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PRRD looking to remedy miscommunication with North Peace Fall Fair



The Peace River Regional District is looking to make amends with the North Peace Fall Fair Society, after a mis-worded RFP was released for a feasibility study on Adeline Kelly Hall to upgrade the building for public occupancy.

The error was the omission of the word "grounds" within the RFP, as the PRRD does not own the North Peace Fall Fair event.

North Peace Fall Fair Society Director Lita Powell sent a letter to the PRRD on August 22, 2023, outlining how she felt the society had been 'blindsided' by the regional district over the wording of the RFP.

Powell attended the PRRD's September 14, 2023 board meeting, and gave additional comments to directors on the RFP and her letter.

A lack of transparency is an ongoing issue with the PRRD, says Powell, alluding to public backlash over a meeting this past June regarding a Treaty Land Sharing Network concept.

"In this facility, not long ago, there were a thousand people that were willing to take you on because of a lack of transparency," said Powell. "The letter was not meant to be demeaning, it was not meant to do anything else other than ask the board to do your jobs."

"You're sending documents out to the public realm - they're not only incorrect, but they're insulting, demeaning, to the thousands of hours of volunteer work," she added.

Powell said the first letter she drafted regarding the RFP wasn't sent, as it was too emotional.

"It was full of emotion, that reflected the comments of the volunteers," she said. "Hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours, 76 years, sponsorships, hundreds of thousands of dollars - that's what puts the fair on."

Former PRRD director Karen Goodings also came to speak to the board over the backlash from the North Peace Fall Fair Society, and said the PRRD failed to tender the RFP in a transparent manner, with the society feeling they could be ousted from the grounds.

Goodings has supported the fair as a long-time member of the society, and appeared in that capacity.

"Clearly, this letter was a result of the frustration based on what was deemed to be threatening the future existence of the fair on these grounds," said Goodings. "The history would suggest that these grounds were purchased and intended to be used for the existence of the fair and the use of the community."

Fall fair volunteers give hours of their time to make sure the event can happen every year, and have never asked to be reimbursed, added Goodings, questioning if the board had read the RFP before it was published.

"I ask you to receive this item for discussion and spend the necessary time to understand how important our fair is in our attempt to build bridges between urban and rural, spend time educating residents as to the importance of the agricultural industry," Goodings said.

PRRD CAO Shawn Dahlen says the wording of the RFP was an honest mistake, and that an addendum was sent out to rectify the situation.

"Honestly, I think it was an innocent mistake to put forward the 'North Peace Fall Fair' instead of the 'North Peace Fall Fair grounds' and as soon as the staff realized that was a concern for the society, an addendum immediately went out," he said.

Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen sought clarification on the ownership of the grounds, with her understanding being that the PRRD board authorized the purchase of ten acres for $25,000 in 1979 and designated the site as a regional park for use by the North Peace Fall Fair, with another 40 acres added in 1985.

Dahlen said Hansen's understanding of the purchase history is correct.

Electoral Area B Director Jordan Kealy said the feasibility study was approved by the board to address liabilities with Adeline Kelly Hall, and best options for the grounds moving forward. Kealy agreed that the wording was just a simple mistake, that the PRRD tried to remedy with the addendum.

"It just happened at a really bad time when people were taking on a lot trying to run the fair, and then this also came out and just the way that it read, it wasn't phrased very nicely for the fall fair," said Kealy,

Kealy added that he hopes the situation can be resolved, so the grounds will work for the society going forward.

Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News, Local Journalism Initiative. Have a story idea or opinion? Email tsummer@ahnfsj.ca

Tom Summer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alaska Highway News

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