Sleepless in Terrace hipper plagues residents SLEEPLESS CITY residents are phoning the mayor, city ‘councillors and even the RCMP to complain when a noisy log chipper keeps them awake. “If we can’t sleep, why should they?” demands Fran “Godel, an Agar Avenue resident who says she and hundreds of other residents of the western bench and parts of the southside are at the end of their rope, --Godel’s says calls to city officials and councillors haven’t produced a workable solution to the noise from the ‘Chipper being used by Skeena Cellulose beside Hwy16é. She’s frustrated the RCMP won’t respond to industrial ‘hoise complaints, “We could have a party going on next door and they would be here right away,’’ Godet noted. - Perhaps residents in all the affected neighbourhoods Should follow Skeena Celluiose’s lead, she says, and defer their property taxes until the city finds a way to stop the thumping, banging and booming that runs to 1:30 a.m. and -Testarts around 6 a.m, . Affected residents say they don’t want to be character- ized as anti-industry or anti-jobs. . “We don’t want to sce anybody at all losing their jobs. ‘We'd like to see lots of chippers ~~ just do it right,’’ says Tony Hannel, a Mountain Vista Drive resident. ; ~... “We don’t think they’re behaving responsibly in bring- ing a piece of equipment like that in,” he added, noting the manufacturer of the unit has said it shouldn’t be located in a cily without being completely enclosed. Harmel said the chipper noise has killed the real estate tarket in his neighbourhood. “Not one house bas sold in amy subdivision since it started,”’ said Harmel, who also bought last year. ‘‘If that thing had been running, I don’t think I would be there.”’ Jean Daponte says he and his wife wouldn’t have bought their McConnell Ave. house west of the Seventh Day Ad- ventist Church on the bench last summer if they’d been aware of the noise. Daponte says his family has been driven to sleeping in _ their basement some nights to escape the noise. ‘We're at our wits’ end,’ he says. ‘We get up in the -Momting and we're like a couple of zombies around here.’’ - Mountain Vista resident Assunta Pijl says the sleepless- ness and headaches she suffers from due to chipper noise amounts to a health hazard. *T tum the TV volume louder but I cannot drown out the noisc,’’ Pijl says. “The noise is going right through my whole body, This noise has to go away. | for sure am going to have a breakdown from the noise.”’ She and several other residents came to the Jan. 11 city council meeting and pushed the mayor and council to take action, ‘“We want it fixed,’’ Pijl told councillors. ‘We don’t want il sugar-coated any more.”’ Mayor Jack Talstra assured her the city will take further action if a putty coating to be applied to the drum debarker by month’s end doesn’t work. “Te it doesn’t work we will be sitting down with the company again — we're nat going to allow this to con- tinve too much longer,” Talstra said. ‘‘Everyone around the table is losing some patience with the situation.” a AGAR AVENUE resident Fran Godet is ane of the people plagued by noise com- ing from the chipper in the Skeena Cellulose log yard, second chipper wanted SKEENA CELLULOSE’s chipper opera- tors want to set up a second chipper and log debarker in a move they say would actually reduce the noise bothering residents on the west side of town, Gordon Hull, of Don Hull and Sons Con- tracting, said they’ve been looking at in- stalling a second bigger chipper and more importantly a ring debarker in SCI’s Poirier log yard, _ A ring debarker would be considerably quieter than the existing drum debarker, which causes most of the noise when logs bang ant! thump around inside the drum. Hull said the ring debarker would be more efficient in handling the large logs that also cause the loudest booming noises. “We'd do 60 to 70 per cent of the logs with the ring debarker,’’ he said. ‘‘And we'd use the drum for shorts. id smaller stuff and maybe shift it to just daytime op- eration.” But he said those plans are still on hold wutil his family’s firm gets a contract from ADULT HOMES CHILDRENS FACILITIES COMMUNITY PROGRAMS lerace & District Community Services Society -CHOICES- Program Manager ~- Marilyn Lissimore Meeting the needs of people who are Developmentally Delayed . Davis Residence, Graham Residence, Hemlock House, Crescentview Residence Respite Home, Tuck Street Residence Self-Help Skills & Residential Support Pragram For further information regarding these programs Phone: 635-7863 Or Fax: 635-7832 Skeena Cellulose to continue the chipping operations, He said they don’! want to invest in more equipment wilhout a contract in place, but wouldi’t claborale on their negatiations with SCI. . Skeena