Thanks Kimberley

Wow!
It has been a crazy couple of days, thats for sure. Many thanks to all who called me on sunday morning with kind words and congratulations - that was awesome. I am deeply touched by all of the words of encouragement, thanks everyone.
Some people have asked and yes I will continue to use this blog. I will also use my darryloakley2011@gmail.com  for contact with everyone as well.
Thanks to my family Karen, Patti and Bryn for being my foundation of support through the entire campaign. My mother for being the best campaign cheerleader that a son could ever ask for. Many thanks to Loni and Vern Leinweber for helping with my campaign signs, and for their words of encouragement. Thanks to everyone who offered to place a sign on their front lawns. Thanks to Marthel Scand for being such as strong support for me - "you are the best Marthel".

To everyone who offered words of support and encouragement in passing on the streets and stores of Kimberley....many many thanks, it was wonderful to hear from you.    
Darryl Oakley

Kimberley... small town vitality.

Hello Kimberley!!

I think Kimberley is indisputably the best small town on the planet...and I want to be part of making it even better! If elected to Kimberley City Council I will bring a ton of positive energy to City Hall.

We cannot move forward as a healthy community - chock full of excellent services - unless we keep an eye on the financial health of our municipality. All the good things that we enjoy in our community stem from solid financial health, so we need to make sure our tax base stays healthy and that our surplus grows back to the (minimum) one million mark.

It's an incredibly exciting time for Kimberley! I want to be part of the team that supports our city and makes sure it operates in a sustainable, healthy manner - benefiting young and old.

Ultimately, I want to make sure Kimberley remains as the "Can Do" community that it has always been. Kimberley is a proud city, with a very proud heritage. It is an affordable, safe, clean place to raise a family.

Kimberley is the living definition of community vitality - and I will work to make it even better.

Darryl Oakley

Candidates Forum Nov 8th - What "Really" happened on the Mckim stage.

McKim School

"Life is sweet... life is sooo sweet". I thought to myself - many times, actually - as the council candidates forum started and progressed into the evening. The moments were precious, and I needed to hang onto them.  We were 16 individuals all doing our best to tell our stories to the packed theatre. For me (and I'm sure for others) it was a very special time. Although the light was toned down over the audience, I kept looking around as best as I could, picking out faces in the crowd that I recognized. It was a remarkable event for many reasons for many different people, but for me the energy, ambiance, camaraderie, and sheer love of community were in abundant supply. It was a night where my "sense of place" in small town Kimberley became cemented to a level that I could never have imagined. We were all Kimberley characters painting a picture of our sense of place on the living canvas called Kimberley. I think the capacity crowd that showed up appreciated all of our efforts to "paint".  Some of the candidates were painting with wild brush strokes, while others were more conservative, painting fine lines. All of the "painting" was extremely colorful and vibrant.
I could not have picked a more priceless place to sit: Kent on my left and Tim on my right. Right beside Tim was Craig. If this were a scene from high school, a teacher would have immediately sensed trouble with "that row", and split us up right away.  It has been many years since any of us had been a student in a high school. However, a sense of camaraderie and a sense of "we are in this together" - if for no other reason than our hearts sing in unison for this town.
Playful mischievousness on stage was tempered only slightly when Tim was asked to hold the mic further away from himself so it would not be so loud. Instead Tim did a "playful" sound check with the mic even closer to his mouth, causing the audience to cover their ears and complain. Realizing his impact, Tim glanced at Craig and I with a look of mild surprise, as he came back to his seat and said "whoops...I think I just lost a few votes". The look on Tim was priceless - because he loves this town as much as the rest of us - when he realized that while the "sound check" may have got him elected to student council in high school, possibly it may have a different effect with this audience.

Later, after I had described how my grandfather and grandmother had moved to Kimberley in 1920 ( in my opening remarks) and was on my way back to my seat that Craig leaned towards me and whispered; "when my turn comes, I'm going to start it with...in 1492...". 

And so as the evening evolved, and our (random) speaking order numbers were selected  and written down on a small whiteboard by Craig Campbell, Kent and I were a little surprised when both of our numbers were not showing up. We were simply not getting the chance to speak. Of course - eventually - everyone had a turn to speak, but not before a few "psst...psst" were sent towards Craig.             
      
The evening was truly full of beautiful, loving moments. For me one of those moments was seeing Mellisa speak so proudly about Kimberley, while coping perfectly with a condition that can hamper public speaking. As I sat listening to her, I could not have been prouder of anyone else on stage.

When Bev finished speaking, whispers of "right on, Bev" always followed her back to her seat. Her words were saturated with heartfelt moments.

This went on all night, one speaker after another bravely grabbing the microphone and sharing their priorities and love of community with the audience.
In McKim theatre on Tuesday night, the sound system may have been too loud once in a while, but the environment was saturated with a heaping dose of "Sense of Place", and - after all - that is what makes Kimberley such a special little town.
Darryl Oakley        

  

1000 hours

Purcell Soccer Park, Marysville

Never underestimate the power of passion!  

