Columbia Shuswap Regional District staff received board approval to amend a regional district Crown grant with the province of B.C. in order to permit the property to be used for firefighting and public park purposes.
Community Services team leader Ryan Nitchie advised directors at the April 23 board meeting that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations requires a board resolution in order to amend the terms of the Crown grant to allow the regional district to construct a trailhead parking lot for the Evelyn Falls Trail System on the property.
Nitchie explained the Anglemont Firehall was constructed in the mid-1980s on donated land that is relatively small. Additions to the building to the south of the firehall bay expansion and to the rear for training room facilities has used up most of the lot and off-street parking for the firehall is minimal.
“Currently, fire department members park on the narrow road which has a steep grade,” said Nitchie. “In 2014, a parked vehicle owned by a department member began to slide and collided with another member’s vehicle, causing damage and creating a safety concern.”
Nitchie pointed out that a property about 100 metres north of the firehall meets the needs of the firefighters and can be shared as a parking lot for Evelyn Falls trail users.
Directors agreed and the motion passed unanimously.