Cellulose officials are also still working on another option to help quiet the drum debarker. That involves placing a pulty substance around the drum and shea- thing it in aluminum, City bylaw enforcement officer Frank Bowsher said he’s been told that material is to arrive around Jan. 22 and it’l! take a few days after that to install, ; He said the city will review the situation al the end of the month after the putty is in place, Skeena Cellulose had installed a metal plate inside the drum debarker in early De- cember, expecting that would silence the loudest booms by keeping logs from being carried to the top of the drum aud then fall- ing. . The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 20, 1999 - A3 News In Brief The air up here AIR QUALITY in Terrace was considered good for 100 per centof all 744 hours tested in December. According to B.C, Environment, any inhalable partic- ulate above 25 would negatively affect human health, Terrace’s maximum daily inhalable © particulate peaked at 18, and averaged at 8 in December..' Port Edward recorded the Skeena region’s best daily particulate count of 9, while Smithers recorded the area’s worst daily inhalable particulate count of 28, - a rt Bargain Shop break-in TERRACE RCMP arrested a man after responding to calls of a break in at the Bargain Shop Jan, 11. Witnesses called the RCMP at 9:36 p.m, that night when they noticed a fone male breaking through the store's front doors. Police stopped a man and recovered a shopping cart full of store merchandise in the parking lot. Charles Barton Bensou, 32, has been charged with breaking and entering and is scheduled to appear in court next on Jan, 29, Crash ends car chase A RCMP vehicle received a substantial amount of damage after a chase ending in a collision with another vehicle. No one was hurt in the Jan. 10 collision at the commer of Molitor and Graham. A foot chase then ensued anda man was arrested. Renny Pires, 27, was charged with impaired driving, refusal to take a breathalyzer. examinationi, dangerous driving, breach of an undertaking and failure to stop for a police officer. He was subsequently sentenced to six months in jail with 18 months probation Friday, Jan, 15. Pires is prohibited from owning a weapon for five years and driving a vebicle for three years. Man drowns in river PRINCE RUPERT RCMP are investigating the death of a Port Edward man who drowned in the Skeena River Wednesday, Jan. 13. Clifford Acker, 56, was driving on Hwy 16, 55 kilo- metres cast of Prince Rupert around 3 p.m. when pass- ing motorists saw his 1989 black Ford Lauriat plunge into the river. His body was later located by Terrace Search and Rescue, Joining the inner circle HE MAY not be a cabinet minister, but Skeena NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht is now a, member of the government’s Economic Council of Ministers. The council is chaired by finance minister Joy Mac- Phail and its members include cabinet ministers Dan Miller, Moc Sihota, Dave Zirmmhelt and Corky Evans. Individualized, confidential conselling/sup Terrace & District Community Services Society -NORTHWEST ADDICTION SERVICES- Program Manager - Jeannette Anderson rt to anyone whose life is being negatively affected by alcohol and/or drugs. ADULT OUTPATIENT PROGRAMS - Terrace, Kitimat & Smithers CHILDREN & FAMILIES COUNSELLING SCHOOL BASED INTERVENTION - Smithers & Kitimat "GAMBLING ADDICTIONS PROGRAM >> For further information regarding these programs __ Phone: 638-8117 Or Fax: 638-1606 > Special for JANUARY ¢ 1999 2-4-1] 10 oz NEW YO f a Seafood BI Steak & Seafood Grill 7 RK STEA with fresh sauteed mushrooms & baked potato 7 Days A Week From 4-10 PM Also Check Our Daily Specials , Blet3* Sz 4332 Lakelse Ave., Terrace, 635-9161 The Dr. 8.E.M. Lee Hospital dy Electronic futures Foundation ' presents Saturday, February 13, 1999 at 8 p.m. in the Best Western Temace Inn Tickets $75.00 Formal Dress ¢ Elegant Hors D’oeuvres TICKETS AVAILABLE AT EV’S MENS WEAR OR FROM ANY DIRECTOR Donors ¢ All Seasons Source For Sports ? Erwia’s Jewellers J Progressive Ventures d Aqua Clear Bottlers / Ev's Mens Wear df Safeway ¢ Aqua Plumbing ¢ Gemma’s ¢ Terrace Bullders ¢{ Canadian Tire { Great Pacific Management ¢ Terrace Chrysler ¢ Carters Jewellers J Great West Life f Terrace Equipment Sales ¢ Cedarland Tire d images By Katlene d Terrace Sight & Sound: ¢ Central Howers ¢ Marylin & Phil Davies ¢ Totem Country Wide Furniture ¢ Coast Inn Of The West 2 Northern Drugs & Appliances a ¢ Elan Travel in cooperation 2 Northern Motor Inn J Totem Ford ; with Canadian Airlines ¢ Northern Savings CreditUnion J Twillght Spas The New Orleans Connection Tour Is sponsored by Sight & Sound Productions Ltd. & Terrace & District Credit Union