The Timothy Lake Road Community Association is in danger of dissolving.
For close to 25 years the association has been a voice for residents in the Timothy Lake area ensuring local roads are repaired, lakes are stocked with fish and fire mitigation efforts takes place. However, Kathleen Cook, the outgoing president, said if they don’t get some new members soon the association will be forced to fold.
“We discovered 20 years ago that one phone call, two independent phone calls don’t get you anywhere,” Cook remarked. “I can’t stress how important it is to have a loud cohesive voice to get things done.”
Cook first bought land in the area in 1991 and moved up permanently in 1999. She was among those residents who first banded together in 2000 to form the association.
At the time she said Timothy Lake Road was a gravel road filled with potholes and washboard and despite calls to the Ministry of Transportation, nothing was ever done about it. Timothy Creek also frequently flooded, the fish were having trouble spawning and there was no fire department to protect the growing community. Cook said Al Richmond, the Cariboo Regional District’s director for Lac La Hache and 108 Mile Ranch, advised them to form a society so their voices would be heard.
“We came together and said ok ‘we need a loud voice and the only way we’re going to get it is if we become a society. In March of 2000, we formed our society and we had our first meeting in April. We had 22 members come, it was fantastic,” Cook recalled.
Over the last few years, Cook said the association helped get Timothy Lake Road seal-coated, installed a concrete boat launch on Timothy Lake and kept both Timothy Lake and Greeny Lake well stocked with kokanee and rainbow trout.
However, membership and participation in the association has also waned over the years with the board shrinking to three directors, a secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president. At an AGM held on May 18 Cook, the current secretary and vice-president all announced their intent to step down from their roles with no one volunteering to take their places.
“As we’ve all aged we’ve gotten tired and we’ve tried to get new board members before our AGM. All of us reached out to everyone we knew and didn’t know,” Cook said. “At our AGM a total of 14 property owners showed and no one could step up to the plate.”
Following the AGM the board felt deflated with outgoing secretary Julia Petitclerc putting out a statement on Facebook letting the community know how dire the situation is. So far Cook said they’ve had three people respond but they haven’t been able to confirm if they will be able to take on these positions.
Cook said that she and the other board members who are resigning are willing to stay on for two months to find replacements. If they are unable to do so, however, they’ll be forced to start the legal process of dissolving the society by the end of July. She noted that the current treasurer and the other board members would stay on and would provide continuity and guidance for new board members.
“We’ve got more and more people moving in (to the area), younger folks, and we’re just trying to get them more active. It’s a little association that only needs a few hours a month. We only meet when we need to for the board,” Cook explained. “It’s a fantastic way to get to know the community and get more involved. You get a feeling of pride in what you’ve done.”
Anyone interested in joining the association can reach out to timothylakeroad@gmail.com for more information.
