50 years ago: The community of Windermere had resolved their long-standing domestic water problems with a new pumping and distribution system. Water was to be obtained from Lake Windermere 300 feet from the shoreline and at a depth of 12 feet, and was then to be pumped to a 18,000 gallon storage tank. At the time, 16 families had been hooked up to the new system.
35 years ago: The Columbia Valley Summer Recreation Program was an unqualified success, after over 180 children took part. The purpose of the program, which was funded under a Young Canada Works grant, was to provide Columbia Valley children with recreational activities for the summer, including water skiing, canoeing, beach days and trips with a Parks Naturalist.
20 years ago: Potential purchasers backed away from a deal to acquire the Alternate School in Invermere. The sale fell through after potential buyers balked at a number contingent conditions in the sale, leaving the district back at square one as to what to do with the property. The school, located at 7th Avenue and 4th Street, had been for sale to help raise funds to buy land that had long-term potential for a future elementary school.
15 years ago: The Invermere campus of the College of the Rockies was set to stay in the east wing of the old David Thompson Secondary School for at least one more year. Russ Colombo, the manager of facilities at the College said that the they had completed renovations and modifications to alleviate some of the previous concerns relating to fire alarms and exiting requirements. Meanwhile, the College and the Rocky Mountain School District were waiting on a Ministry of Education decision on a new joint-use facility to be shared by the College and the highschool.
5 years ago: There were far less grizzly bears in the central Purcell Mountains than originally detailed by the provincial government, as a recently completed survey showed that information used by the Environmental Assessment Office in its determination of the Jumbo Glacier Resort was incorrect and outdated. One of the leading grizzly bear authorities in North America informed the provincial government that grizzly numbers in the central Purcell Mountains were at an estimated 54 per cent potential, as compared to the 93 per cent provincial number.