Rural Creston regional director John Kettle was returned unopposed Thursday for a second one-year term as chair of the Regional District of Central Kootenay.
Kettle said the board faces a “challenging year” in which it will have to “focus fundamentally on core services and watch what we’re doing financially.”
He added he was pleased to announce that provincial approval for their resource recovery plan is imminent.
“The letter is coming,” he said and expressed “sincere thanks” to staff.
Portions of the $14 million plan, unveiled last year, have already been implemented. It called for a complete overhaul of how the regional district handles waste, including moving the transfer station off the Nelson waterfront and implementing a more efficient pick-up system.
The five-year plan is expected to pay for itself through reduced operating costs.
The new board — which only has two new faces, in Area I director Andy Davidoff and Silverton director Leah Main — was sworn in by retired judge Stewart Enderton, the RDCK’s solicitor until his appointment to the bench in 1982.
Enderton recalled that in the regional district’s early days, administrator Gene Bodard worked half-time for $300 per month.
“We’re trying to get back there,” Kettle quipped.
Greg Nesteroff,
Nelson Star Reporter