Re-ignite the radio at the Boost the Broadcast BBQ on Saturday, June 1
"We have a vision," said Marty Unger of the Rossland Radio Coop who has taken the reins along with new RRC president Austin Delaye since founder Marty Cancilla blew this pop stand for a three year stint in New Zealand. "We have the ideas about what we want to do," Unger said, "but the only way we can achieve our vision is ...
Broadband initiative needs council approval as deadlines fast approach
The Broadband Task Force reported to council on Monday evening that broadband Internet holds great promise for Rossland's future competitiveness, but council must act before May 28 to proceed with the plan. Amber Hayes and Brian Fry presented the task force’s in-depth analysis of broadband and its implications for the City ...
Rossland puts a new branding iron in the fire just as the Gateway Project posts for proposals
The Rossland "brand" is getting a makeover to give key stakeholders a "consistent, professional image"—stakeholders such as the city, the Chamber of Commerce (CC), the library, and Tourism Rossland (TR)—but council was divided in April over the logo suggested by the designer and asked for more alternatives. The designer obliged...
HE SAID SHE SAID: Public outcry pushes for sustainability, but council digs in its core service heels
Following council’s five hour debate on the entire budget on May 1, council was forced to pause the financial plan blitz for twenty minutes on May 6 to hear nine members of the public oppose the only major cut: approximately $20,000 axed from the Sustainability Commission (SC), terminating their paid coordinator with no...
COMMENT: Financial Plan passes with no hint of public consultation, or thought
Council approved the 2013-2017 financial plan (FP) on Wednesday morning, just one week after the bulk of debate was completed in a single unpublicized meeting on May 1. No major changes came about in a follow-up meeting on May 6 that concluded with council passing the first three readings of this year's FP bylaw. The major...
Downtown trash cans and more uncanned, but recanning remains possible
Council has decided to reinstate the downtown furniture budget that it had put on hold last year. The $108,000 line item includes benches, but also bike racks, recycling bins, bear-proof garbage containers, and the eclectic but contentious ore cart. Council's decision, however, stipulates that city staff will return to council...
Sustainability Commission funding in flames as museum budget nearly doubles for 2013
Funding to community groups was cut by four per cent (about $14,000) relative to 2012 levels overall at Wednesday evening's committee of the whole (COW), with the Sustainability Commission taking the main hit as funding for the SC manager disappeared—ostensibly to bring the role "in house" to the city—while the city granted...
Swathes of community support scythed in the 2013 budget
The Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Rossland, the Rossland Pool Society , and the Neighbourhoods of Learning committee were all cut by five per cent relative to 2012 funding during council’s Wednesday evening committee-of-the-whole (COW), for a total expenditure of $107,540—about $5660 less than 2012. Please note: all council ...
Community groups take the hit after millions in Columbia-Washington overruns
CAO Cecile Arnott confirmed to council at Wednesday's committee-of-the-whole (COW) that the Columbia-Washington upgrades have cost the city on the order of $6 million, about $1.4 million more than was originally budgeted. The final project cost is still under dispute as negotiations with the contractor continue. On top of...
Council begins budget planning, and not a moment too soon
CAO Cecile Arnott brought her preliminary budget presentation to council's committee-of-the-whole (COW) on Tuesday afternoon, offering councillors a first taste of what the 2013 financial plan might look like when it gets passed before the May 15 filing deadline. The next budget COW meeting has been scheduled for May 1 at...
