Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Mar 31/00) - Inuvik's informal beautification committee has made progress on developing a town clean-up strategy.

Although less people attended last Thursday's meeting -- due to other community events -- town council members, residents and business people still managed to make head-way on the dumpster question and on a public-awareness campaign.

"We really need to decide on a container and get the town to pass a bylaw saying here is what you've got and you've got 24 months to get it," said garbage container committee member Dan Smith. "Otherwise we'll beat around the issue forever."

Smith said examples of both residential bins and commercial dumpsters are en route to Inuvik, for both committee members and residents to examine before a final decision is made.

While he said he was attending the meeting as a private resident, Smith also talked of the properties held by the companies he's involved in -- the Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group and Dolomite Holdings -- as well as the position taken by other major property owners in Inuvik.

He said current bylaws that encourage some businesses to neglect maintaining their own sites and to rely on town disposal services should be scrapped.

"I strongly suggest the town not pick up for commercial or apartment-block owners. The onus should be on them," he said. "The town would save an awful lot of money that it could put toward other committee incentives."

Samuel Hearne high school principal Carson Atkinson spoke on behalf of the education and communication committee, but received strong input from others, including deputy mayor Peter Clarkson and Inuvik Works co-ordinator Camellia Gray, in hashing out his ideas for a proposed publicity campaign. That evolving effort involves a school and town poster contest with winning entries displayed around Inuvik; an initiative to develop a beautification mascot and logo; and contributions by a public relations firm that Smith knows about.

The committee was to hold another meeting last night in council chambers. Points which need to settled include establishing a permanent steering committee and subcommittees and discussing financing of the proposed initiatives.