EDITORIAL – The man behind the drive to get a Monte Creek fire hall

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

MONTE CREEK RESIDENTS received good news just before the weekend when the Thompson-Nicola Regional District made it known that plans for a fire hall are moving forward and it should be completed and operational next summer.

Contract for the $2.25 million project was awarded earlier this year to West Alliance Construction.

As stated in a news release, residents of the fire protection service area approved the project in a referendum in May 2022. Included are 356 properties in Electoral Areas L (Grasslands) and P (Rivers and the Peaks) — Monte Creek, Del Oro, Lafarge and the eastern part of Barnhartvale. The service will be operated through cooperation between the Pritchard Fire Department and the new Monte Creek department.

According to the release:

“This is a great step forward for the community. I want to thank our late previous board chair Ken Gillis, previous director Mel Rothenburger, and TNRD staff for their efforts and vision to put this project forward to area residents,” said Doug Haughton, TNRD Electoral Area ‘L’ director. “I also want to thank the Pritchard Fire Department for stepping up, and recognize the late Ed Herman and the Herman family, who have generously donated the land for the firehall.”

Haughton’s comment wasn’t included in most of the coverage by local media but I was pleased to see it, not because it mentioned my name but because it gave appropriate credit to the late Ken Gillis.

I played only a very small role in the project when I was on the TNRD board, splitting the cost by using Area P gas-tax funds. The two electoral areas contributed roughly half the project’s cost in that way, with residents approving the rest. Ken was the driving force behind it because he understood how important it was to residents on both sides of the river around Monte Creek. Towards the end of his time in office, it became a top priority with him.

It happened at the same time as he was under intense public scrutiny and criticism for his handling of the TNRD expenses issue. While I sometimes disagreed with him on various things I never doubted his integrity or his commitment to making life better in the region, and he never let up on that even during days that must have been terribly stressful for him.

Ken deserves huge credit for making the new fire hall a reality and, when it opens its doors next year, his role in it — along with the family of Ed Herman — will be gratefully remembered.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.