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March 12, 2007
Parkland SAR 2007 AGM
PSAR 2007 Annual General Meeting will be held at PSAR HALL starting
at 1900 hrs.
March 07, 2007
Parkland SAR 2007 AGM
With the threat of a world wide Pandemic, are you prepared! PSAR will
be hosting a Pandemic Lecture presented by Norman Mathew at PSAR HALL.
Lecture begins at 1900 hrs, so come early to save a spot.
November 13, 2006
Parkland SAR Proposes to Host 2009 Provincial SAR Conference
At the November general meeting the PSAR membership was presented with
a proposal for the society to co-host the 2009 Provincial SAR Conference
in alliance with the Search & Rescue Association of Alberta. The
proposed weekend conference theme of “Building From the Ground
Up” would offer keynote speakers and sessions catering to many
areas of search & rescue and conclude with the annual general business
meeting of the Search & Rescue Association of Alberta. The tentative
date for the conference is April 24-26, 2009 at Camp Health, Hope, &
Happiness in the County of Parkland on Lake Isle, 30 minutes west of
Stony Plain.
The complete proposal has now been submitted to the Search & Rescue
Association of Alberta for review, input, and approval.
October 18, 2006
Parkland SAR Acquires Old Stony Plain Fire Hall
Search and rescue group scores new home
Reprinted with permission from the Stony Plain Reporter – October
18, 2006
By Wes Gilbertson
Staff Writer
The Stony Plain fire department is not the only local emergency service
provider getting a new home.
Pending the completion of a lease agreement, the Parkland Search and
Rescue Society will be handed the keys to the old fire hall, town council
agreed at a Monday meeting. The search and rescue team, which draws
members from throughout the tri-municipal area, was one of several organizations
and businesses that expressed an interest in occupying the 4,300 square-foot
facility.
“There are a lot of other groups in the community that could use
this space and this facility,” said Coun. Dwight Ganske. “Unfortunately,
we can’t solve all the space problems at this point in time with
this facility. “I wish we could, but we can’t.”
Ian MacVittie, president of the Parkland Search and Rescue Society,
was unable to attend Monday’s meeting but said he was “absolutely
tickled” when he received the good news. The old fire hall is “absolutely
perfect for our needs,” MacVittie enthused. Stony Plain’s
fire services will move into their new digs, located along 49th Avenue,
in two weeks, but town council has been haggling over the future of
their current home for several months.
At a mid-August meeting, town administration recommended the old hall
be leased to Parkland Search and Rescue, but several councilors raised
concerns and the item was eventually tabled.
On Monday, town staff reiterated its stance that leasing the old hall
to the search and rescue group was the best bet. Down the road, the
building might be used for expansion of the municipal offices, located
right across the street.
“The key thing is retaining ownership for future potential expansion
options within the Town of Stony Plain,” explained Kim Neill, the
town’s director of community services. “This basically buys
us time before we decide on the long-term future of that facility.”
Agreed Ganske: “It’s absolutely essential, in my mind, that
we retain ownership of that building.”
About a half dozen organizations, including Stony Plain’s Family
and Community Support Services (FCSS) and a pair of local church groups,
had contacted the town to indicate their desire to move into the old
hall. However, an inspection has revealed a number of costly upgrades—roof,
floor and exterior work totaling about $200,00—would be required
if the building was to be used for public purposes. Parkland Search
and Rescue will not be completing any major renovations.
“You could say that the building was almost custom-made for our
needs,” MacVittie said. The search and rescue group, which assists
the police, Parks Canada and other tasking agencies on missing persons
calls, will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the old
fire hall, but the lease will not generate revenue for the town.
After a brief debate, council voted 6-1 in favour of leasing the aging
facility to the search team, with only Coun. Ken Lemke opposed. Lemke
argued that the future cost of upgrading the old fire hall for office
use will likely be sky-high, and the town would be better off selling
the hall now. “My fear,” he said, “is that at some point
down the road this is going to become a money-pit for the town.”
Coun. Paul McCann countered, arguing the building may not be useful
in the long-term, but the lot could one day be used to house some sort
of “community building.”
“I don’t necessarily see a building over thee, I see a piece
of land that is very valuable,” he said. “I really hope the
future council has the vision to do something special with that area.
“I think it’s just an incredible opportunity.” The Parkland
Search and Rescue Society is expected to agree to a three-year lease,
which will include a six-month opt-out clause, and will likely move
into their new digs sometime in December or early in the New Year.
With the keys to the hall, the group will soon have a central command
area, a training grounds and a classroom space for hosting safety courses.
They’ll also use the facility to store their mobile command post,
a utility trailer and all of their equipment. That means MacVittie will
finally clear some of the gear out of his jam-packed basement, while
other members of the group will free up some shelf space in their garages.
The non-profit organization might also look into purchasing a quad or
snowmobile, items that have long been on their wish list. “We’ve
never had a place to put them,” MacVittie said. “We’ve
never had a home.”
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