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Fairhaven Farm

mixes business
and education

‘Working with kids is .... a
challenge!’’ remarked Charlie
Smith, Director of Fairhaven
Farm School in Kitwanga. Mr.

Smith was a teacher in Hazelton

for eleven years before he took
on the task of co-ordinating a
work-study program for young
people: at Fairhaven Farm in
1980.

by Betty Barton

The Farm School program
was established eight years ago
by Ray Halverson and Odt
Jacobson, both local logging
contractors. Ray donated the
120.acres for the farm and Odt
provided the capital to establish
it. Mr. Jacobson is still involved
in the venture and continues to
fund capital projects.

The program, under the

auspices of the Seventh Day
Adventist Church, provides
academic, vocational and
spiritual education for young
people from elementary school
through high school and
beyond. The students have come
from B.C., Alberta, the Yukon
and Maine, to learn responsibili-
ty, get good grades and to work
and to learn a trade, as they
establish their moral and ethical
framework. Academic training
takes place every morning and
vocational work experience,
under supervision, in the after-
noons. The newly appointed
chapel on the property provides
the venue for spiritual guidance.
Most of the residents are from
Seventh Day Adventist
backgrounds, although it is not
a pre-requisite.
_ At present 16 students attend
the school, and a total of 60 peo-
ple live and work on the proper-
ty, including 12 families, seven
of whom have been there since
the farm’s inception.

The farm operates five in-
dustries: a cabinet shop,
machine shop, greenhouses,
sawmill and bakery. From their
profits and the minimal student
fees, the farm is self-supporting
in its day-to-day operations.

The bakery, in operation now
for eight years, supplies 1,500
loaves of bread each week to
stores in Smithers, Hazelton and
Terrace. Paul Cascagnette, head
baker for one year, is proud to
proclaim that theirs is the only
bakery for 500 miles which
sprouts is own wheat for the
famed sprouted wheat bread.
The recipes for all the breads
baked at Fairhaven came from a
California bakery at which Paul
worked before moving to the
farm. Two students assist Paul
in the bakery. They all rotate
through the various industries to
gain experience in every aspect
of the farm.

A newcomer to Fairhaven
Farm is Brad Berousson, there
to learn the bread production in
order to take it back to Lumby.
Lumby and Lillooet have similar
farms to Fairhaven,

In the woodworking shop, the
young people learn cabinetmak-
ing skills, building finely finish-
ed kitchen and bathroom
cabinets and furniture on a con-
tract basis for private in-
dividuals and native bands.
They have also built family
homes, greenhouses and other
buildings at the farm.

The greenhouses are heated

year-round with scrap wood and

‘sawdust left over from the

sawmill operations. The wood
furnace must be stoked two or
three times per night to keep the
plants from freezing. Everyone
takes a turn at it. They will soon
be converting to used motor oil
for convenience and more
regulated heat (and sleep!). In
the greenhouses, they grow long
English cucumbers, tomatoes
and lettuce. In the fields, they
grow carrots and up to three
tons of potatoes in a season.
With this produce, they provide
their own needs and also supply
regional grocery stores, in-
cluding Overwaitea, Safeway
and corner stores.

In the sawmill, they cut dun-
nage (the thin strips of wood us-
ed to separate layers of lumber
before strapping them for shipp-
ing) for Westar, Steige and
Hobenshield sawmills. The
buyers supply the pallets of

_lumber from which the strips are

cut.

Brad Berousson (left) ls an apprentice baker from Lumby, B.C., who is learning the Fairhaven Farm method of mak-
ing bread from Paul Cascagnette. Berousson hopes to open a bakery similar to Fairhaven’s when he returns to

Lumby.

In the summer, berries are
cultivated and the apple or-
chards are harvested. But it’s
not all work and study at
Fairhaven Farm School — the
young people often cross coun-
try ski and recently braved the
elements to go winter camping.

Report questions
water system

TERRACE — A Fire Under-
‘writers survey conducted last
September has concluded that
although the city’s water supply
has been improved, there are
still ‘‘a considerable number of
areas that require upgrading’’.

According to the report, the
Deep Creek reservoir and the
Skeena River pump station are
adequate to deliver the basic fire
flow of 2,500 gallons of water
per minute for’ a minimum
period of 2.5 hours, but 11
hydrant water flow tests in-
dicated that several were not up
to standards due to ‘small
diameter piping, inadequate
looping and excessive spacing of
arterial mains’’.

The report also pointed out
that an annual program of
hydrant maintenance appeared
to be lacking, and that about six
of the 11 hydrants tested were
‘“‘leaking and/or stiff to
operate’. In addition, ‘‘Con-
siderable debris was flushed

from the system during hydrant
water flow testing operations,
indicating a need for a formal
water main flushing program.”

In a final area of concern, the
report pointed out the lack of a
formal training budget and also
that ‘‘adequate training ground
facilities including a pumper test
pit and training tower are re-
quired,”’

The balance of the report was
mainly positive and recognized
the city’s increased fire fighting
capability due to the addition of
a new first line pumper. It also
stated that the present fire hall

provides good coverage of the .

community and pointed out that
the city’s plans for a water main
rehabilitation program over the
next few years will improve
water flow.

The report has been forward-
ed to the city’s Planning and
Public Works Committee for
review,

Pool, arena hill

projects

According to a Terrace Ad-
visory Parks and Recreation
Commission report, all ap-
provals have been received for
the Swimming Pool Expansion
Project which is scheduled to
begin in early April, and. the
Beautification Society’s Arena
Hill Project is close to the
tendering stage of development.

Council has referred several
resolutions from the Feb. 17
meeting of the commission to
the Community and Recreation
Services Committee for their

consideration and recommenda-

tion.

According to the report, the
city should consider installing a
proper drainage system in the
Christy Park area because the
east end of the park floods dur-
ing a heavy rainfall. The report
suggested that the drainage
system should be installed soon

A Rf ac Sy notes aru eR neang: Aacmmentees omg ea ae

approved

because the Terrace Youth Soc-
cer Association has indicated
they would complete work on
the park’s soccer fields this year.

The report also advised that
the current fee structure for
community recreation facilities
was presently under study in
preparation for the 1988/89
recreation budget. The study

will determine if the rate struc- ©

ture is sufficient to maintain
facilities or if rate increases are
required.

Through the report, the com-

- mission also requested that

council approve their recom-
mendations that Dave Crawley
and Gordon Oates be appointed
to the commission for a two-
year term and that the com-
mencement date of new appoint-
ments be changed from Jan. 1 to
Sept. 1.

Falrhaven Farm School Director Charile Smith examines an English
cucumber plant being cultivated in thelr wood heated green houses for
sale to local grocery stores.

For more details ask your local dealer.

“sara souN

Prince Rupert Terrace Kitimat

624-4236 635-4948 632-5000

NATIONWIDE

ALPINE

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