Newsletter

Whatshan Retreat Society (DRHS #1999) Fall/Winter Issue

November 2014

Society Welcomes Two New Board Members! We would like to welcome 2 new Directors; Anil Mattoo and Lorissa Demoskoff!

Presidents Report – Elmer Verigin 1. Infrastructure Project Completion Peter Rezansoff has chaired this Committee along with Peter Dergousoff and Lawrence Marshall who assisted him over these past two years. The good news is that we have a definitive proposal for an Emergency Generator and it is now on order. We have been allocated the funding by Allan Markin for its completion. Peter is making a separate report on what it all comprises and how it will make the Whatshan Lake Retreat a much safer place as a result. This report is within this bulletin. 2. Fire-fighting Issues Completion of the Infrastructure places Whatshan in a position to be able to fight fires more effectively. This does not mean that we can guarantee the Users safety without their assistance in the event of an emergency caused by the User or y by other sources. The Managers are not responsible to do much more than to fight the fire as best as they can and direct the User to assist them. This process is no different than before but at least now there is the additional of Fire hydrants and hoses that can be utilized. Lawrence and Colleen are members of the Edgewood Volunteer Fire Department (EFD) and they will educate Users or Clients on the available fire-fighting equipment at Whatshan along with fire drills. The EFD (Enderby Fire Department) will be first responders in the event of a fire at Whatshan although there will be a time delay for travel which will be a major hindrance in an emergency but now there will be better access to fire water other than the tank on the fire truck. 3. Plan of Action Update The Whatshan Experience 2014, held on July 05, 2014 was a success for the following reasons: a) It was a financial success because net cash proceeds exceeded expenses based on a 100 people in attendance. b) The model used for the Whatshan Experience 2014 can be used as a base model for future events. We are looking for volunteers to stage a 2014 event. Anyone who would like to volunteer is asked to contact c) Attendants from the following organizations have indicated interest in becoming more involved in Watchan Experience: • Interior Health Authority (IHA) • Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) • Selkirk College • Sinixt 1st Nations • Kootenay Savings Foundation • Philanthropist Allan Markin as follows: i. Requested that improvements be made to Barnes Creek International Airport so that the Pure North planes could safely land. Enquiries were made and it was 1

found that this request had been unsupported by the land owners of the airport. As an alternative it was determined that the Nakusp Airport would have to be used and a bus would need to be purchased for transporting people between the airport and Watchan Retreat. i. Allan Markin advised that he will be funding the wellness clinics and other health initiatives for the other 9 months when rentals would not exist. 4. Volunteering Many members have requested times when they can volunteer at Whatshan. The Directors have now established a list of projects that need to be completed at the site. A list is provided within this bulletin. There is a condition that still remains that volunteer campsites are available for those who wish to have one partially funded. 5. Membership Lists The new Director Anil has been asked to work with Lorne to update the membership list. If you have received this bulletin your name and address are correct. If you know someone who has been missed or wishes to receive these newsletters please send the name and e-mail address to the contact information provided in this newsletter 6. Volunteer Campgrounds We are in the process of updating the requirements to obtain a campsite. If you are interested please send your request to the contact information on this bulletin. Our support of Freedom Quest, Youth Drug and Alcohol Treatment) is confidential and we cannot publish the identity of the clientele nor events that they partake in. What we can tell you is that over 480 clients receive attention from our 15 youth workers located in Grand Forks, Trail, Fruitvale, Salmo, Nelson, Kalso, Nakusp, Slocan and head office in Castlegar. For more information see www.freedomquestonline.com If you feel that you are ready to serve and assist us in any way, feel free to contact me directly or any Director.

Major Capital Projects Report – Peter Rezansoff Projects successfully completed at Whatshan Lake Retreat. A number of much needed Capital Projects could not have been undertaken if not for the generous financial contribution made by the DHRS benefactor Allan Markin. Amongst the projects was the upgrading of the existing water system and the installation of a much needed ‘site fire-protection system’. Once funding was committed the Board of Directors passed a resolution to proceed with the essential work. Total available funding was $500,000 which included infrastructure work, window replacement, telephone land line installation; main lodge deck replacement; hot water tank replacement and replacement of lodge propane stoves. In October 2012 The Major Projects Committee retained WSA Engineering (2012) Ltd to provide a pre-design proposal, identifying and clarifying the essential scope of work and their relationship to the budget. WSA provided their report on January 28, 2013. WSA Engineering proposed scope of work and the initial estimated cost exceeded the DHRS capital expansion budget that the committee was working with by over $100,000 dollars. 2

WSA was instructed to pursue alternative means in order to reduce their estimate to bring the budget closer to DHRS budget for infrastructure upgrades. WSA and DHRS committees exchanged information and reviewed various options and methods which resulted in reducing the infrastructure budget to $381,000. The major scope of work included the following: a) b) c) d) e) f)

Locating and drilling of a new well and laying piping. Installation of fire hydrants and a water distribution system. Installation of reservoir to meet the required storage capacity. Installation of a booster pump system and associated controls. Installation of separate hydro Power Service. Installation of Emergency power supply.

