The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
For some time the Little Athapap Cottage Owners Association (LACOA) have been in discussions with the Department of Conservation (DOC), The City of Flin Flon and contractors on future services of sewage disposal from cottages. Mayor Dennis Ballard advises us that approximately one year hence the new treatment plant in Flin Flon will be completed and ready for service. The decision of the LACOA is to determine to what extent we use this service and what future costs will be to our members. At a recent meeting of the LACOA, the Big Island/ Schist Lake Cottage Assoc., the DOC, the City and a contractor, Mayor Dennis Ballard and Kevin Komarnicki, Director of Works and Operations advised of approximate time for treatment plant operations to commence and the City's requirements for accepting and treatment of sewage waste from cottages. Questions such as volumes to be delivered, frequency of deliveries and necessary lab analysis of product were discussed. The DOC has agreed to take these questions and provide the necessary information to the City. The City also advises that when cost of treatment is determined the City will advise DOC. It necessarily follows that to truck sewage waste to the treatment plant in Flin Flon as compared to trucking to the sewage lagoon at Cuprus would increase trucking costs substantially. Some estimate that the cost could increase by 50 per cent to 60 per cent. On Saturday, October 9th the directors of the LACOA met with representatives from DOC and discussed options such as a limited use of the sewage lagoon and also the treatment plant in Flin Flon. The directors of the LACOA are assured by DOC that the Cuprus lagoon provides an excellent means for the treatment of sewage waste. The meeting therefore determined that the most economical method of disposal of sewage waste would be to use the Cuprus lagoon in the summer months and haul to the Flin Flon treatment plant in the winter months. The total annual sewage waste generated by cottages is estimated to be 5mm gallons. (We understand throughput of the new treatment plant to be in excess of 1mm gallon per day.) Approximately 2mm of this amount would be trucked to the Cuprus lagoon during the months June to September. The balance of 3mm gallons would be trucked to the treatment plant in Flin Flon during the months of October to May. The Cuprus lagoon sewage would rest during the winter months and discharged the next May. The lagoon would only be discharged once a year, in May of the following year. This will give excellent treatment to the sewage in the lagoon and the lagoon would operate at under its designed capacity. The directors of the LACOA are of the view that this procedure would be the most economical way of solving the sewage treatment cost problem while providing excellent treatment of sewage waste. The City also agreed with DOC and LACOA at this meeting that fire calls from Baker's Narrows residents to the Fire Chief for structural fires only would be answered by the Fire Department. It is recognized by the LACOA that the demands of the City will always come first. Forest fires or bush fires are to be reported to DOC in Flin Flon or the BN Parks Maintenance Office. Earlier this year the LACOA, with the support of our MLA Gerrard Jennissen, made a further request of the Highway Traffic Board (HTB) to hold a public hearing in Flin Flon to consider again our persistent desire and need for a permanent 70kph speed zone on PTH #10 as it passes through Baker's Narrows Provincial Park. The HTB consented to this request and the hearing was held on September 23 in the Barrow Building at Flin Flon. After considering both the LACOA brief presented there and anecdotal evidence presented by the 30 Baker's Narrows residents attending and an on site inspection of the area in question, the HTB agreed to our request for the permanent 70kph speed zone. The first request by the LACOA for this speed zone was in 1989 and this was the third hearing to consider this request. It might be said that our persistence finally paid off. Baker's Narrows residents should be aware that winter hours of operation are now in effect at the disposal grounds. The disposal grounds gates are now closed at 5:00 p.m. on both Wednesdays and Sundays. The matter of Service Fee statements not being sent out for two years now was discussed with DOC representatives. On advice from DOC that since these fees are unchanged local cottagers can use the last statement received for reference of service fee charges for next year. Local area cottagers have been advised of an increase in the Chief Place of Residence fee from $300 to $400. The Manitoba Association of Cottage Owners (MACO) are contesting the application of this fee and are continuing an initiative to have education funding removed from property tax. The LACOA are members of MACO and are supporting this initiative. The LACOA were successful in negotiating an agreement with local aircraft operators for Take Off and Landing in the north bay of Baker's Narrows. Cottagers affected will appreciate the reduction in the resounding noise created by aircraft using this bay. Directors of LACOA have discussed the need for Emergency Measures for Baker's Narrows residents. Over the next year we intend to have discussions with DOC, the City of Flin Flon and the RCMP to clarify areas of responsibility and a contact list for area residents in case a disaster strikes locally. The LACOA requested that DOC have street lights installed at all school bus pick up locations in the Baker's Narrows area. These are now being installed. Also we now have navigation lights operating at both West and East bridge locations connecting the highway to Baker Island. At the Annual General Meeting held on August 23 the LACOA membership returned the present officers and directors to office for another year.
