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Warfield, Trail hammer out rec deal

Warfield and Trail have negotiated an 18-month TRP agreement.

Showing there is no “i” in teamwork, Warfield council and the City of Trail met for a second time and worked out a contract that will once again have villagers accessing the local library and sports facilities without paying double the fees.

Both sides came together Tuesday for a meeting at city hall, and negotiated an 18-month Trail Resident Program (TRP) agreement for Warfield to pay the city $90,000 towards the library and recreational services this year, and $45,900 for the first six months in 2015.

“Mayor and council are very pleased to have come to an interim agreement on recreation and culture funding,” said Warfield Mayor Bert Crockett in the city’s press release. “This is an example of the two councils working cooperatively to provide services to their citizens.”

In the previous five-year agreement which ended Dec. 31 last year, Warfield had been paying $107,000 to Trail: $32,500 for the Trail and District Public Library service and $74,500 for village residents to access the city’s recreational facilities and parks.

Following Crockett’s first tête-a-tête with Trail last week, he maintained that the village’s contribution into the regional services was not sustainable and the city’s accounting “formula” that derived the monetary amount needed some adjustment.

“Hopefully this will lead to a sub-regional inter-municipal agreement for the citizens of the Greater Trail area,” said Crockett.

The reduction of funds sits well with the city, and Trail council is relieved to have reached an agreement, according to Trail Mayor Dieter Bogs.

“We’re satisfied with the agreement,” said Bogs in the city’s news release. “We recognize the toll this has taken on the public, in particular the sports organizations that rely heavily on Trail’s services.”

The city agreed to an overall reduction in fees to bridge the gap until this fall’s newly elected councils can review the matter and possibly reach a long term agreement, he added.

To date, the village has paid about $13,000 to its residents who have accessed Trail facilities and library services under the dual-rate system.

The city acknowledged payments made under the Warfield reimbursement program and agreed to subtract the amount from this year’s contract, leaving the village owing Trail $77,000.

The agreement was in effect Wednesday, however before Warfield residents have their TRPs reinstated, one piece of ID will be required before registering for a program or upon arrival at the Trail Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

“It won’t be time-consuming,” said Trisha Davison, Trail’s parks and recreation director. “We just want to ensure our database information is correct and that all patrons are being well served.”



Sheri Regnier

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