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.
Just this week, workers began the final phase of a heating plant upgrade at Frontier School Division's Joseph H. Kerr School. Officials at the school received word early in 2004 that the Public Schools Finance Board (PSFB) had approved $120,000 to outfit their building with the new boiler, and after receiving that approval, facilities personnel out of Frontier's divisional office initiated the process by hiring a Winnipeg engineering firm to commence as well as oversee the undertaking. The tender was put together within a month and went out in the later part of May. Approximately three weeks later, the contract was awarded to Mikkelsen Coward, a mechanical and electrical contractor out of Winnipeg. After some initial demolition work by the school's personal, Mikkelsen Coward tradesmen were on site during the week of September 13 - 17 and cut the existing #2 boiler and auxiliary piping up in order to precipitate its removal from the school's boiler room. The outgoing boiler is a Saskatoon, 30 hp, low pressure, fire tube, which was built and installed in the early 1960s. Even though it was the school's main heating boiler when it was installed, it had been used sparingly in recent years and took on the role of back-up after a large addition to the building in 1979 increased the heating load to the point where it was too great for the Saskatoon to handle. A spokesperson for the school said that due to the age and low horsepower of this existing boiler it was unable to keep up under full load and it was becoming increasingly harder to purchase parts for the burner mechanism. The other existing boiler in the school's plant is a Cleaver Brooks, 60 hp, low pressure, fire tube. Installed in 1966, it is capable of handling the building's full heating load and is still in very good condition. Once the new boiler has been installed, it is expected that it and this Cleaver Brooks fire tube will share the heating load on a scheduled basis. The new boiler is also a Cleaver Brooks, 60 hp, low pressure unit; however, it is a flexible water tube design. It was built in Milwaukee at the beginning of September and supplied to the contractor by R.G. Sales out of Winnipeg. This new boiler is to be installed and operational by Monday October 25th. On a policing matter, Snow Lake's RCMP recently warned citizens about securing their personal property. Stating that although Snow Lake is recognized for its reputation of being an isolated and peaceful community, Corporal Bob MacKnight advised that there have been reports of several instances where people have unlawfully entered or attempted entry into a residence, while the occupants were present and sleeping. "In those instances, where entry was gained, the doors had not been locked," said MacKnight. "In the instance where entry was not gained, the attempt was thwarted by a locked door." MacKnight added that it is either known or suspected that the person(s) responsible for these unlawful entries were either under the influence of alcohol or other substances. As a result, in order to improve personal safety and properly secure possessions, the RCMP has encouraged all Snow Lake citizens to secure their residence when there is no one home in addition to when they are sleeping.
