community gardens thriving PAGE A3
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
musings from the road PAGE A9
VOL. 101 NO. 98
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seniors golf PAGE A13
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Round and round Australian Ranch’s annual Corn Maze is up and running again this year. With a $2 admission fee, this is a fun activity for the whole family. Located just 32 km from the lights at Maple Drive, the Cariboo Corn Maze provides hours of oldfashioned entertainment on the nine-acre site. The maze is open from sunrise to sunset. Autumn MacDonald photo
Cariboo Fire Centre funded for new facility in Williams Lake The Cariboo fire region is benefitting from a $5.88 million funding announcement to construct a brand new facility out of Williams Lake. The new one-storey, 2,045-square-metre (22,000-square-foot) main building and three upgraded outbuildings will be home to the Cariboo Fire Centre’s main office, associated support services and ground crew and air crew facilities. Planned amenities include the regional wildfire co-ordination centre,
airtanker and pilot facilities, meeting and training rooms, staff offices, workshops, firefighter changing rooms, laundry and shower areas and storage areas. “I, along with our government, appreciate the extraordinary commitment that our firefighting crews and staff have made to this province and to safeguarding our communities,” Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes said. “We are pleased to fund this brand-new firefight-
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ing facility at the Williams Lake Airport that will continue to improve wildfire response and help ensure that safety remains a priority.” The four buildings will replace 11 separate structures and trailers, some of which are about 40 years old. The old Cariboo Fire Centre facility was originally set up to accommodate about half the number of staff that work there now, so its operational needs have long outgrown the older buildings.
Lauren Brothers Construction has been selected to build the state-of theart firefighting complex through a competitive process. Construction is starting this month and should be completed by fall 2016. The new structure will be built on long-term leased land at the north end of the Williams Lake Airport, in the same spot where the previous Cariboo Fire Centre office and auxiliary buildings were located. Until the new building
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is completed, BC Wildfire Service staff will work in temporary trailers that have been set up near the construction site. The new Cariboo Fire Centre facility will improve wildfire response and suppression capabilities in one of the most active wildfire regions in British Columbia. One of the goals of this project is to centralize staff resources and promote increased efficiency. When responding to wildfires, fast and effective communications can
directly impact decisionmaking, help minimize fire damage and enhance public safety. “Our government is committed to safeguarding B.C.’s families, natural resources and infrastructure,” Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson said. “This new facility in Williams Lake will enhance our firefighting capabilities, provide work for local contractors and benefit communities throughout the region.”
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