A12- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 15, 1998 Another stab at resource road Company eyes Iskut ore A VANCOUVER mining company has moved one step closer to building a road into the mineral-rich Iskut River Vailey. Only this time the target isn’t gold, it’s an industrial mineral called wollastonite. Whitegold Resource Corp. is giving formal notice that it will apply for a mining lease for its Bri] property, located 16km south of the Snip gold mine at Bronson Creek in the Iskul Valley northwest of here. Bart Jaworski, Whitegold’s president of ex- ploration, says an interim feasibility study identifies a route for the proposed $12.9 million, 60km access road, running along the south side of the river and into the mine site. The Snip gold mine is ser- viced by aircraft using a nearby strip and = several other companies with claims in the area have tried but failed over the years to build a road, A road already extends from Bob Quinn on High- way 37 well into the Iskut Valley along the southem side of the river to Volcano Creck, before turning south to the Eskay Creck gold mine. Whitegold proposes to extend the road west from Volcano Creek. If the mine gets the go ahead, the most optimistic construction start date would be the summer of 1999, Jaworski says. Wollastonite has a variety of uses as a ‘‘filler”’ for in- dustrial applications. Manufacturers can = save money by filling with wol- lastonite, ‘‘What plastic producers do is they fill in order to save the cost,’’ he explains. “They still get the volume, a (Wollastonita Deposit} Bril Property Iskut River Alaska/B.C. Bordar ° Volcano Craek Eskay Creek Mine DOTTED LINES mark out what would be a road to a mineral claim deep in the lIs- kut Valley northwest of here. A road already runs into the valley from Hwy 37 North but goes south to the Eskay gold mine. but it’s cheaper.” Whitegold intends to target the plastics industry, specifically injection- moulded auto parts. “We're very specialized. It's a niche market, and that’s the market that’s going io give us the prices we want for it.”’ Wollastonite does more than take up space, how- ever. It’s a “‘performance filler’” that enhances the properties of whatever it’s added to. “This stuff makes it a lot more heal resislant, gives it high impact resistance, high durability, it absorbs (ultra- violet radiation) so il’s more weather resistant, it makes it more chemically stable,’’ Jaworski says. ‘*There’s a whole spec- trum of uses for this stuff, from paints to ceramics, to caulkings lo ceramic tiles.” The mineral is relatively rare; there are only three other producing deposits in North America today. Whitegold will seek a for- mal environmental review of its project sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, Jaworski says. That review can take any- where from six months to a year, but that could be hurried up because the pro- ject has been simplified. The com pally had originally planned to build a crusher at the mine site and pump a wollastonite slurry along a 16km pipeline to Bronson Creek. That idea was scrapped, however, due to longterm technical concerns, Jaworski says. Plans now call for the ore to be blasted from a quarry, loaded onto trucks and hauled to Bob Quinn, where a flotation plant is proposed to be built lo remove waste minerals. The end product, 99 per cent pure wollastonite con- centrate, would be trucked to Stewart for milling, Jawarski says. A specialized “air classifying’’ —_—mill would have to be built to break the mineral crystals. After milling, the product would be put into large sacks and barged out. As for where it would go, Whitegold is still trying to nail down buyers. “We have to prove the markets,’ Jaworski says, adding he expects strong in- senior housing plan meeting approaches THE GROUP which wants to build a new kind of housing now needs to know what the public thinks. A commitice of the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hos- pital Foundation bas been working away on a plan to build a supportive housing com- plex on land beside Terraceview Lodge. That’s defined as housing for seniors who can live on their own but who might need a minimum level of services, says conumillee member Marylin Davies. The complex itself will have services but residents will also be able to take advantage of meals or other amenities at neighbouring Terraceview, she said. . ‘A tenant might be somebody who has a spouse at Terraceview, They'd be able to visit easily,”” Davies added. ‘‘We’re calling this seniors friendly. A mid-point between Twin River and Terraceview,”’ she said. The idea of supportive housing beside Terraceview has been araund for 10 years. At the beginning of the decade, the provincial government did assign the land on which the building will be built. In thase first years, the idea was thal rents would be ’ subsidized by government programs. . Now, says Davies, the emphasis is on a ‘selfsupporling project not subject to government involvement. The object is to have a project dedicated for the citizens of Terrace,”’ she said, The project, called Heritage House, has a tentative price tag of $3.16 million for 40 units, making each unit worth $79,000. Tenants would purchase a unit under what’s called a life-lease. They would aiso have to pay a monthly operating expense charge to cover repairs, taxes and utilities. Already eight people have made a $1,000 deposit and a 50 per cent sign up is needed for the committee to secure bank financing. Each unit in an apartment-building style construction will be one-bedroom, have a laundry area and have 562 square [cet of living space. They'll be construcied to suit the needs of seniors, Common areas will consist of social and recreational rooms and dedicated parking. The complex will be governed by its resi- dents once constructed, said Davies. “What we are is the catalyst,’’ she added. Davies is hosting a mectling this Saturday in the education room at Mills Memorial Hospital to explain what’s happened to date and to hear what potential residents have to say. It begins at 10 a.m. and more information is available from Davies at 635-6468. terest from both the U.S. and Asian automolive in- dustries, as well as Euro- pean manufacturers. Whitegold started its work on the project in 1995, two years after the Bril deposit was discovered, Slush 2 for T Caution: Not Responsible For Brain Freeze Now 6 Flavors of Slush And fill up: ‘Fin up| with. ethanol: ‘blended 1x gasolines made from: grain. L a bag with great savings:at® fora cleaner environment. MOHAWK | our store. Mother Nature's Gas Station. a 47 40 Lakelse Avenve, Terrace Ph: 635-6935 Expires April 24, 1998 BUY DISH TODAY & | RECEIVE 11 MONTHS FREE PROGRAMMING. SEE IN STORE FOR DETAILS. in the fun. FUN STARTS AT 10:00 P.M Hanky Panky’s FRIDAY, APRIL 17 SATURDAY, APRIL 18 - We're Going Camping! 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