SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
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ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO.
21
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S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
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WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
T H U R S D AY,
M AY
24,
2012
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20
PA G E S
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$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Upgrades save power Municipality installs energy-saving technology in three municipal facilities by John Arendt
Vintage vehicles Hot rodders and auto enthusiasts from around the province were in Summerland for the annual Blossom Run on the weekend.
Page 10-11 Seeking grants B.C. mayors are frustrated with the method used to bring funding to their communities.
Page 7 Watching bears Bears have been observed in the Okanagan this spring, including a number of sightings in Summerland.
Page 3 Time for action The Summerland Action Festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Page 9 Police training Members of the RCMP’s Southeast emergency response team were at Agur Lake Camp for training.
Page 8
YOUR SMILE The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
Efficient technology Mike Fetterer shows the energy efficient cooling system at the Summerland Arena. Latent heat from the unit will be reclaimed and used to provide heat to the nearby RCMP building.
Energy-efficient technology has been installed in three of Summerland’s municipally-owned buildings. The new Summerland RCMP station will use excess heat from the nearby Summerland Arena for its own heating and cooling needs while the Aquatic Centre features an array of solar panels for its water heating. Mike Fetterer, facilities maintenance supervisor for the municipality, said the pool and the arena are the two biggest energy users among all municipal buildings. In 2010, the Aquatic Centre and the Arena accounted for 34 per cent of all corporate greenhouse gas emissions. At the pool, energy is needed to keep the building and the water warm enough, while at the arena, keeping the facility cool requires plenty of energy. The arena presents additional challenges since the ice must remain cool but the dressing rooms and lobby area must be kept warm. The solution was a system which captures latent heat from the equipment used to cool the arena. Instead of just expelling the hot air from the cooling equipment out the back of the building, the system was designed to reclaim the heat and reuse it. “All that wasted heat is not just going to the atmosphere,” he said. The arena’s excess heat is being used to provide heat to the nearby RCMP building. Some excess heat is also being piped back into the arena for the dressing rooms and curling club ice area. Staff are also able to schedule heating demands in all the different areas now, rather than 24/7 heating and exhausting. This eliminates four natural gas burning units, which reduces our gas consumption and costs as well as GHGs which the District may have offset through the purchase of carbon credits starting in 2013. Fetterer said the technology will save money for the municipality, but the amount has not yet been determined. See EFFORTS Page 2
Wildfire risk increases by John Arendt The sudden hot weather this spring has increased the risk of wildfires spreading in the region. Kayla Pepper, a fire information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre,
said crews have already responded to a number of fires in the southern interior of the province. A recent fire at Blue Grouse Mountain near West Kelowna on May 15 was contained thanks to the quick work of fire-
fighting crews. The fire reached 40 metres by seven metres and as a result could be contained. “The smoke was quite visible after 1 p.m.,” Pepper said. “It did remain quite small.” By 6 p.m.
that evening, the fire was fully contained. An earlier fire at Pavilion Lake, 24 kilometres northeast of Lillooet, was much larger. The fire began a week ago Saturday afternoon and by Wednesday had
covered 140 hectares. A total of 90 people were working to contain the fire. Pepper said quick, aggressive action by helicopter crews helped to get the fire under control. See CONCERNS Page 6