Threat to school galvanizes downtown residents into forming ‘a unified voice’

By MIKE YOUDS

A newly formed downtown/West End residents association will have some pressing concerns to raise with City Hall but doesn’t want to be branded as a single-issue interest group.

Potential loss of Stuart Wood elementary as an inner-city school along with a host of pedestrian safety concerns were issues shared at the association’s formative meeting, attended by about 50 residents at Desert Gardens (tonight) Wednesday.

Margaret Huff, one of a half-dozen residents who organized the gathering, said the goal is to create a collective political voice, not to pursue any one issue.

“We’ll have a stronger voice as a group of people. It might get more things happening in the community that we want to see happen,” she said. “We want diverse voices, but we want a unified voice as well.”

Denis Walsh, a former City councillor behind the new association, said it is a nonpartisan initiative. There have been previous neighbourhood groups downtown, but the City confirmed that they are dormant.

Ruth Madsen, a West End resident for 40 years, said she was part of the West End association in a previous incarnation.

“I think there were three times during that 40 years that we saved Stuart Wood elementary,” she recalled. “I think this (association) is wonderful and that we should join instead of deciding where the West End begins and where it ends.”

Walsh said the boundaries for the association extend north of Columbia Street to the river and west to Lee and Battle streets, but not the Powers Addition.

Mitchell Forgie, a young downtown resident and author of the online book Stronger Kamloops, gave a brief presentation on creating vibrant, safe and inclusive neighbourhoods in city cores. Much of his experience stems from European cities and appreciating the joy of being vehicle-free, he said.

KamPlan, the City’s official community plan, is being updated, making this an appropriate time to bring a unified voice to the table, Forgie said.

Neighbourhood concerns brought to the floor helped to focus the discussion on issues such as maintaining a downtown school. Several concurred that the future of Stuart Wood should be the No. 1 issue, since its loss would discourage young families from moving into the area.

Proposed closure of Second Avenue except to local traffic is also a concern for emergency vehicles, since First and Third avenues are one-way corridors. Intersections at First, Third, Fourth and Sixth avenues have higher accident rates than Second, it was noted.

Noise and high-volume traffic flows were also raised.

“It’s really disturbing to me,” one man said. “This is the loudest place I’ve lived. There are certain times of day when it’s a little frightening to be in the street.”

The City’s plan to redevelop the former Daily News property as a parkade didn’t find favour, either. Ken Nicholson, a 56-year resident, said adding more vehicles is widely understood to be a problem for downtown cores.

“We don’t have a parking problem, we have a car problem,” Nicholson said, suggesting the $4.8-million cost of the property purchase should be put to a referendum.

With nominations from the floor, 10 people agreed to form the association board. They include: Rob Mensinger; Terryl Adkins; Jenny Reid; Mike Owens; Rob Hood; Beat Klosner; Daniela Ginta; Denis Walsh; Bruce Thomson; and Mitchell Forgie.