The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, May 12, 1993 Councillor disappointed with ministry's remedy for crosswalk SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor The City of Castlegar and School District No. 9 have both received a letter from the Kootenay Boundary District Ministry of Highways, sug- gesting how the crosswalk at 24th street on Highway 22 can be made safer, for pedestrians. ; The letter is the result of a visit by ministry officials last March 4, where movements of vehicles Were observed and a number of concerns were heard by parents, teachers and city officials who claim the cross- walk is unsafe for pedestrian use, Ministry officials recognized that a short term solution to the safety proposal could involve making cross- walk signs clearer to drivers: by Creating an overhead sign; make side signs clearer and; prohibit parking within 30 metres of the crosswalk. The ministry also recommended that in the longer term, 24th Street be realigned to form a cross intersection. Although better signage is a good start, City Councillor Lawrence Chernoff said he was hoping ‘that a pedestrian activated traffic would be warranted. “I believe that this crosswalk should be treated ‘same as Selkirk College now Sun Staff ever, in case a maj After receiving fire protection from the Castle- gar Volunteer Fire Department for more than a decade, Selkirk College is now under the protec- tion of the volunteer department from Ootischenia. “Our responsibility to the college officially came to an end April 1, 1993,” said Gerry Rem- pel, fire chief of the Castlegar nt. The Castlegar department does have a mutual aid City, CUPE sign contract SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Even though the agreement was ratified in March 1992, the wording of the letter for close to eight months. Because the letter has been outstanding for so long, both sides agreed to sign the con- tract anyway, with the understand- the crosswalk at Tarrys School. We're not asking for the world,” said Chemoff, who was also critical of the lack of communication by Ministry officials. “We'ye been trying to get them to look at this dangerous area for more than two years. It's been like pulling teeth the whole time.” Spokesperson for the Parents Advisory Council, Ron Norman, also criticized the ministry for its inability to return any letters or telephone calls, “We have a real concern here for children using that crosswalk. I'm PP d in the It's just courtesy to send a note Or to return a call.” Speaking from his office in Grand Forks, District Highways Manag- er John Bodnarchuk said that when officials sent this recent letter to the School District office, they were under the impression that it would also reach the Parents’ Advisory Council, whom they realize has a concern. Bodnarchuk said he is hopeful that new overhead and overall better Signage will be completed within two months. “That's only an estimate. But by that time we should have this whole thing wrapped up.” Because the crosswalk is on the intersection of Highway 22, it is the ministry's responsibility, and not the city’s, to make any changes to it. A future meeting is planned between the ministry and the city. rotected -under Ootischenia agreement with the Ootischenia department how- blaze occurs. The Castlegar detachment was given the responsibility to offer fire protection to the col- lege because at the time, there was no such thing as an Ootischenia fire department. “Because the Ootischenia department is estab- lished and the college is in their district, it only makes sense that they take that responsibility,” Rempel said. The previous agreement between Selkirk College and the Castlegar Volunteer Fire Department called for the college to pay $3,500 a year for fire protection, as well as an hourly pay- ment for individual call-outs to cover the costs of manpower and equipment. Because the college is in the Ootischenia Fire department protection boundary, and is a public institution, it is not required to pay for fire protection. However, Selkirk College Presi- dent Leo Perra said a small donation has been made to the to show its for fire protection. PPWC and Selkirk College stalled KAREN KERKHOFF Selkirk College's Director of Sunstaff......~. Personnel and Employee Rela- tions, Barry Jackson, wearily admits to being frustrated at the Talks have come to a standstill City of Castlegar and employees from CUPE local 2262 officially ing that the letter would soon be completed. between Pulp and Paperworkers of Canada (PPWC), Local 26, and length of time it has taken thus far to negotiate a contract, and he Wednesday, May 12, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Turner stepping down from school board KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff After serving on the School District No. 9 school board for nine and a half years Gordon ‘Turmer is stepping down. Turner, who has been board chairman for the past six years, and a trustee and vice-chairman prior to that, said he is making the announcement now, as opposed to November when his term expires. “I'm doing it now in ordér to convince myself, and to burn the bridges so it will be difficult to go back on my decision. I’m also doing it so people will be aware that the position will be open, and anyone who is interested can have the next few months to run for election.” There are many reasons Turner sites for “retiring”, a term he prefers instead of resigning. While many of those reasons are profes- sional, some are very personal. Professionally, Turner is hop- ing to dedicate more time to his work; instructing English and technical writing courses at Selkirk College. But his greatest desire is to devote himself to the needs of his family, and to his own personal need—writing. “A part of my mind is always preoccupied with School District activities, and that has taken only a parent can understand. “My main personal project is a book about Devin—my feelings of him and his life and death. It’s a bit of a tribute and trying to understand it.” When Turner decided to cam- paign for a ition on the board in 1984, yt SO because he had four soffS who would be going through the school system and he wanted to “make a difference” Turner candidly admits that he feels he did make a difference, but not without the help-of other board members. “I've tried to keep the board on an even keel, keep them talk- ing and maintain an-equilibrium, I've also tried to keep all the groups communicating with one another, rather than have it break down where the groups are all at odds. The key words are concilia- tion and compromise, and I think I have made a difference in this area.” Turner is also rightfully proud of the six years he has spent as board chairman. “I think I have handled the role of chair in a pro- fessional way. I’ve stood up for the board and its interests, and I have tried to maintain tact and diplomacy. I asked that there be an open door policy at the board office, and I think that because of that policy we are now very GORDON TURNER bickering and personal clashes where I've had to referee—I won't miss that. But I will miss the camaraderie during the good times. It is quite gratifying.” Programs which have being initiated while Turner has been chairman are: the Russian bilin- gual program; and the late French immersion program. This is also OUTLOOK: The forecast for Temperature: Max/Date 24.5/5 Precipitation: Rain 4.8 0 Number of Hours 43.1 at this time. WEATHER today; Sunny with cloudy intervals. Slight chance (20%) of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs 26 to 28. Lows 7 to 9. Outlook for Thursday and Friday: Mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures. ALOOK BACK AT THE PAST WEEK: Min/Date 2.3/9 Snow No sign. of the cherry blossoms normally in full bloom Forecast provided by The South - East Interior Weather Office at Castlegar, B.C. accessible.” ARROW LAKE RESERVOIR FORECAST Correction In the May 5 edition of The Castlegar Sun in a story titled ‘Embree condemns council decision,” it was stated that a Kelowna- based company had submitted a bid to council that was marginally i than that of a local contractor. This information was incor- rect. In fact, the Kelowna-based company submitted the lowest bid, and was fol d by a Castlegar-based pany signed their collective agreement two weeks ago. The lengthy delay between rati- fication and signing was mainly due to a letter of understanding which was, and still is, eutstand- ing. The letter itself, which details workers’ policy for call-outs and stand-by procedures, is not the issue for the delay. Instead, it is the wording of the letter which has remained unresolved. Man- agement personnel from the city shad been working on the wording of the letter, but it did not suit the union's needs and was therefore given to them to be completed The union has been working on Michael Harrison, union presi- dent for CUPE local 2262, said he hopes to have the letter com- pleted within three weeks. Harrison agreed with officials from the city, who stated that communication and the relation- ship between the city and CUPE have continued to improve over the last few months. “I would say things have improved,” said Harrison, when asked to confirm what officials at city hall had stated earlier. Because the contract was rati- fied earlier, all increased pay adjustments had been umplement- ed in March 1992 - Selkirk College, and are expected to remain that way until at least the beginning of June, when a national officer (who is essentially a mediator) will be available to assist with negotiations. PPWC Local 26 President, John Chermenkoff said there are several outstanding issues which need to be resolved before a con- tract can be negotiated. “There is a little bit of animosity between the clerical workers and the maintenance workers. One side looks at it one way, and the other side looks at it another way. We also felt there were some issues that could have been addressed better.” is uncertain when further negoti- ations will occur. “I was hoping it would all be resolved by now. We're waiting for them to get back to us and let us know when the next meeting will be. They require their union rep to be in attendance, then we can start to negotiate.” The 122 mbers of PPWC Local 26, whith is comprised of support staff, clerical workers, and maintenance.personnel have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 1992. However, Cher- nenkoff said the previous con- tract covers the members while negotiations are ongoing and ‘untibomen-gentraet is signed. away from my family life such as the daily things that need to be Working with the current dis- Tumer describes his service on the board as being a “series of the first district in the Kootenays which has supported para-profes- May 7 - 1395.4. May 14 - 1397.0 trict Superintendent, Everette Normal Mean Mean 12.0 Normal Total 11.0 Normal Number of Hours 28.5 done; meal times and some per- sonal things I would like to do, such as writing.” A published writer of book reviews, poetry and short stories, Turner is currently working on a book about his son Devin, who died almost a year ago in a tragic swimming accident at-the age of 18. As well as a tribute to his son, writing the book is helping Tum- er sort through the type of grief Residents reaction Surgenor, has been an uplifting experience said Turner. “We've tried to take the high road and tried to do things properly and not let other peoples’ high levels of anger influence how we func- tion. The current superintendent and I see eye-to-eye on that.” Although Turner concedes that he will miss serving on the board, there are some aspects he won't miss. “I'm not going to miss the CITY OF CASTLEGAR INVITATION TO TENDER 10TH STREET AND COLUMBIA AVENUE SEWAGE LIFT STATION UPGRADING Sealed tenders clearly marked "City of Castlegar" will be received up to 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, May 26, 1993, at the office of the City Clerk The project consists of the following major components. ¢ Supply and installation of a new submersible lift station. ¢ Supply and installation of power supply, controls, and standby generator unit. 4 Manholes 20 m 150 mm ¢ Forcemain 20 m 200 mm ¢ Sanitary Gravity Sewer Main Associated Restoration Work Tender documents may be obtained from the office of the Engineer, Urban Systems Ltd., on or after May 10, 1993, upon deposit of a Certified Cheque in the amount of $50.00. This amount is non- refundable. Tender documents may be viewed at the plan rooms of the Southern Interior Construction Association in Kelowna, Kamloops, Castlegar, and Cranbrook, the Public Works Department of the City of Castlegar and the office of the Engineer in Kelowna Each tender shall be accompanied by a Certified Cheque or suitable Bid Bond in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total tender price. In addition, there shall be annexed to the tender a consent to bond letter from the Surety Company issuing the Bid Bond agreeing to issue Performance and Labour and Material Payment Bonds in the amount required by the Contract Documents, if the tenderer’s bid is accepted The City reserves the right to reject any or all tenders, to waive defects in any bid or tender documents and to accept any tender which it may consider to be in the best interest of the City The lowest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted ENGINEER Urban Systems Lid. 104A - 1815 Kirschner Road Kelowna, B.C VIY 4N7 City of Castlegar 460 Columbia Aven Castlegar, B.( VIN 1G7 Contact: Mr. Ken Oliver, P.Eng. Contact: Mr. Barry Cc A.Sc.T Superintendent of Public Works Phone: 365-5979 Fax: 365-0594 — Phone: 762-2517 Fax: 763-5266 a Housing Continued from 1A begin eliminating a housing shortage for mature adults in CKGilegar Maund, who is the co-ordinator of the local Senior's Action Committee, - said that while she and some local seniors were completing the recent study on Adult/Senior housing needs, they approached Jodoin to serious- ly consider Castlegar. “We basically asked him what he could do in Castlegar for adult housing, and now he’s showing us,” said Maund, who expressed frustration that local area developers are failing to recognize the type of housing senior’s in Castlegar lack. Maund, who was project manager for the Adult/Seniors housing needs study, recently spoke to city council about the obvious gap in adequate housing for Castlegar ’s empty-nesters. “With a home for you!” MT SEXEN =: 365-5228 1451 Columbia Avenue Cestioger, B.C. VIN 1H8 : DID YOU KNOW Mt. Se 1 De ‘A Solid Family Home. carport. Large lot. Fully renovated with 3 bedrooms on main floor, plus 2 bedrooms in full basement. Large 4 Plex - with Sth looking over river. unit under Within 3 blocks of construction. Fully downtown. renovated Excellent cash flow Balconies are back What a location! What a view! This 3 bedroom home, plus one in fully finished basement. Two full baths, fireplace, garage Walking distance of downtown floors. Suite in basement. Sauna immaculate home, Garage. Large lot finished on both —_with view. "For Your Ci We Are bh Walter Tymofievich 365-3250 “When it comes to family dwellings, Castlegar has the housing. But when it comes to adults who no longer have children living at home, many of them think they have to leave the area before they can relocate into something adequate. They don’t want Jo do that, especially when they still have family living in the community.” Maund also stressed that Castlegar has to prepare for seniors who are moving into the area to retire, since the quality of life in the West Koote- nay is desired by many.” “You can bet that when it comes to the public hearing process for this development, local seniors will be out in full force,” said Maund, who believes the location of the upcoming development couldn't be in a better location, since it is within walking distance of Castleaird Plaza and close to the site where the planned new Senior’s Centre will be located. 2 = Regional Continued from 1A provide a facility here. But most of all, it would reduce duplica- tion of specialized services. We can also provide the beds and another operating room and we have the ability to expand our diagnostic services.” muscles and make the decision At the Rural Study, Trail for the area hospitals. “We know R 1 Hospital da that happ to Shaugh y. They certainly have the power to decide that.” Another meeting is scheduled to be held May 25 to address each board's proposals, however, ing to resolve the issues between themselves without the interven- tion of the Ministry of Health. If the hospitals can’t come to a mutually agreeable decision, Nickles conceded that the Min- istry might flex their political g k proposal in which they would be the specialized services facility, while Kootenay Lake and Dis- trict Hospital submitted a plan in which they would share those services with Trail, proposals which Talarico said he fully empathized with. “These are major facilities we are dealing with and they already have the facilities established. It would be difficult for them to deal with anything less. I certain- ly understand the positions the communities are taking. But our makes a lot of sense in relation to delivery of health care to the region.” . Margaret Nickle, Castleg and District Hospital Boar¢ Chairperson, said even though there are issues outstanding between the boards that need to be resolved before any plan can be initiated, the same level of health care will continue. “We intend to continue to provide pri- mary care services which now exist in Castlegar hospital. Things will remain status quo. There are several issues we are grappling with. There is no agreement on how we will organize the special- ty services in this area.~ Currently the hospitals are try- Talarico is uncertain if Castlegar Hospital will be successful in its bid for regionalization “It's difficult to say if we will be successful. Nobody has come out and said if there will be one regional hospital in the West Kootenay. They've said they will At this poiht during ongoing proposals and negotiations, hos- pital representatives are hesitant to use the word “regionalization” when describing plans and instead are using the terminol “specialized services facility”. Whatever the terminology used, the intent remains the same, and eyes in the Kootenays will be vigilantly watching to see how health care changes will impact on the community Rowlands will be teviewing each board's proposals and will discuss those proposals and receive the boards comments at the May 25 meeting. Talarico assured that there will be opportu nity for community input before any final decision is made between the lines SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor ~ If it appears to you that the city of Castlegar’s Public Works Department is doing one job twice—well you're not alone. A number of residents telephoned The Sun last week, requesting that we “ask around” to find out why the public works department re-painted lines down Columbia Avenue before the street was resurfaced. “That's just completely back- wards. Why paint first and then resurface. It just means you have to paint again,”. said one caller. Another caller from North Castlegar said he resented the fact that “more money would have to be spent to re-paint Columbia Avenue twice.” A third caller, this time from South Castlegar, blamed The Castlegar Sun for not “being up on speed with what was happen- ing on Columbia Avenue.” Well, in light of resident's con- cems, and our own misgivings for not questioning the public works department sooner, we gave Barry Comin, public works superintendent, a telephone call. According to Comin, line repainting on Columbia Avenue was done first, for a number of reasons. He gave us two. First; the public works department was uncertain at the time when resur- facing of Columbia Avenue could be started, due to-both rainy con- ditions and availability of re-sur- facing materials: Second, it is the city’s responsibility to re-paint the lines on Columbia as early in the spring as possible for safety reasons. As well, the cost of repainting the lines is rélatively inexpensive, between $50-$ 100 “It does appear that things are being done backwards, but tim- ing and availability of materials are all factors,” said Comin. “I certainly could not have waited until after paving before lining was done, If somebody had been in an accident because they couldn't see where the lane-line was, then we'd certainly be get- ting phone calls.” Comin also said that resurfac- ing of Columbia Avenue was delayed because of Met Mart construction. i “In consideration of the mall and the work they were doing under Columbia Avenue, we had to hold- off.” Comin finished by saying that due to the number of construction vehicles which will be travelling Columbia Avenue this summer, res- idents can expect to see painting ups and downs and highs and lows”. The lows Tumer is refer- ring to is the ongoing problem of trying to stretch money to fit the budget. “The lows are usually the budget and the frustration of never quite having enough money to do what has been ptanned This year coming up will proba bly be the toughest year for bal. ancing the budget—but we'll manage and things will be alright.” City reviewing purchasing sional child care workers for spe- cial needs students. @ Violence Turner's calm in the face of change, and his quiet determina- tion will be missed by all of the community, but John Dascher, School District No. 9 Secretary- Freasurer said it best. “I hate to see him leave us. He has been a great trustee and a great chair— but the decision to step down was his choice. He'll be missed, I'll tell you that.” Continued from 1A verbal violence , or verbal abuse was also a concern of many of the individuals present at the forum. Some common suggestions which were submitted were: vio- lence should be dealt with harshly; stress management counselling should be mandatory before a stu- dent be allowed to retum to school after suspension; counselling should be provided for both the student and parents: the problem solving process should include stu- proposal clause 7 SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor The recent controversy sur rounding the city’s award of con tract to an out-of-town tender has resulted in city council asking for an in-depth report by city staff City Administrator Gary Williams, was asked by council during its last meeting to investi gate the pros and cons of having a ‘local hire preference’ clause stat ed in all advertisements for ten- der. The report is necessary before council can set a policy that will:become standard when tendering projects. Due to the increased amount of construction that could be taking place in Castlegar within the next ten years, a firm policy regarding ten dering is deemed essential “The potential is there to have a lot of big contracts coming up. We want to have a policy in place that is straightforward with firm ground rules that everyone will follow,” said Councillor Lawrence Chernoff Last week city council awarded the contract to complete the sec- ond phase of the downtown revi- talization process to West-Wind Nurseries Ltd, a Kelowna-based construction company which sub- mitted the lowest bid and was Downtown Revitalization Com- The second lowest bid was submitted by Trowelex Con- struction, a Castlegar-based com- pany. Council came under fire from local unions who say the city should have a policy in place that would favor local hire, espe- cially if the bids are within a cer- tain percentage of each other. Cheroff said city staff will be researching communities which have a “local hire preference” in place, and whether the stipulation on such a tender document deters out-of-area companies from sub- mitting bids. Council is also striv- ing Yo determine whether such a policy inflates the price of the contract, since the stipulation would no longer result in an immediate award of contract to the lowest, most qualified bidder. “We also want to define the term ‘local’,” said Chernoff. “Does that mean Castlegar? The West Kootenay?” Early investigations indicate there are four cities in the province which have a “local hire preference” stipulation in their purchasing policies, including the City of Trail * Chernoff said he would like to See the report completed as soon as possible, so council can then review the information and strike mittee dent input; violence should be con- sidered a community problem; a disciptine review board which would include members of the community (much like the Task Force on Violence) should be formed. It would be their responsi- bility to review specific acts of violence and make recommenda- tions on how to deal with the offender. It was also suggested that severe violence such as beatings should be looked upon as assault, the same as it would be looked upon outside school boundaries, and should therefore be referred to the police for action. Presentations were made by Kinnaird Middle Schoo! student representatives, Nicole Archam. bault and Shelly Stansbury; par. ent, Rod Kennedy; SHSS student representative. Janet Kalesnikoff, parent, Barb Rainville, communi. ty member, Gail Oglow, parent Marge Perepolkin; parent, Peter Popoff:Castlegar and District Teachers Association representa. tive, Wendy Amett; and Dr. Bob Streich on behalf of the Kinnaird Elementary parents action com mittee. School District No. 9 Superinien dent, Everette Surgenor agreed with the obvious concer of those people who made presentations, "We are Starting to see some signs (of vio- lence), and it's quite disconcerting. The Task Force will review the submissions and will tender a written report to School Trustees by June 30. Ootischenia votes yes Residents of Ootischenia have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a Comprehensive Fire Hydrant Installation program, during the Ootischenia Improvement Dis- trict’s Annual General Meeting, held last Wednesday Residents were asked whether they support paying a one-time lump sum of up to $300 to help pay for the installation of 20 new hydrants over the next two years. The one-time tax would be col- lectéd after the hydrants have been installed. Much to the sur- prise of executive members on the Improvement District, 60 people came out to mark their ballot, and the result was a land- slide 55-5 vote in favor of the crews out again this fall. deemed most qualified by the up a policy. added fire protection. “We've worked really hard for B.C. Health Minister announces possible midwifery legalization KAREN KERKHOFF have midwife-assisted births at a private birthing centre, a Sun staff hospital, or at home. “Based on the best research available, I Canada is the only developed country of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 210 members that does not fully support home births under well defined circum- stances."” However, Cull stressed that midwife-assisted home births would be legal only after further study was done offer change. Y service: but that’s soon to “I will initiate a pilot project to determine the most effective administrative arrangements relating to midwife- In a recent news release from the Ministry of Health, Health Minister Elizabeth Cull said she intends to adopt the recommendations of a report which was released by the Health Professions Council, which proposes integrating midwives into the health system. “The council recommends that a College of Midwives be established to recognize midwives as legitimate, self- governing health professionals in British Columbia. This is the first step in giving women in this province real choice over where and how they want to have their babies, within the boundaries of reasonable risk and safety.” Women who are healthy, and exhibit no signs of a high risk pregnancy will have the option to have their pregnan- cy. childbirth, perinatal needs and infant c@te managed by a midwife. However, those women who wish to have a mid- wife assisted birth will be urged to. have an examination from their physician within the first trimester (three months) of their pregnancy. Cull said eventually women will be able to choose to ‘I would not support home delivery in this area because of the geography.’ BONNIE THOMPSON 1 Midwife attended home births before province-wide.” But Bonnie Thompson, a tra worked at Castlegar and Distnet Hospital on the ward as a registered nurse for 18 years, ha home births. Thompson said that con unique geography of the outlining areas of Castleya h as Pass Creek, attempting a home delivery could in have a tragic but avoidable outcome “I would not support home delivery in this area because births ho has natematy oncems about iderineth me cases of the geography. If a person in labor gets stuck up in the back woods in bad weather, then they've got a problem No one could get to them.” Although Thompson said she feels that legalized mid- wifery definitely has a place in British Columbia, she said that stringent guidelines would need to be in place before it becomes legal. “I would like to see midwifery practiced in a hospital setting. In that way the mother has the best of both worlds and everybody is protected.” Thompson is also concerned that should a woman be denied a home birth due to possible complications, that woman would then seek out the services of an unlicensed midwife. “There are a lot of women who are lay midwives That would have to be stnctly’controlled. If “Mrs. Smith were turned down to receive the services of a midwife then who is to stop “Mrs. Smith” from going down the road to a lay midwife? If those questions Thompson posed could be answered and strict guidelines were in place, then Thompson said she would welcome the emergence of midwifery in British Columbia, “It sounds very exciting. It would certainly open the options for me personally. I would love to have my own set of patients Ontario and Alberta have introduced legislation to des: ignate midwives as independent health professionals and will allow midwife-assisted home births. residents for these two reasons the safety aspect; and for the eco- nomic reasons. The community, in the long term, will save a lot of money for itself,” said Jack Kinakin, chairman of the Ootis- chenia Improvement District Earlier, some residents were under the impression that the Improvement District could use money it had in place for other projects to pay-for the hydrants. thus eliminating the $300 tax Kinakin explained that the dis- trict was not stockpiling money with no purpose in mind. “We're an improvement dis. trict that is an elected body by the community. As such, we have a certain amount of money for cap- ital improvements.and a certain budgeted amount for operating expenses. We have money in the district that has been set aside for capital improvements to the water district: a new well for a greater water supply; installation of automatic controls for our wells for greater efficiency; and a new maintenance shop.” A better understanding of the financial strategies might have contributed to the high number of residents who tumed out to vote Most of the residents, estimated Kinakin, will retrieve the $300 they paid within two years, due to lowered house insurance prem ums. Only those residents who receive a direct benefit of having a fire hydrant installed near their home will be charged the $300 tax The Ootischenia Improvement District has also made a commit ment to augment water-lines which will service more residents with hydrants near their property The Ootischenia Volunteer Fire Department was also in full support of the Fire Hydrant Installation Program.