I remember a conversation with Pete Campbell, Andy Gray, Paul Daprocida and Mark McKinley a few years ago. I listened while they described  their dream of a high-quality, multi-field soccer park, able to accommodate major tournaments. We were standing on the site, surveying what was then a small softball/soccer combination, with more weeds than grass. I loved the idea and the concept, but honestly I could not fathom that a workforce of volunteers could actually get this monster project going, let alone done. It needed, massive amounts of fill, many many hours of heavy equipment time just to carve the plateau so that instead of accommodating one field, there would be enough room for three full soccer fields. It would also need a ton of grader time, just to level all this dirt, let alone fine- tune the soccer field to just the right angle.  At first glance, I had a hard time imagining how this could get done... the equipment time alone was in the tens of thousands of dollars, let alone the cost of the underground sprinkler system, the time to trench all the fields, and the time and cost to seed. It was a massive project that boggled my mind.  And then they described their vision of the timberframe clubhouse, with massive deck and large rock landscaping, overlooking the fields. I was having a hard time imagining this stuff. I even remember city council commenting after being briefed on the project, "It seems rather ambitious" came the cautious reply from council.

Soon enough, various key players in Kimberley were involved - including Teck, who just so happened to be looking for clay for Cow Creek and was willing to pay for the heavy equipment to move it. When I heard of that stroke of good luck from Pete Campbell, I realized that this was no pipe dream - it was going to happen.

 Fast forward to this past spring and summer. Volunteer work crews spent countless evenings and weekends on site at Purcell, digging out trenches, cutting and gluing irrigation pipe, weeding and raking, planting hundreds of huge trees... the list of things to do seemed endless. Volunteers appeared out nowhere, even members of council showed up ready to work. My mother-in-law even made fresh Huckleberry pies for all the crew one Saturday - a hit with all the volunteers!

The fields have grassed- in beautifully, the trees love the drip lines that Pete and Andy hooked up to them, and plans are in the works for major soccer tournaments, starting with the Julyfest tourney next summer and continuing on with high school soccer. The Purcell soccer complex is already a much talked about success story, and it hasn't even  been used yet.

Last month I heard Pete talking clubhouse again... it doesn't end! (and -I'm sure- it will get done)

Something that hasn't been talked about is the volunteer time. In a small town, if you want to get something done you just go do it, regardless of time. That's the can-do attitude, for sure. I know that Pete and Andy each put in massive amounts of time in this project - as much as a thousand individual hours. Now that's mind boggling...but not surprising - this is Kimberley and these are very passionate people, after all!

Well done you guys!

Darryl Oakley

       

   

Kimberley Trails Society

  Moes Canyon

If you are wondering what the new face of Kimberley looks like, who the next generation of trail stewards are, you simply needed to see the gathering of 60 plus people at the Kimberley Trails Society AGM at the Kimberley Nordic Centre on Tuesday (Nov 1).   It was an environment bursting with energy and enthusiasm, with a young and senior mix, including many toddlers walking around wearing their their brightly knit toques - wonderful! PP presentations updating various trail projects around Kimberley included an update on a downhill mountain bike course West of Horse Barn Valley. Images showed some of the bermed corners constructed of slab rock - built to last approximately 500 years!!!

The Kimberley Trails Society was formed in 2009 to develop, maintain and protect recreation trails in around Kimberley, primarily for non-motorized use. The Society already has some excellent experience working with various key players in order to develop new trails and protect older ones. Some of the descriptions included   how Society members worked with Tembec in Lois Creek to preserve trails while logging was taking place. Wayne Pelter described a - work in progress - new trail along the St.Marys river to be named after James Ritchie, a true labor of love dedicated to Jim. Wayne's description of required trail work was full of emotion, dedication and love for Jim - very moving.    Others described potential trails along the south side of St.Marys river.  The list seems endless - wow!

So what does the future hold for this grassroots organization? The future is very bright, members described a goal to eventually employ professional trail builders, based in Kimberley, much like Squamish has done.

By the looks of things Kimberley's adventure trail map is going to grow. Now here is a small industry with a bright future! 

Roy Moe Sr. would have been very proud of this dedicated group.

Kudos to the Kimberley Trails Society.  https://sites.google.com/site/kimberleytrailssociety/

Darryl Oakley

 

   

Adventures in Platzl

On Friday I had a chance to spend a few hours going from business to business in the Platzl. The plan was simple enough... open business door, walk in, introduce myself and listen to what each business owner had to say. It went as well as I had hoped, but with a few surprises. First, business owners in the Platzl are a very friendly, very optimistic bunch. They all knew I was running for council and had every opportunity to complain to me - but they didn't. Instead what I received was a very warm welcome, a sincere smile, and a bit of history about their business and a very open, frank discussion on how to improve things. The other surprise that I was faced with was time - I spent an hour in some businesses and, (at the very least 20 minutes) in others. My two hour Platzl adventure turned out to be an entire day, and I still only managed to visit about a third of the businesses!
 The business owners level of optimism about business life in the Platzl was very refreshing! Still, the ensuing discussions brought to light several things:

1. Bavarian theme is not all that bad. Some people are really pumped about keeping the Bavarian storefronts and keeping this theme going ( some did qualify this by saying that most storefronts are way overdo for a major redo). Others... not so much, they would rather see a more natural storefront (mountain theme, if you will). I did not come across anyone against the Cuckoo clock, they all love the cuckoo clock and really appreciate the volunteer efforts. Almost everyone spoke about the cuckoo clock, without me asking about it.

