The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
City council will have to decide whether it's worth selling Flin Flon's old parking meters for just over $10 a pop. At their regular meeting Tuesday, council reviewed a written offer from B.C. resident Ralph Peake to purchase all 191 of the coin collectors for $2,000. Peake, who lives in the Vancouver suburb of Langley, wrote that he plans to sell the meters to automobile enthusiasts for $50-$60 apiece. Mayor Dennis Ballard was a little hesitant about the offer, saying if for some reason the City wanted parking meters in the future, the cost would be notably higher than $2,000. Yet he said he knew of no other offers for the units, which were deactivated in January 2003 and removed earlier this year. The mayor acknowledged that he does not know the fair price for used meters, saying the $10.47 apiece being offered might very well be the going rate. Since being ousted from uptown streets, the parking meters have been stored in the basement of Flin Flon City Hall as efforts went ahead to try and sell them. The City's collection consists of 145 double-head and and 46 single-head meters. Any individual who purchases the units assumes the responsibility of transporting them. Council referred Peake's offer to the Engineering Services Committee for further discussion. In another matter at the meeting, council reviewed a letter of thanks for the City's donation of Internet access to the residents of Rotary Court, the retirement complex on Bracken St. Heather Johnsgaard, facilitator of the now-defunct Community Learning Network, which coordinated the initiative, wrote that the Internet has been used by the residents virtually every day. "This is quite impressive considering this was a new tool for all of the residents," she wrote. See 'Network' P.# Con't from P.# Coun. Nazir Ahmad, a member of the Rotary Club, which operates Rotary Court, agreed, commenting that the Internet was a valuable addition to the facility. Coun. Cal Huntley took the opportunity to praise the Community Learning Network, a federally-funded program that aimed to promote lifelong learning with an emphasis on technological skills. "It really should be acknowledged as quite a success for our community," he said. A luncheon was held at Flin Flon City Hall earlier this summer to mark the end of the network's presence in the community. Other highlights from the meeting include: A motion carried to purchase a 2005 pickup truck for $21,400 plus taxes to replace the City truck that was recently stolen and destroyed when lit on fire. Coun. Dave Law said the insurance money will not cover the entire cost of the new truck, but it is a necessary expenditure. Mayor Ballard encouraged the public to attend the official opening of the Hearts in Motion Pathway on September 12. The pathway consists of two new walking loops in Flin Flon and a third in Creighton. "It's going to be a great thing to have," said the mayor. Council reviewed a letter from the Vocational Training Centre advising that a blind individual will be riding the bus to the centre in September. The author wrote it's her understanding that these individuals have always utilized City transit free of charge. Council referred the letter to the Protective Services Committee for further discussion.
