Members of the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club voted against a proposed donation of property to the City of Surrey.
The proposal was brought forward by a motion for membership to help alleviate some of the financial difficulties faced by the club. The land transfer would have included a hatchery, shooting and archery range and more.
The March 21 vote required a two-thirds majority to pass. Club vice president Ron Meadley said News from the Ark of Peace that while the majority voted in favor of the transfer on March 21, the club did not reach the two-thirds threshold. Meadley said the club are not releasing the outcome of the final vote at this time. A total of 129 club members weighed in.
Meadley made a brief statement to PAN, claiming that the decision was unsuccessful.
“That’s about it because we don’t know much more at this point. The business challenge continues to grow and be of growing concern, ”Meadley said.
Asked about his reaction, Meadley said he was disappointed with the outcome.
“We thought this was a very good deal offered and the deal is the result of a motion to join to further the best interests of the City of Surrey. That’s what the proposed deal represented, ”Meadley said.
As for the future of the club, Meadley said it remains to be worked out.
“We have no mandate to do anything at this point other than a lot of suggestions on what to do. That’s where he is right now.
The Hunting and Fishing Club has been the steward of the land, located at 1284 184 St., since the late 1970s.
Club president Bob Donnelly said PAN last week that the financial challenges facing the club include operating costs, reduced revenues and a backlog of repairs that exceed the club’s ability to fund.
“We would all like to see things continue the way they have for the past 65 years, but the reality is the cost of maintaining our extensive facilities and the 29-acre property is beyond our capacity,” Donnelly said by email. “Our heart says one thing but our head says another. “
PAN was first contacted last fall by members concerned, among other things, about the impact on long-standing user groups, and that the donation milestone was completed. They also claim that there was not enough consultation and that other alternatives presented by members were rejected. None, however, wanted to speak publicly.
Ownership has been important not only to the club, but to the community as a whole.
In a 2012 interview with PAN, the club’s hatchery manager at the time, Bob Oswald, said most of the founding members were anglers concerned about the Little Campbell River fish stocks. The club was founded in 1956 with the first meeting held in the former White Rock Hotel.
Concerned that decades of industrial gravel mining on the banks of the Little Campbell were ruining the river, the group decided to act, framing a mandate to become stewards and spokespersons for the watershed’s natural places. while playing the sport they loved.
In the 2012 article, PAN shared the writings of a former club president, the late Ruth Kendall, who had compiled a club history.
“The club has always organized events for fun and recreation. We have hosted salmon tournaments and rainbow trout tournaments in our own river for seniors and juniors. We went to the inland hills when the grouse season opened. We started annual camps with the juniors which provided interesting challenges for their senior advisers.
Meadley said he was delighted to know that the lands are cherished not only by club members but also by others in the community.
“This is the feeling we get and we have felt it for years. This has been referred to us time and time again and we are delighted with these comments as it was one of the visions of the club, the original founding members, for a long time, ”said Meadley.
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