2. Some business people told me about the affection for our mascot (?) Happy Hans. They love the little guy. I was told about folks actually getting a Happy Hans tattoo!

3. One business owner told me a story about finding a natural paint color (based on images of lichen that he took) scheme for his business, only to be hounded by City Hall to do a "mountain of paperwork" for approval, something the owner simply could not put the time into and in the end City Hall brought the paperwork to his business to help with. It's great that City Hall did this, but I still wonder about the (why?) of paperwork in the first place.

4. It appears many business owners use the shoulder season in the fall , and mid-April to Mid-May to take holidays. They simply work with the slow season. Some owners mentioned that they are not experiencing a slow shoulder season this year, things were going ok for some. Then I walked past the very lonely looking building that used to be Bavarian Sports and Hardware. The windows are now all covered up.          

Every time I walk through the Platzl, I can't help but wonder what the ambiance of the place would be with higher blend of residential (condo) to commercial. It would be a beautiful place to live, with a world class garden right out your front door, and quick access to everything Kimberley has to offer. I think this would help solve what is (in my mind) the number one problem with the Platzl.... NO PEOPLE.     

The Platzl is a pedestrian mall... it needs people. Why not rezone some of the commercial space to high density residential (condo)?  Business owners are redoing their storefronts, great garden environment in the summer, easy access to everything else... and best of all - more people.          Darryl Oakley

 

My Shoulder Hurts...

There are many elements in the equation of community health and vitality. We need good quality health care. We need relevant, quality education systems. Our social systems have to be functioning at a high level as well. There is also the question of a healthy, diverse economy. Although it could be argued that Kimberley's economy is actually very healthy and very diverse ( I don't quite agree)... some call it Cranbrook, or NWT, or Yukon, or northern Alberta. Many people who call Kimberley home commute daily, weekly, monthly or seasonally to various well-paying jobs away from our small town. I know because I am one of them - I commute to Cranbrook during the workweek, Monday to Friday. It's not all that bad, considering that most of the money does flow back to the community one way or another - not all of it though, I certainly recognize that piece. Given our reality of travel to work, can we actually start to reverse that trend? I say we can and we should consider the shoulder season for starters.

So how can we improve on our situation in Kimberley? How can we make things a bit more diverse and improve the economy?  Certainly,one thing that needs work is the shoulder season. Currently, the shoulder season is broken pretty bad and is in need of some serious healing. So how do we go about fixing the shoulder? First of all we need to recognize that there is an amazing (uncommon) culture living in our midst. These are people that have chosen the mountain lifestyle to the corporate lifestyle; growing friendships over bank accounts, and truly living with the four seasons that Kimberley offers. If you are wondering what this (uncommon) culture looks like, please refer to exhibit "A" below:

      
Dave Quinn is the quintessential (uncommon) culture... AKA : "Dirtbag".  In Kimberley, this (uncommon) culture that is actually becoming common, which is a good thing. Many mountain towns the world over had the essence of the Dirtbag, but quickly lost it - for various reasons. The culture is sharing their brilliance with us all, and this is very good for Kimberley. They instill a sense of wonder and vitality to mountain living through their various art forms, whether that be film, photography, spoken word, or even creative entrepreneurial maneuvering - it's all good for all of us. And it's also good for our economy.  One event that showcases these brilliant people (I meant that - they are brilliant!) is the upcoming Dirtbag festival. Also, another event that happened in June - the Round the Mountain. These two events are one piece of the formula to fix the broken shoulder.    

One of the (many) prescriptions to repair the shoulder season would be to listen (very carefully) to the wisdom of the Dirtbags. Kimberley is very lucky to have them living in our midst - they offer a lot.
Darryl Oakley

The Sun Also Rises...over Kimberley

It could have been a scene that Hemingway would have found compelling; instead of a mix of British and American  expats, we were a room full of expats from various corners of the globe - now calling the mountains of Kimberley home; instead of a Paris cafe, we were Centennial Hall; instead of cigarette smoke, we were clean air; instead of angst within a post-world war one generation, we were angst against an overly optimistic business case ( techno-facts dripping with a french accent - no less).   Hemingway would have loved the Sun Mine open house last Wednesday, all the colorful characters were in place for a new age "The Sun Also Rises".

God bless Ernest Hemingway.

So what happened at the Sun Mine open house?  Quite a bit actually. We learned  about the technology of solar power and the economics of competing with cheap BC hydro electricity (vs expensive electricity from Nuclear or Coal), we also learned about some of the risk factors that can be associated with solar generation - namely peaks and valleys in electrical output and also peaks and valleys with BC Hydro's purchase of electricity (they don't always pay the same rates).  We also learned that when the (2 million dollar) loan payments are made, we should end up with approximately $32,000 in surplus each year. The 2 million dollars that we borrow (if approved via referendum) will be paid off in about 14 years. That's not bad.

