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By Kate Bouey
Let Us Stay, Asks Carnival Society

Let Us Stay, Asks Carnival Society

Dec 10, 2018 | 6:19 PM

The Vernon Winter Carnival Society is asking city council to reconsider evicting the group next June from its aging headquarters in the Halina Centre parking lot on 35th Avenue.

Chair Deb White says the group has looked for — but is unable to find — a new home.

White says the society has a balance of $925 in the bank and can’t afford to pay rent elsewhere — unless it pushes up ticket prices to carnival events.

She says the society will accept a city condition to be responsible for all maintenance, repairs and insurance.

City staff say the city-owned structure has reached the end of its life, pointing out the foundations form part of the creek bank and will ultimately fail.

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But councillor Kari Gares says she can’t understand why the city would evict the society if the building is still functional and doesn’t currently pose a problem.

White also played down spring flooding in the basement, insisting it only occurred in the spring of 2017 when the whole Valley suffered flooding and less so in 2018.

Council has promised to review the matter early next year.

by Kate Bouey

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