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IDITION 9

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Sir:

I wish to start this letter by wishing you
and your paper lots of luck and success as
the host tabloid of our town. I am origi-
nally from a small rural community where
the paper was a successful and enterpris-
ing venture which the townfolk and sur-
rounding community came to look forward to
each week.

I have been the site manager of Tumbler
Ridge since September of 1981, co-ordin-
ating the various contractors and
engineering consultants to ensure the
development of this town within scheduling
and budgeting restrictions. Some of our
scheduling has been extremely time consum-
ing and last year's contracts were affect-
ed by an unseasonably wet summer and fall
holding up the paving programs and surface
construction in the sub-divisions and town
centre. Further complications arose when
the union labour force pulled off the
various jobsites due to a supposed con-
flict in their non-affiliation clauses.
These factors put the completion of
contracts, particularly street paving,
boulevard improvements and other surface
works beyond hope for the fall of 1982.

The difficulties we have all experienced
on our streets this spring has _ been
cumbersome I am sure. Construction on the
above works is scheduled to re-start on
May 2 with Goodbrand Construction crews to
complete works on McKenzie Way and Monkman
Way first, then moving into the sub-
divisions for street works to begin late
in May and early June.

Will Enterprises is scheduled to begin
their completion of the sewage treatment
plant facilities on May 2 with another
crew to resume their contract work on the
Town Centre.

Grizzly Contracting is the contractor
working on the sub-division works in Phase
IV A, which is on the north side of Willow
Drive and the east side of Monkman Way.
This work should be totally complete by
September 15.

Buhler Bros. is the contractor working in
Steeprock Mobile Home Community, which is
on the north side of Willow Drive and west
of McKenzie Way. His work should be
totally complete by August 15.

Also scheduled to begin no later than June
1 is the construction of services and
streets in Phases V and VI where one or
two contracts will be working.

To also add to the confusion and conges-
tion, a number of house builders, who have
formed the bulk of the construction and
congestion which we have experienced since
early spring, will be ongoing throughout
all of the other above construction.

THE TUMBLER TIMES - PAGE 5

I am attempting to report in this letter
so that all of the residents will under-
Stand that we are living in an area where
a large amount of construction will be
going on. Congestion will abound. Large
and small equipment, trucks, bulldozers,
scrapers and men will be moving throughout
the existing streets and in areas somewhat
removed from the residential areas now
occupied.

All of this work is absolutely necessary
to complete our town. The respect and
patience that we show toward this work
force will directly affect the speed and
efficiency with which these people can
complete their works. I would ask that
parents explain to their children the
dangers of moving around various types of
equipment and that the driver's and
operator's ability to see and_ hear
because of the size and noisy operation
creates a potential dangerous environment.
We cannot avoid this construction and it
is virtually impossible to prevent the
curiosity and eagerness to see and touch
that all children I know have. Communic-
ating to our young people as much of the
dangers and difficulties in being around
this equipment is our only hope of prev-
enting disaster.

As for the adults, I hope that you can
bear with any disturbances or frustrations
which I am sure will occur during this
spring, summer and fall of 1983. This
will be your worst year. The better we
deal with these situations will make your

future in Tumbler Ridge that much more
enjoyable.
I thank you in advance for the coming

patience and would entertain any inquir-
jes or questions concerning schedules and
construction details that you might have
during the course of the summer.

L. R. Burk
Site Manager
District of Tumbler Ridge

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Tel. 782-3483

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9217-7 St., Dawson Creek, B.C. ViG 3M4