This past month, council had the opportunity to participate in important information gathering meetings.
The first was a chance to sit down with the local school board to discuss current issues.
We are unable to meet more often, due to everyone’s busy schedules, however we appreciate the difficult task the school board has and we do our best to contribute and support them. Our students deserve the best, and our meetings have been positive and productive.
We also met with senior management from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to express some of our safety concerns involving South Shore Road. As we begin preparing for next year’s paving project through town, we wanted to make it clear that safety is our primary objective. The Ministry of Transportation was very receptive to what council and staff members had to say.
Planning will begin soon, with all parties working together to achieve this.
The chance to improve the appearance of downtown exists, along with assuring pedestrians, cyclists, the disabled, as well as automobile traffic, that their safety is our first priority. As always, we are open to the public’s ideas.
Recently, I was asked to drive a bus and chaperone some of our recent grads on their trip to Boston Bar to go white water rafting. I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into – especially when we ran into a mudslide, – but I came home with a true appreciation for these fine young people and I’m proud they are part of our community. Thank you, grads, for allowing me to be part of your group and to witness firsthand the respect you have for each other, your chaperones and the employees at Rio Adventures Resort. Your parents, guardians and teachers should be very proud.
The emotion and pride at the July 22nd Heritage Sports Wall ceremony was overwhelming. The first five plaques are now on display at their permanent home on a wall at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena. The selection committee had many meetings and a very difficult task to identify the first inductees. The large crowd in attendance made it abundantly clear that they were in agreement with their choices. Congratulations to the Commission responsible for building our arena, Dawn Coe-Jones, Brad Palmer, Gord Tuck and the late Charlie Stroulger, for your inductions.
As one of the original arena founders on hand, it was only deserving to have Jim Peterson unveil the plaques. Each inductee was recognized for their own accomplishments. For obvious reasons, the Commission was recognized for initiating the building of our arena, Dawn as a Canadian Hall of Fame golfer, Brad for his hockey career, Gord for his outstanding accomplishments in both winter and summer Paralympics and Charlie for his dedication to baseball and his community volunteering. You will all be remembered for your incredible accomplishments and the pride you have given our community.
This memorable evening was made possible through the support of town council, the Cowichan Lake Recreation Commission, the selection committee, the arena maintenance staff, town office staff, and Dynamic Laser Images, with Doug Callsen acting as Master of Ceremonies.
Plans are now in the works for the public to be able to send in their nominations for future inductees prior to January 1st. This will give the selection committee time to gather and organize the information to assist in making this an annual event during Heritage Days each May. There are many deserving candidates and we want to hear from you all.
Sunday, July 24, was a beautiful day. It was encouraging to see over 30 members of the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship at its Annual General Meeting. As I’ve said before, our lake and river are tremendous assets and to see the passion these good stewards have is awesome and it is rewarding to be part of a group who care so much for our pristine waters.
To conclude, I would like to thank our office staff for their hard work and patience during property tax time, in addition, to all our other employees.
Thank You.