Tuesday, September 5, 2023 - Pump tracks gain traction

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 | 🌦 High 19C

Good morning!

I just renewed my car insurance for the year. I have had my car for more than 10 years and have a clean driving record but the insurance never seems to get any cheaper. On the plus side, I love that we have done away with the stickers on the license plate. I haven’t driven my car all that much this last year. I’ve considered giving it up. But I also like the convenience of having it around. Have you re-considered how you get around town? Let us know in today’s poll.

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

NEWS

Pump tracks gain traction

Pump tracks recently shot to popularity in the Fraser Valley. Soon, six of the tracks will have been built in a span of two years.

But the tracks weren’t originally fun playground staples.

The tracks are made up of loops of trail where riders use bumps and curves to manipulate gravity to gain speed and “pump” themselves along on bikes, skateboards, scooters, and rollerskates. Most cities in the valley have at least one track, if not more—and they’re busy all summer long. Chilliwack’s original paved track has been such a hit, it’s prompted the city to build several more to relieve pressure on the site—and give younger riders a safer place to ride.

• Today, Grace writes about how an extreme sport became popular playground equipment.

Need to know

⚖️ A trial date has been scheduled for three men charged with killing an Abbotsford couple last year [Abbotsford News]

🐝 Chilliwack collection workers were injured after live wasp nests were disposed in green bins [Chilliwack Progress]

👩‍🚒 A Chilliwack church was significantly damaged in a fire Monday [Chilliwack Progress]

🔥 The Bear Mountain Wildfire discovered last week continues to burn at 1.5 hectares [District of Kent]; the FVRD downgraded the Kookipi Creek wildfire evacuation order in Electoral A to an evacuation alert Monday [FVRD]

👮🏻‍♀️ Reports of an attempted child abduction in a Chilliwack parking lot were false, RCMP confirm

🐎 Animal activists protested outside a well attended rodeo in Langley on the weekend [Global]

🚿 Mobile showers are made available every Wednesday at a Langley church to people experiencing homelessness [Langley Advance Times]

🚧 A section of Bailey Road in Chilliwack will be closed beginning Tuesday for road work [City of Chilliwack]

🗳 Mission council wants to incentivize residents to register secondary suites [Mission Record]

👉 Thousands attended the Sikh Nagar Kirtan parade in Abbotsford Sunday [Abbotsford News]

🚨 Nearly $300,000 worth of contraband was seized from a Kent prison [Global]

👷🏽 Fraser Crescent east of Haig to Park streets will be closed for construction beginning Tuesday [City of Mission]

 🚒 Firefighters were called to battle a blaze at abandoned Langley house Thursday; crews were also called to a house fire on Monday [Langley Advance Times]

⚖️ A man who shot at police in Chilliwack earlier this year was denied bail [Chilliwack Progress]

SPONSORED BY UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY

It’s time for Fall 2023 at the University of the Fraser Valley!

Fall 2023 at the University of the Fraser Valley is here, and UFV is thrilled to extend a warm welcome to new and returning students, faculty, and staff.

Across our campuses in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope, the atmosphere is buzzing with anticipation. From bustling hallways to inspiring lectures, this fall promises a wealth of opportunities for students across a range of programs.

Whether you're embarking on a new academic journey or continuing your path, UFV is here to provide support, learning, and growth. Find out more here.

The Agenda

Turner House project awarded $250,000

The BC Arts Council awarded a $250,000 grant to Abbotsford Heritage to help restore the historic Turner House.

Turner House is the only surviving house from the first phase of European settlement on Matsqui Prairie. The nearly 150-year-old building was originally located adjacent to the Abbotsford-Mission Highway, just south of Clayburn Road. In recent years it was relocated to Clayburn Park.

The money will be used to restore the space for residents to workshop “endangered skills,” like heritage crafts.

Earlier this year, the Turner House was one of 10 heritage sites in a national competition vying for a $50,000 grand prize. The grand prize was awarded to the Duncan Train Station in BC. Hope Station took third place.

Abbotsford to give mayors who fail to win re-election cash to help find new job

Abbotsford taxpayers will give future mayors who lose their re-election bid $5,000 to help them find a new job.

Council updated its remuneration policy last week, boosting the amount politicians can spend at conferences and other events. Because the city pegs the pay of councillors and its mayor to average worker salaries, council didn’t vote directly on their own salary increases, unlike many other municipalities.

But they did approve increases to expenditure limits, raising the amount they can spend at an annual conference from $7,000 to $8,500 for the mayor, and from $6,000 to $7,500 for councillors.

Notably, they also solidified an idea proposed seven years ago, when a citizen group created council’s current pay scheme. That group had recommended that mayors receive “outplacement assistance” once their term concludes, like other full-time city staff. When the city adopted its remuneration scheme, it declared that mayors were entitled to receive such assistance when their term ended, though the policy didn’t define just how much an ex-mayor would get.

Now, the city has clarified: ex-mayors will get a one-time payment of $5,000 at the end of their term. But they’ll only be eligible if they run for re-election and are rejected by voters. Mayors that choose to leave on their own won’t get help.

(Then-mayor Henry Braun confirmed to The Current that he did not receive outplacement help upon retiring last year.)

SPONSORED BY SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS

Exploring the Bounty of the Pacific Northwest: A Culinary Journey through Whatcom County's Farms

Visit Whatcom County for a month-long celebration of local food and those who grow, raise, fish, make, and cook it! All month long Sustainable Connections will be highlighting opportunities to meet chefs, farmers, fishers, and grocers to experience the unique flavors of our region.

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🍴 The Blackberry Kitchen: Mission. A city-style restaurant with a valley-casual atmosphere. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a view of the Fraser and Mt. Baker. Open seven days a week.

🍴 Bar Burrito: Abbotsford. Tex-Mex food made fast. Menu features street tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and gluten-free options. Burritos start at $8. Open seven days from 11am to 10pm.

🍴 Chachi’s: Langley. Gourmet sandwiches, mac & cheese, soup, and salad. Located at Willlowbrook Mall. Open during mall hours.

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