Should we go for this project?  I think we should support this project.  Here's why:
Even though Teck is not paying increased taxes as a result of this project (BC Hydro is also getting all the carbon credits) - they are supplying the land base, security fencing and substation connection. I would like to have seen Teck pay more in taxes - like a good corporate neighbour. We keep negotiating on that, I suppose.

However, here are three really important reasons to support this project:

- we model to the world how a heavy-industry town can clean up and change from polluted to green... and thrive!
- we model to our children the right thing to do. (this is the "biggie" from my perspective)
- we use this as part of our tourism platform... the world will be curious about this little town that did... and they will come to check it out (Accommodations/ Restaurants/Stores/Golf courses etc will all benefit).  

On November 19th vote to support the Kimberley Sun Mine.

Darryl Oakley                              


       

     

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

I asked for it.... I got it!

I have been busy seeking feedback from Kimberley's Seniors and just completed two sessions. One thing that is resoundingly clear is they have a voice! When you ask for an opinion - you will get feedback, lots of it, LOUD and CLEAR.

When Kimberley's seniors experience unjust processes, unfair treatment, and community-based experiences that are creeping beyond their cost of living reality... you will hear from them. Kimberley's seniors will not hold back on their opinion. Feedback from some of the stories I have heard is based on being told that they are OK, and that they will be just fine.  Wrong!

Common thinking within the ranks of  Kimberley's seniors: WHERES' THE BEEF?

They want answers to grassroots, community-based problems that they are facing and not getting help with. Here is some of the feedback that I received:

First of all, there are obvious things emerging: 1. Kimberley's Seniors built our town, they deserve better.  2. They represent a much larger percentage of our town in the >65 age group (around 20% , compared to provincial average of around 14%). 3. They have an excellent voice - as long as someone is listening.

The question I asked was simple: "As a senior living in Kimberley, what concerns would you like priority given to?" 
In order of priority, here is the feedback: Transportation issues, Access to Health Care, Cost of Living issues
Here are SOME of the Kimberley Seniors comments:

- There should be accessible low rent housing that is near town and amenities, also a bench halfway up the trail so I can rest on my way to the Doctors appt. (above Boundary Street).
- Bus quits too soon - get left at clinic (Kimberley) or hospital in Cranbrook.
- Bus should run on weekends, I can't visit my friends or go to Crib.
- Keep funding SWIM program for seniors.
- Cost of living is very high, prescriptions are very expensive.
- Transportation is very difficult if you no longer drive. No service on weekends.
- Transportation, going out in Kimberley after 3pm (plays and social activity) would keep me going, but service is not there. I can't afford a taxi.
- Transportation evening/ weekends. Bus rushing the seniors because bus is full of students.
- Keep recreation programs for seniors, its all I have left.
- There should be a "just" fare adjustment for short rides. For example: Kimbrook appt. to pool should be less that three dollars each way. Right now it's three dollars each way.
- Transportation to Cranbrook should be more often than twice per week.
- Transportation to outskirts in Meadowbrook (and Wycliffe).
- Bus driver should not be able to pick and choose where he picks up and drops off.
- How about a flyer with all the available people  that make our things easier for us.
- Help for people still on their own - snow removal, gardens, etc.
- Affordable housing for seniors (where is the Lions Manor replacements?).
- Rotary Park playground is not accesible to wheelchair (to be with family).
- Cats/Deer/Dogs... I've had it!
- Can't make ends meet
- DEEEEER!
- No Hospital in Kimberley - have to go to emergency in Cranbrook. Expensive for rides.
- Welcome committee
- Dead trees in Mark Creek need to be cleaned up.
- Support from city for the Seniors Swim program, it's a necessity for me and my crippled friend to make progress.

There you have it... a sample of the Kimberley Seniors survey.  Obviously, seniors in Kimberley need to have a better say in how things are done in town. They need a better deal with things like transportation and access to Health Care. We need to work with them to better refine affordable access to basic transportation.
Kimberley's Seniors built this town - they deserve better...much better!!
Darryl Oakley

-       

Occupy Spokane St.

All around the globe a growing movement is spreading from the original "Occupy Wall St."  Now the movement has moved to Canada. People are calling it "Occupy Bay St." According to the media reports, people are frustrated with the apparent growing disparity within our capitalist system. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The gap between rich and poor is apparently growing. Middle class is disappearing fast.

The other day, I did my own version of "Occupy". I went downtown and occupied Kimberley City Hall, but instead of carrying a placard or a banner, I had a coffee cup in one hand, a muffin in the other - and a bunch of questions written on a piece of paper, jammed in my pocket.

For weeks I had been going through a myriad of Kimberley's financial statements. I needed a clearer picture regarding the state of our town's financial health - what is the history of it, where are we now, and where are we going - so I dove headlong into the massive pile of financial statements. After consuming gallons of coffee over many weeks, and driving my family crazy at the supper table with "finance speak", I eventually came to grim conclusion that I still knew very little about Kimberley's municipal finance picture. Given that the fog wasn't lifting for me, I knew what my next step needed to be... go to the experts, seek their wisdom and clarity!

