A man who was injured in a rollover on Highway 97C in late August has died from his injuries.

On Aug. 27 at approximately 2:50 p.m., Merritt RCMP responded to the single vehicle rollover at the Pothole Creek Bridge on the Connector to find a Ford F-350 and flat deck trailer in the ditch on the westbound side of the highway.

Police believe the driver lost control of the truck after crossing the bridge as the loaded trailer swayed.

The two males in the truck were injured, with the 69-year-old driver sustaining serious injures. He was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital but died on Sept. 12 of his injuries.

The 26-year-old passenger had minor injuries.

Speed and road conditions are not believed to be factors in the crash.

City to buy new software for water treatment

City council has plunked down $20,500 to pay for needed upgrades to the computer system used to monitor operations of the wastewater treatment plant.

The SCADA (System Control And Data Accumulation) system is operating on an outdated software system no longer supported by its supplier, meaning if a malfunction occurred, it might not be fixed, City of Merritt financial services manager Ken Ostraat told the Herald.

The computer system monitors all processes of the treatment plant and — on a 24-hour basis — sends an alert to the plant operator in the event of a pump failure or if another operating issue occurs.

The computer system also collects information on treated wastewater volumes going through the plant every day. That information is used for annual reports filed with provincial authorities.

“The SCADA system is a vital piece of computer-controlled software,” Ostraat told city council at its regular meeting on Sept. 9.

The $20,500 expenditure wasn’t budgeted for in 2014. The funds for the upgrade will come from an offsetting revenue source — the city’s sewer utility reserve for future expenditure, meaning the city will still retain a balanced budget in 2014.

Ostraat told council the software upgrade is a cheaper alternative to having an operator at the plant at all times.

Funding the expenditure was unanimously approved by council.

Ostraat said the plan is to upgrade the system immediately.

Coun. Neil Menard was absent from the meeting.

PacificSport agreement renewed

City council unanimously approved renewing its partnership agreement with PacificSport for another three years.

This agreement allows for sport-related activities and events to develop foundational sports skills under the PacificSport program.

The City of Merritt provides office space in the Civic Centre and $5,000 toward a part-time sports co-ordinator position. PacificSport chips in another $12,500 to fund the job along with liability insurance and equipment.

Over the past year, more than 5,000 people have participated in sporting activities through the program held in conjunction with City of Merritt departments.

City of Merritt leisure services manager Larry Plotnikoff told council the program offers a variety of skill-building courses and holds coaching and officiating training classes to aid with minor sports.

The city typically budgets $10,000 for the program to cover the part-time position, office space service and program costs. Revenues generated by the program are kept by the City of Merritt.

Hotel rezone hearing on Sept. 30

A public hearing for the rezone of a plot of land on Crawford Avenue for a hotel development has been slated for Sept. 30.

The rezoning would change the land, which is near the Wagon West Travel Plaza, from C7 (tourism commercial) to C4 (highway commercial).

The hearing takes place in council chambers at city hall at 7 p.m.

Anyone who wishes to address the rezoning application can do so in writing addressed to the city’s planning and development services manager by Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. or in person at the public hearing.

Information brought forward at the hearing will go to council at its regular meeting directly after, when council is expected to make a decision on the rezone.