Well winter has arrived and has done so with a vengeance. Reports are that there was more than the usual amount of snow. In fact the usual amount for the whole month of December has fallen in the first half of the month.
We have reports of problems walking along the roads here in the District. Our road clearing contractor has been called and they are doing their best to keep the roads plowed. Once the roadways are clear then the shoulders will be cleaned up as usual. We all need to be patient as things go along.
The snow has wreaked havoc with our power in the area as well. Our contact at B.C. Hydro, Jen Walker-Larsen, has done a great job of keeping us up to date on the efforts to restore power here in the District, as well as in the outer lying areas.
Recently Hydro brought a helicopter in to fly the easement from Darfield to little Fort to try and knock the snow off the trees and lines. Hopefully this will remedy the problem of the trees falling over the lines.
Hydro crews worked long hours in difficult situations to restore power. This work is challenging at the best of times, and in storm conditions the required safety concerns rise dramatically. Hats off to the efforts of the whole team.
The annual holiday dinner for the students and staff was held at Barriere Senior Secondary. A number of people came to help including Councilor Paula, Corporal Underhill, Rhonda Kershaw, Glenda Feller, Joni Miller, and a host of volunteers who all attended to help out with the serving. I tried my best to serve the potatoes, and was very impressed with the students. Each and every one of them said thank you when they got their food.
Good manners go a long way, and the students I served that day were most certainly up on what to do and say.
Well, okay, there was that cake in the face incident at the end, but everyone seemed on board that it was just done in fun. I had a great time, and hope to get invited back. And no, the cake thing did not involve me.
Going Green is the current trend for everyone including local governments. Here in Barriere we are exploring ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
I have mentioned that we are exploring such things as a bio energy heating system. These systems are considered carbon neutral. So, for commercial and municipal buildings this would be a way to help reduce their carbon footprint, as well as saving money.
The business model for this project is currently in the works. We will have meetings with the experts in the field in January.
The push here is that if possible we would like to integrate a system such as this into our Eco wastewater plant making it close to completely carbon neutral. Plus, it is possible that we can use the sewer trenches for the piping, and reduce the cost even further.
Plans for things that are much more interesting than sewer pipes are also in the works. Barriere and area has a rich heritage. It is time to work on gathering this knowledge up and sharing it with the rest of the world.
Travelers now are much more focused on what they seek for their travel dollars. We have an interesting story to tell, so we need to work on putting it out there. A number of groups are already working on different aspects of just such a project.
In the New Year it would be a good thing if all this work could be put together into a cohesive plan.
This will require funding of course, but there are sources of money that target showcasing local heritage. Once the plan is put together we can ask to tap those resources and go forth. Like all of you, I am proud of where we live and a project such as this will allow us to tell our collective story.
Best of the season and a Merry Christmas to everyone. Travel safe if you are going away, and welcome to those that have come to visit.