When Kimberley's Chief Financial Officer, Holly Ronnquist, agreed to meet with me, I felt a huge sense of
relief.  The only lingering question was, could she keep it simple enough for me to understand?  After only a few minutes in her office - amid the stacks of financial documents - I was pleasantly surprised to feel that the fog bank was lifting, Holly was able to explain a very complex financial picture in laypersons terms. What a wonderful, wise, and very understanding person. I received her version of "Finance 101 for Council Wannabes". The conversation with Holly was excellent, I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks so much Holly.

Here is a snapshot of what I learned:

Historically, Cominco represented 54% of our tax base. The final year for full tax payment from Cominco was in 2001 - the City received approx. 2.7 million. In 2001-2002 Cominco paid approx. $670,000 in taxes and now pays under $200,000 annually in taxes.
When Cominco closed, our surplus was at $4,092,629 Over the years, we have used it to help in our transition, and after using one million as our contribution for the Conference Centre, our surplus has dipped below our one million minimum, and is currently around $900,000. The surplus has helped us transition away from reliance on Cominco taxes. We currently have long-term dept (debentures) of $7.4 million costing us
1% below prime.

Our current reality is that it takes approx. $22.5 million annually to operate our City. Of that approximately 45% is covered with property taxes, the rest via various user fees (water,sewer,garbage) and transfer grants from other levels of Governments. In  2012 - after 11 years - we finally start to add back to the surplus fund. It's a small amount ($23,452), but at least it is a start. The ten year plan for the surplus fund is for it to creep above the one million mark in 2014 and over three million by 2017.
Last year (2010) we had 96 new taxable occurrences representing $16.6 million in new taxable assessment. Holly mentioned that a minimum of 30 - 40 new taxable occurrences need to happen each year (minimum of $10 million in new taxable assessment) .

For the future of Kimberley, discussion will be how do we grow the tax base. We need to keep paying our municipal bills, while growing the surplus - who knows when we will need the surplus - and for what!  I think we need to be open to new clean,light industry initiatives  that will help grow and diversify the tax base. Even if the Sun Mine doesn't supply direct jobs, if it adds significantly to our tax base, then that would help ease the burden for the rest of us. I also think 30-40 homes per year is not an unreasonable amount to expect, we should be able to accomplish that, and the growth will be a positive not just in the tax base , but in our social and cultural base as well.  If all this comes together, I don't see any reason why our residential tax increases should not be kept to a minimum - covering the increases in fixed costs (heating, fuel etc)  that the city is constantly facing.  Lately, that tax increase was at about 3% annually. 

My "Occupy Spokane Street" was a success in terms of getting some answers to my questions. Thanks for your help Holly, I truly appreciate it! :)
Darryl Oakley

But mom....Happy Hans has no clothes.

It was a scene right out of "The Emperor has No Clothes". A beautiful cloudless July day was in the cards for Kimberley, already temperatures were in the mid-twenties and rising fast. I was wandering through the Platzl, past racks of new mountain bike "eye candy", comparing new tech versus my old- school (Ritchey) mountain bike, when a mother and her young daughter popped out of the dollar store in front of me heading for the Credit Union. Outside of the restaurant My Place, standing on the sidewalk, a mix of adults were enjoying their apres-breakfast smoke. They too were enjoying the day and sharing some laughs.

Everyone was in a good summer mood.

As the mother and daughter walked past the smokers and into the cloud of cigarette smoke, the youngster cringed,  held her nose, and said to her mom "That stinks". The little girl called a spade a spade - no clothes on the emperor.

 According to the BC Gov. no-smoking rules, there are no rules being broken when someone smokes - as long as it isn't within 3 metres of the business entrance and not in a confined public place. But what about the young girl and her mother who has to inhale the second - hand smoke, which has for years been known to cause lung cancer? The doesn't seem right either, why should people be put at risk in order to visit the dollar store. If given a choice I'm sure fresh, clean air would be the preferred choice for non-smokers shopping in the Platzl.  In some respects the Platzl is actually a confined area, because you only have certain routes through . Maybe its time to consider a "Fresh Air" bylaw for the Platzl?   Also, maybe its time we listen more carefully to children in our town?
Darryl Oakley

