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Work camp details arrive

Details of a proposed temporary workers camp were presented to Village of Burns Lake council on Feb. 5, 2013.

Details of a proposed temporary workers camp were presented to Village of Burns Lake (VBL) council on Feb. 5, 2013.

Kenny Worthing, owner of Lakes District Diamond Drilling Ltd., of Burns Lake, has applied for a temporary-use permit to build a 200-person camp on the vacant property behind the Lakeview Mall in Burns Lake at 500 Richmond Loop. The facility is intended to house workers required to meet the demand of four upcoming major construction projects in Burns Lake: the new hospital, the rebuild of the Babine sawmill, the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena expansion and the downtown revitalization project.

The proposal is to install four eight-trailer dorms, as well as a kitchen and dining unit. All facilities will be available on site, including kitchen, laundry and entertainment hookups like cable and internet. According to the permit application, the camp will require at least 10 employees.

Worthing intends to provide complete professional land restoration once the camp is removed, with no costs anticipated for the VBL.

Village staff have already had meetings with property owner Randy Hamp, the applicant, Mayor Luke Strimbold, building officials, VBL protective services, and the Ministry of Transportation, regarding the feasibility of the proposal.

Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald has asked for the opportunity to comment on RCMP concerns for the project.

In a report to VBL council, Jeff Ragsdale, development services coordinator, noted that the temporary camp would be a boost to the local economy, while at the same time meeting anticipated construction demands.

A lot of work remains to move the proposal along, but VBL council has asked for a full report, including recommendations from the RCMP, the Ministry of Transportation, and from building inspectors to be prepared for the March 5, 2013 meeting of village council.

Notifications of the application will go out shortly to property owners within 30 metres of the proposed site. Normally, Ragsdale cautioned, applications like this can take a long time to process, but VBL council is optimistic that things can be expedited because a lot of preliminary work has already begun.