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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor City council is still deciding how to deal with derelict homes and whether to grant the Flin Flon Station Museum a prominent new status. Last year council announced plans for an aggressive new bylaw to tackle the dangerous eyesores that are abandoned houses. At the time, Coun. Bill Hanson said the bylaw would 'basically mirror' that of Winnipeg, which allows for empty homes to be seized in certain cases. But when asked about the status of the bylaw Tuesday, he admitted it has not moved forward as quickly as he had hoped. While there is a bylaw on the drawing board, Coun. Hanson said legalities have made the issue more complex than the average person would realize. It's not clear when the proposed bylaw will be completed and put to a council vote. Also unclear is when council will approve or reject a request from board members to have the Station Museum designated a Historical building by the Manitoba government. 'We've discussed it. We haven't come to a final decision on it,' said Mayor George Fontaine, also at Tuesday's meeting. Museum officials cannot themselves apply for the Historical designation, as the request must come from the municipality. Board members say the designation would make the museum eligible for additional grants. But council has concerns as to whether the museum might have to spend more money than it makes on the grants in order to meet the specifications of the designation. Another request from the museum _ for more funding _ will be approved or turned down this spring when council presents their much-anticipated 2013 budget. Last year the museum asked the city for an annual budget of $15,500, a 29 per cent boost over last year's $12,000. At the time, board member Lois (Bunny) Burke said the museum can now only access funding for one summer student, which is not enough to open the building. She also requested the city snowplow the museum road in the winter to allow access to the building, and cut the grass out front in the summer.
