Midway council met on July 15 for their only regularly scheduled meeting of the month.
Owen Stewart of Greenpeaks Resource Management came to discuss the bunkhouse, which Greenpeaks currently holds a lease on until the end of October and is using it to house tree planters.
He withdrew a request he’d made to council in June that they explore the possibility of a long-term year-round lease that would see the building used as a bunkhouse for forest related crews and for hockey tournaments.
He explained that he had been unable to secure enough work in the off-season that would enable Greenpeaks to go into the year round lease at this time. “We will continue to pursue work that will enable us to have a crew out there year-round,” said Stewart.
He said Greenpeaks would like to continue to use it for the six to seven month period (April to November) over the next five years.”
Meanwhile other potential uses for the bunkhouse have been proposed.
In early June Kamloops businessman Carl Drieger asked council their opinion about his using the building as part of a retail development. Council voted to inform Mr. Drieger that, because of his proposed renovations to the building, they are not interested in leasing the bunkhouse to him.
However they are interested in meeting with him to discuss other possibilities, including his proposal to move the old schoolhouse and the former customs building to property near the museum that would be developed.
Other proposed uses for the bunkhouse are as a family restaurant and the suggestion that it be managed as a hostel.
Council decided to inform all interested parties that there is a lease in place until the end of October, at which time they will look at their options.
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FortisBC has given the village a $500 grant to be used to help fund Volunteer Appreciation Day, which will be held on Sept. 7 this year. The village is accepting nominations for Volunteer of the Year until 4:30 p.m. on July 31.
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Council voted to give the Midway Community Club a $1,000 grant-in-aid to help them cover the costs of putting on the Old Fashioned Picnic on Aug. 10 that will be celebrating the 120th anniversary of the village as a settlement.
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Councilors Marguerite Rotvold and Gary Schierbeck both attended a June workshop in Grand Forks about the heating potential of wood waste in rural areas. Both councilors were in favour of the village further investigating the technology.
They suggested inviting the workshop facilitator to come to the community for a presentation and that the village look for partnerships with others such as Vaagen Fibre Canada.
They suggest the technology could be used to heat buildings such as the arena or Parkview Manor.