The 108 Mile Ranch Community Association (RCA) and 108 Mile Lions have reached an agreement on the use of the Lions Den.
Michele Spence, outgoing president of the 108 RCA, told attendees at the RCA’s annual general meeting Saturday the five-year deal will allow the Lions to continue to have exclusive access to the 1,000-sq. ft den, located in the basement of the community hall. As part of the deal, the Lions will pay $2,500 a year and will be responsible for maintaining the space, unless it involves infrastructure improvements.
“This has been a very long process and not very comfortable for many people in the community,” she said. “We respect the fact that they have put an extraordinary amount of time and energy into the community, and we hope this is going to go a long way to settling things down and reducing the division that’s happened.”
The agreement comes almost eight months after the RCA announced it wanted to rent out the den when the Lions did not use it to boost revenue. However, the Lions said they built the den and wanted to keep it for their exclusive use. Lion Laura Oliffe said Saturday the 108 Mile Lions have about 12 members and “we need more.”
New RCA board
About 150 people turned out for the 108 Community Ranch AGM, which saw the election of a new board, including president Roxanne Ziefflie, vice-president Brenda Reid, secretary Gail Thorne, and treasurer Doris Mars. Only one member of the previous board – director at large Ingrid Meyer – agreed to run for another one-year term.
The membership agreed to expand the board from a minimum of five directors to 11. Other directors at large include Arla Driver, David Jurek, Len Doucette, Denny Farenholtz, Kevin Oliffe and Graham Allison. Ed Byers was nominated but not elected.
Spence declined to run again, saying she was too busy with her contracting business, while outgoing treasurer Deb Savoy said she needed a break after the past year.
Spence noted the board had faced challenges and the term was “not without drama.”
She encouraged the new board to remember that directors are volunteers and “not blank faces with no feelings” who deserve respect for their efforts even if they make mistakes.
Spence gave special mention to Karen Douglas, who repeatedly fixed the website and financial records from past years. The board has also added board members, asked tough questions and fixed past processes, she said, such as hiring a professional bookkeeper, starting a review of the bylaws, creating a capital expenditure asset management plan and bringing the board into compliance with Canada Revenue Agency reporting requirements.
They also acquired a $45,000 grant for new siding and insulation on the hall, a gaming license for bingo and quotes for other hall upgrades. Revenue from bingo will help self-fund capital upgrades.
Membership has also jumped from 75 in three months to more than 143 members, not including those who signed up on Saturday.
“(Director) Will Shepherd said if we’ve done nothing right, we’ve at least increased awareness of the board and increased membership,” she said.
She encouraged the new board to cultivate its volunteers and remember its mission: to maintain the hall.
“The board has to stay 100 per cent focused on keeping the building in good repair and open and utilized,” Spence said. “This hall is important in so many ways and the work of the board is crucial in keeping the hall open.
“My hope is you are supported and not just by the board but the community at large.”
Slow down
Parents are concerned about speeders outside Mile 108 Elementary School.
Although the speed limit is 30km/h during school hours, parents say they have seen drivers going above the limit, especially during pick-up and drop-off.
Parent Melissa Hermiston said the other day she noticed four or five vehicles “going by at full speed” during school pick-up. Cars are usually parked on both sides of Telkwa Drive at that time, which makes it hard not to notice it’s a school zone or to slow down.
“The potential for something to happen is really high,” she said.
RCMP Sgt. Brian Lamb said police patrol all the local schools in the area but don’t have the resources to post an officer there all day. He encouraged parents to report speeders and record their licence plates and vehicles to help police follow up.
“If someone is concerned, give us a call,” he said. “In a small town like this, we do rely on information from the public.”
He noted the speed limit is there for a reason: at 30 km/h drivers can react and stop more quickly if a child crosses the road than at 60 km/h. The slower speed also lessens the impact if someone is hit by a car.
“We know there are going to be kids at any time of the day during a school day,” Lamb said. “It’s all for safety.”