The fat booth ... and the economics of hope

Thanksgiving is always one of those special long weekends when family comes together for a weekend of fresh mountain air, good food and lots of hiking around the trails of Kimberley. This year was no different with an abundant supply of crisp cool air, food and exercise (pick your order ).
One of my sisters and her daughter came in from Banff. My brother and his wife drove in from the big city, Calgary. My mom, who lives in Joseph Creek Care Village in Cranbrook came up to spend the night.
After dinner we were all sitting around sharing tidbits from our respective, but different lives. Everyone was involved - especially my mom, even though she is coping with serious loss of hearing and other chronic conditions. Mom was beaming - completely surrounded with the love of her children and grandchildren. In the middle of all this commotion, one of my sisters pulled out her iphone and started to take head and shoulders pictures of selected family.  Little did we know that she had an app on her phone that is titled the "fat booth".
Think picture booth in a mall and you get the idea. The only difference is that this app loads about 300 pounds onto your face. The outcome created a lot of sore stomachs - laughing so hard, while still trying to digest too much food. The pictures quickly circulated around the world to other family members, with the subtitle "I think I ate too much"!
Its the simple connections that are so healthy. As with many (so- called) primitive societies on this planet, the formula of happiness is simplicity and good old fashion togetherness, nothing more, nothing less.   Kimberley is good at affording these simple things - how can we not with only one set of traffic lights in town. We love simple. Simple is healthy. Simple is part of the equation of vitality. It's also easy to come here from other locations. We offer no hassles on the highway, no congestion given that we are only 6000 in town, and once here everyone can take a deep breathe and relax.
The next day, my sister-in-law was busy making beautiful handmade bead bracelets with my mom. Predictably, they soon ran out of beads and my brother and I were voted best candidates to venture to the dollar store for a resupply. Of course we had no choice but to comply.
After shopping, we strolled across the street to the derelict garage that has been mothballed for years, and that was originally built by our father. Our father ran the garage for over 30 years as a successful business before selling it off and retiring. Times have changed, and now it sits - mothballed. My brother walked around the property reminiscing about the years we both worked there as high school students before heading off on different life journeys. Good memories from this place while learning a healthy work ethic, engaging on a daily basis with locals who needed gas and wiper blades and batteries and tires and...the latest news complete with a parting joke. (That was my dads specialty - all customers needed to be greeted with a smile, and leave laughing).
But now my brother commented that it is kind of sad how this all ended. The community has sensed the loss too. Maybe, just maybe, that can change. Because of the strict (and costly) environmental regulations virtually strangling the redevelopment of this key piece of downtown property its really hard to visualize different realities. But we need to see what can be. We need to see that the city might be able to broker change while respecting the realities of working class owners. Nobody has an endless supply of money.  The city needs to be an intermediary with all the various government agencies that keep the redevelopment of this property stifled. I see a beautiful park with a greenhouse and an urban garden. I see parents and their children mingling and enjoying an urban oasis playground. I see beautiful things happening on this property.

When I look at the mothballed, derelict garage what do I see?   I see hope.
 Darryl Oakley

       
 

Things are out of control in the produce department...

The other day I slipped into Overwaitea on my way home from work. I only needed a few items from the produce section so thought I would just be a few minutes in the store.

Wrong!

It all began when I was picking through some tomatoes. A few local elders in their seventies (who I knew, and also knew me) were involved in a discussion involving some things Kimberley... a little bit of political comment, some health discussion, price of produce, grand kids lives etc. Inevitably, the elders turned to me, drawing me into the great "produce department debate". They knew me, and also knew that I worked in the Health field - with seniors, no less. Of course this connection is a frequent occurrence that I half expect (and relish, actually ), and it comes with living in a small town. The "produce department debate" lasted about 10 minutes, was packed with snappy verse, raised eyebrows, tense moments and high drama. What it completely lacked was  the ability for any of the participating parties to actually pick through the produce -that stopped abruptly until the debate was finished and everyone was satisfied. Only then could each person continue on with their day... smiling, of course!

What was interesting about this particular interaction was the intense interest from the observers gallery. Three males about my age (mid - fifties ish) were also picking through some of the produce when the "produce department debate" began. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that they studied the produce longer, and were much slower at placing it in their grocery container. Clearly, they wanted to experience all of this - and they did! Later, while standing in the checkout line they introduced themselves (all three from Calgary, in Kimberley to golf) and after they described the wonderful day they had just experienced on the links at Trickle Creek,  I noticed one of the gents had a look on his face that I can only describe as one of " distant contemplation". Outside, as I loaded my groceries  into my backpack (I was riding my motorcycle) , it suddenly occurred to me what his "look" meant when he gave me a parting smile and said "That was priceless in there."

Kimberley currently has almost the identical population as it did in 1961 - approximately 6200 people. The population spiked in 1971 to 7641 - when Cominco was firing on all cylinders! Increasing the population approximately 1400 required a huge heavy industry.  Having a population of around 6000 people isn't really a bad thing, and it certainly affords people a small town atmosphere that is very healthy - for all ages.

In my opinion, Kimberley is the living definition of "Vitality in Life".   People from all corners of the globe are desperately looking to experience the small town "Vitality in Life"  Its up to us to figure out how to package that and share it - without losing it.
Darryl Oakley

      


    

Urban Kayaking

Its a hot August afternoon in the year 2013. Kimberley's Platzl is swarming with media from across Canada, all who have flooded into the downtown core to experience the newly opened Urban Kayak Experience on the banks of beautiful Mark Creek.  Its an amazing  scene that few could have predicted could happen in just a few short years. The "new" Mark Creek has been transformed back into a stunning meandering stream coursing throughout  downtown Kimberley, complete with pools, rapids, lush steambank vegetation, all specially designed not only to support aquatic and terrestial wildlife, but to promote tourism, and also slow the water flow during peak spring runoff.  

