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.
Splattering paint and safety masks could be replacing baseball bats and gloves at an uptown park. Flin Flon City Council is considering a request for North Avenue Park to be utilized as a paintball field. "This new field could further help Flin Flon to cement its reputation as a destination to play paintball," read a letter from local paintball enthusiasts Sheldon Rachuk and Robin Mandes reviewed at Tuesday's council meeting. The pair hope to set up dozens of inflatable obstacles and safety netting, strung along 12-ft. poles, around the field. The poles would remain up for the duration of the paintball season, but the obstacles and netting would be removed after each use. The field would be used once or twice a week for practices and competitions, some of which would involve paintballers from neighbouring communities. "The nearest tournament field is approximately four hours away, and our club will lack the experience to compete in or out of town," read the letter. Paintball involves participants trying to hit their opponents with coloured-gelatin capsules fired from a gun (known as a marker) powered by compressed gas. Paintballers also try to retrieve flags for their teams. Rachuk and Mandes stressed that safety is a top priority, with the surrounding safety netting in place to protect any spectators. "This is ideal for parents that would like to learn more about the sport or monitor their child's progress," read the letter. The letter acknowledged that there would be "a lot of paint lying around at the end of the day" but noted that "paintballs are a biodegradable substance which consists of edible gelatin that is similar to Jell-O." 'Dissolve' "After being subject to weather, the paintballs swell with the water they absorb and burst, leaving the shell to dissolve," they wrote. "However, if large deposits of paint are a problem, they can be blown away by the leaf blowers... and collected. Also, any garbage left behind will be gathered and removed by field owners Sheldon Rachuk and Robin Mandes." The paintballers, whose club features between 40 and 50 members, hope to have the field ready for a possible mid-May tournament. See 'Highlights' P.# Con't from P.# None of the councillors commented on the request, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion. Other highlights from Tuesday's meeting: The new municipal budget was formally approved, injecting $1 million into infrastructure without raising the residential mill rate. Coun. Dave Law asked residents to ensure their garbage is secure when traveling to the landfill. If someone gets to the dump and notices items missing, he urged him or her to please go back and pick them up off the road. Council approved the purchase of a new city truck for $45,400 plus taxes. The 2006 one-tonne truck will be bought from Northland Ford through the Equipment Reserve Fund. Council reviewed the March's Fire Chief's Report, which outlined four incidents, including an electrical fire at the Victoria Inn, a garbage bin fire on Fifth Avenue, and two false alarms. This compares to six incidents in March 2005. Council reviewed a letter from Dave Brooks, general manager of the Victoria Inn, commending the "efficiency and professionalism" of firefighters during the hotel's recent electrical fire.
