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Sicamous council concerned over getting value for money on Rail Trail

‘The future is ante up’
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A District of Sicamous councillor is wondering why Rail Trail Advisory Committee meetings are cancelled until the fall. (Photo contributed)

A Sicamous councillor has concerns about who is making decisions about the Rail Trail between Sicamous and Armstrong.

Coun. Jeff Mallmes said the governance advisory committee has cancelled meetings until September or after.

“Decisions are being made 100 per cent by staff,” added Mallmes. “There’s no consultation with elected officials at all.”

At its June 22 meeting, Mallmes asked for support from Sicamous council in writing a letter to the committee asking the reasons for the delay.

“Because we donated funds for the section from kilometre 0 to kilometre, I think 20, when is that actually going to materialize?” asked Mallmes.

Coun. Malcom Makayev noted he had seen correspondence from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) that completion of that section of the trail would be extended into spring next year.

“We offered up our portion of the economic opportunity fund specifically for the Rail Trail and we were promised it would be built this year,” said Makayev. “Then we looked at the CSRD application and the commitment was to be completed by March 2023.”

Coun. Bob Evans suggested the letter state that the district would not provide any more money until timelines, assurances and progress on the project were given.

“It’s too late to delve into the past with this a little bit,” said Evans. “The future is ante up.”

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Gary Barnes

About the Author: Gary Barnes

Recently joined Kelowna Capital News and WestK News as a multimedia journalist in January 2022. With almost 30 years of experience in news reporting and radio broadcasting...
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