The transformation of Mark Creek from a heavily polluted stream  from Kimberley's industrial past to the current sparkling waterway brimming with life, is a story packed with community pride and deep commitment - Kimberleyites would not let their creek (or their town) die.

It all began in 2011 when the community was faced with replacing an aging concrete flue and needed to do something about it. For a small town of only 6000 people, it was simply too much of a burden and too expensive to ask locals to pay for. However, included in the vision for a sustainable future for this  mountain town was a critical piece of the equation - the Mayor and council knew that to proceed with various projects throughout the town they would have to rely on a very skilled economic development team based in Kimberley City Hall. It was difficult and - at times - frustrating work, but the E.D. team knew they had the full support of the Mayor and council. Finally, their perseverence payed off, infrastructure grants were finally approved  and the creek restoration work could proceed.   

Through a series of town hall meetings the community had input on various stages of the project, everyone was pleased with the discussion around this initiative.   Turns out there were several aquatic biologists, and even a world champion river kayaker that had just moved to Kimberley, all who offered expert advice - talk about good timing!

Kayak rentals, kayak lessons, guided trips, gear, and a multitude of economic spinoffs have shown, once again,  that out of adversity good things can happen... with a little persistence.

During the media briefing later that evening, a journalist from the Globe and Mail summed up how the media viewed the new Kimberley Urban Kayak Experience:  " I've kayaked in Vancouver, Seattle, Chicago and various other locations. This is by far the best Urban Kayak experience I've ever had. Bravo Kimberley, I'll be back!"

(So what can be learned from this experience... number one is to make sure you have the best economic development team possible, based in City Hall).

Darryl Oakley                          

Condos in the Nature Park

Smack dab in the middle of a 6am powerhike through the Kimberley Nature Park the other morning, I was enjoying my usual dose of wilderness fresh air (along with my ever-present Malamute companion - Miss Mabel) before heading to work for the day, when noisy construction crews still some distance away on Upper Army caused me to stop dead in my tracks.. The banging and hammering was so intense that even before observing any of the insessant activity I was convinced that in a few moments I would be face to face with the beginnings of  a development the size of North Star Condos.  How on earth could this be, I thought? 

Rounding the corner, I slowed my pace and peeked from behind an ancient Douglas Fir tree. I was immediately faced with a scene that I did not expect, nor could have been prepared for...

Nothing. No cement trucks, no carpenters building foundations... nothing!  Scanning the landscape, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The Nature Park scene appeared as I had seen it hundreds of times before. Suddenly a cold shiver went up my spine - I sensed something was watching me from above.

Standing silently beside the elder Douglas Fir - heart pounding in my ears -  it began again - the thunderous construction hammering started again. It all had about the same impact on my heart as a triple expresso - I just about came out of my skin, even Miss Mabel jumped! This time the noise was above me, and when I looked up my eyes were immediately covered with "construction" debri from above. I chuckled to myself , realized that I was looking at the construction crew -  several Piliated woodpeckers above, and an assortment of smaller woodpeckers nearby.

The condo develpment was in full swing - woodpecker style!

Brushing sawdust from myself and continuing my hike, I had time to ponder what I had witnessed. More mature trees combined with changes in global climate are adding up to more Pine beetles laying eggs, more larva feeding on the living layer of the tree, and more woodpeckers creating "tree condos". Ultimately this will have an impact on the ecosystem providing "condos" for other animals who have an impact, and so on and so forth. It's all infinitely connected.

So this all begs a question: Do we intervene and take out the beetle-killed lodgepole pine, or do we let nature deal with it all - fungus decay for some trees, possibly fire for others? From a perspective of viewing nature, the Kimberley Nature Park is a gem. From the perspective of supplying a potential fuel source for a wildfire, the nature park is a concern. What to do?
From my perspective, we (human caretakers trying our best to work in partnership with "The Mother") need to emulate fire as much as possible by "gently" removing fuel one baby step at time, while respecting ecological systems in the park. This work is important and should be a high priority in my opinion, so the City of Kimberley needs to match funds when they are offered from provincial sources - not turn funds away as they did recently. The Kimberley Nature Park is a gem and it is also a dynamic ecological system that needs to be nurtured.

Future mayor of Kimberley I would love to have a coffee with you to discuss funds available to utilize our specialized Kimberley Nature Park work force - this is Kimberley's very own version of "clean, light industry" and we need them back to work in the Kimberley Nature Park.
Darryl Oakley

Something to talk about

On the evening of August 12 2011 Kimberley Promotions sent out a survey to 200 folks. About 80 responded - reading the survey results is very interesting. Generally speaking the survey respondents were mostly female with a (generally speaking) age demographic between 30-49ish. Page 47 of the fall issue of Go Kimberley gives the complete breakdown of respondents. Have a look, its very well presented (as are all the articles in Go Kimberley, I must add ).

One of the main issues in the survey is certainly the economy and the need for more economic development/diversity away from low-paying, seasonal tourism - type jobs.

