started a very successful homecoming event, which also provides support through donation dollars for non-profits to operate. Regional accomplishments are also numerous:
The Boundary Economic Development Committee has initiated discussion with all parties, including the U.S., discussing the possible loss of the railway.
We have initiated the regional chamber, brought in numerous speakers, hosted a media event in Greenwood and produced a regional brand.
We have convinced Invest Kootenay to allow us to belong as a region (the BEDC pays that membership fee for all).
We have provided information and contacted an email provider to enlarge its area to include the Fife region.
There is a lot more on this list and it can be obtained by contacting Community Futures in Grand Forks.
To be continued . . .
– Grace McGregor is Area C director for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary