Two employees from FortisAlberta appeared before Irricana Town council on Oct. 7 to discuss the number of power outages the town has experienced this year.
To date, 30 outages have occurred on the Balzac powerline, which feeds Irricana and surrounding rural areas, that officials are blaming on animals and lightning.
Due to complaints issued by Town council, Fortis crews have completed 40 per cent of the repairs needed to the line, the end date for the repairs is excepted to be the end of October.
According to Allison Beaudry, stakeholder relations manager for FortisAlberta, crews have taken precautions and set up “bird-proofing” and lightning rods along the line in the hopes of decreasing the amount of outages.
“There aren’t more birds now than there was when I moved here in 1993,” Deputy Mayor Larry Martin said.
“That was the worse I’ve ever seen, then it cleared up, up until last summer and this summer.”
Beaudry explained that maintenance occurs on its lines every seven years, and this was the seventh year.
October is Library month
Irricana Mayor Lisa Constantini proclaimed October as library month, after a unanimous decision by council.
The recognition aims to acknowledge the value of libraries in the communities and to continue to raise their profiles.
Handi-Bus joint venture
Council voted unanimously in favour of joining with the Village of Beiseker to seek provincial funding for a Handi-Bus service – which will operate solely on volunteers - that will provide transportation for both Irricana and Beiseker residents.
Currently, Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society provides limited access to their services.
Using Regional Collaboration Grant Funding between Irricana and Beiseker, the Town hopes to provide a Handi-Bus service through a regional project.
No further information was available about the time frame of the proposal and the grant amount needed to be requested.