One way to attract job growth to make sure city economic development staff have a clear mandate about the type of  light industry that would be a good "fit" for our community.  Here is an example of how this sales pitch can work: When the president of Pacific Insight wanted a location for his wire harness manufacturing plant his choice was Nelson simply because  he was sold on the healthy lifestyle afforded over in the West Kootenay city. The plant employs 400 people, is clean manufacturing, and affords wages from $12/hour and up. The starting wages are not much more than tourism jobs, but with more training and education...   

I think the Sun Mine might be a good clean way to go about developing "light industry" but I haven't had a chance to see the business plan yet. I think clean, light industry is the way to go for our tiny community, given that we do have tourism as a driver in our community .    

Oh Deer...the path to enlightenment!

Stated in various City of Kimberley documents is our path to enlightenment regarding the deer issue:
 Kimberley Vision Statement (2008)  -

" Kimberley is a community enjoying outstanding quality of life in harmony with nature and each other."

The key word  in the vision statement is "harmony".   At the moment - in Kimberley - we are not experiencing anything remotely close to "harmony" when it comes to the deer issue. Therefore, we are not acheiving our Vision Statement of 2008. In addition, some people would say we are going backwords... away from harmony with nature. From a purely biological perspective, I would agree with that. Actually, I've heard a full range of opinions on this issue (as, I'm sure, most of you have) ranging from "Live and Let Die" to "I don't ever want to see a deer in this community again - kill them all!"
There is a safety issue in this equation as well, and the safety issue is not just the chance of being attacked, it is one of disease. Too large of a population will grow beyond the carrying capacity of the habitat that they live within, causing mass starvation at some point and disease before that ( e Coli could be a problem for the human population as well, at some point, I'm not sure at what point though).
There is a concept of Cultural Carry Capacity that needs to be factored into this - some people are upset with Mayor Olgilvie and council because a very important discussion has not happened in Kimberley when it comes to the Deer population - what about the concept of "humane" being factored into this equation? The Deer are now "Citizens of Kimberley!" This piece of the equation needs a voice too.

Clearly there is some discussion that needs to happen on this front.

Here is my position on the Deer issue:

- I like having (some) deer around and would support working toward a population that is in "harmony" with our community - we would feel safe walking/working/playing in our community. What is the size of that population? Good question. I think a population of approximately 40 for Kimberley and Marysville might work, but a wildlife biologist may suggest a smaller number. Whatever the number is, it has to be one that the majority of people are ok with (safety issues, disease issues, gardeners, keeping predators away from our community etc, all of these things must be considered and discussed). The number must be sustainable, in other words we will have to work to keep the population from going up -all factors need to keep fecundity in check. I seriously doubt the number will go down. We will not get consensus on this issue, but we might get a compromise.

- I agree with the BCSPCA position that pain and suffering must be avoided. If animals are to be killed, then it should be instantaneous - no pain and sufffering. I feel that if animals are to be killed then the pros (Conservation Officers and/or RCMP) should do this job - community safety is the priority, also the BC Gov. can foot the bill, not the taxpayers of Kimberley).  I am glad to see that the limited hunt idea has been rejected for Kimberley, I had a huge safety concern with that idea.

- I would support working towards a full comprehensive urban wildlife management plan for Kimberley, I think we need one for all species that are impacting the community, and for those species with escalating populations.

Darryl Oakley

                                                GLORIA THE  GUARD CAT - HEADS-UP DEER !

Tower 18 rebuild

With the help of a many dedicated community volunteers the Kimberley Ski Hill will soon have the historic Tower 18 standing proudly on the ski hill horizon. Tower 18 tumbled over during a winstorm in May 2010, due to rotting wooden supports.
What an amazing job all of the volunteers have done! Thanks go to locals, Percy Mackie, Loni Leinweber, Rob McInnis, Vern Leinweber, Naomi Crooks, Estela Ponte,Christine Rinaldi, Brian Mohr, Brian Copping, Joel McLay (John McLay's son) Ted Roberston, Patti Oakley, Karen Oakley, Joanne Mather, Kathy Korven,Ted Funston (new area manager for RCR), and RCR loader operator Adam. Thanks also to Ted Funston for donating 7 gallons of (original) blue stain for Tower Eighteen.
We have one more beam to replace this Sunday, October 2, a bit more staining, and then the big Sandor crane will be called upon to lift the tower into it's rightful place.
What a wonderful community process this has been! :)

Cheers   Darryl     

2011 Kimberley Municipal Election

I've decided to run for Kimberley city council this fall. I am truly looking forward to the campaign and will update this blog as much as I can.
I am running for council  because I am truly passionate about Kimberley and the wonderful place that it is and I want to be part of offering good governance while making sure that I help make wonderful Kimberley even better. We truly have the best place on earth to live, but there is always room for improvement. If elected to council, I plan to bring a heaping supply of positive energy to City Hall.   If elected to council I will not be afraid to dig in and get my hands dirty.

I am very interested  in maintaining and improving the health of our community. I will support community initiatives that will help make Kimberley a healthier place for us to live our lives. So what do I mean by "Health"?   I am referring to the physical, social, emotional, spiritual and financial. All of these elements need to work together in order to maximize community health.

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