Execution of work Work had to be performed so as not to interfere with the Retreat operations during the busy Retreat summer rental period; which meant work had to be scheduled for short periods of time during the spring and fall months. No work could be performed during the late fall and winter months due to snow and severe weather conditions. Water well A Hydrologist from Vernon was retained to advise on locating the well and to perform the necessary water testing once the well was completed. It must be noted that advice and suggestions that came from Elmer Verigin were most helpful as Elmer was privy to past information on existing well locations and their varying capacity. Work commenced on site in the spring of 2013 with the locating and drilling of a well capable of supplying enough water to meet the fire protection requirements. This was a most crucial step as all depended on locating a well that would be capable of producing enough water to meet the demand as well as meet the required quality. The well location and drilling was successful; both in water capacity as well as acceptable water content. When tested the well produced 35 gallons/minute which was sufficient to handle the fire-protection requirements. Installation of Hydrants and main water works Fire Hydrant locations were identified and placed in strategic locations to enable future fire protection to be utilized. This work commenced late spring and was completed in the fall. An additional fire hydrant was later added near the volunteers camp sites in order to provide fire protection for this area in case of fire. (see attached site map.) Water Reservoir – Various options were considered including: a) b) c) d)

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Concrete holding tank. Utilizing creek water from the hippy hole. Placing the holding tank at a higher elevation to create pressure. Fabricated metal tank.

In the end it was found to be most economical to utilize fabricated metal tank similar those being utilized in some of the areas of Okanagan (photo attached). Booster pump station - The booster station consisting of pumps, valves, and controls was the most elaborate as it operates the entire protection system. Being the case it had to be installed in a protected building both from vandalism as well as inclement weather. It was determined that a most cost effective way was to purchase a C-can ( Metal container) which was more secure and provided better protection from breakin. The balance of booster pump station equipment was installed in the spring of 2014. (see photo) Separate Hydro service - Separate service had to be brought in as there was insufficient power supply on site. A separate ‘right of way’ had to be created with hydro and line contractor retained to slash the ‘right of way’ to allow Hydro to bring the electrical lines. To complicate matters Hydro was not able to supply us with 3-Phase power supply which was required for the large pumps. We had to settle for single phase power supply and solve our needs with on-site step up transformers. Work commenced in the spring of 2014 with the award of clearing off the right-off-way and signing of agreements with Hydro. A local electrical contractor was retained to provide the tie-in of the electrical service to the booster pump station. Emergency generator – Sourcing and locating the Gen set became somewhat of an issue and a problem. The dollar amount in the budget was based on a ‘used generator’ to be purchased at $20,000. We were unable to find a used generator mainly due to the size and capacity that we required. As noted Hydro was unable to supply 3 phase power (which most of the generators are sized for). Try as we may we were not able to locate a used generator anywhere in Western Canada. We are pleased to say that retreat benefactor Allan Markin again came to the assistance when he learned that we did not have sufficient funds to purchase a new generator. Allan contributed $30,000 to meet the shortfall and a new emergency generator was purchased. WSA WSA has completed their contract except for installation of the emergency generator, connection and commissioning of the system. This work is scheduled to be completed in the latter part of September. The system is operational on local hydro power should an emergency occur requiring fire protection. We extend our ‘Thanks’ to Allan Markin for without his contribution there would not be a ‘Capital Project’. We Thank Dan Sahlstrom of WSA for his design and execution of the work taking into account DHRS limited budget. Thanks are in order to our ‘Volunteer Special Projects Committee’ who assisted and worked diligently on the project, Elmer Verigin, Peter Dergousoff (past director) and Lawrence Popoff who ensured that payments were there as was required. We as well thank our managers/caretakers Colleen and Lawrence Marshall for assisting the on-site activities while at the same time running the retreat facilities. On behalf of the Major Project Committee Peter Rezansoff Special Project Committee Chair

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Volunteer Projects Picnic Tables In the Spring, a few of us decided to build some tables. Wood was donated by Porcupine Wood Products and had been sitting for some time. It took 2 days, a lot of teamwork, training of how to use a drill, muscle power, screw markers, form makers and a commitment to finish the work. Here are the results!

Membership We are always looking for new members to join our society, so if you know of anyone who may be interested please contact Lorne Markin for further details. Upcoming Events – Mark your calendars! Fall Clean up – November 21-23, 2014 The date has been confirmed for the next Whatshan Retreat volunteer gathering to come together and all help get the Retreat ready for the winter season - it will be the weekend of November 21-23, 2014. This is a glorious opportunity to go up to Whatshan for some relaxation, exercise, bonfires, sing songs, meet some fine people and overall just enjoy the place. There will be more details to come as we get closer to the weekend date, however the Directors want to get the word out as soon as possible. Volunteers will be provided with accommodation & meals from Friday (November 21st) through to Sunday (November 23rd). Please pass the message along to others…….. Below are two draft task lists of the work/projects that need to be completed during this weekend. Please review and put some consideration to which project(s) you would be able to work on. To 1. 2. 3.

confirm attendance, please RSVP by November 17th with the following information: Dates you will be on site Accommodation needs (if any) What projects you are interested in working on (from the attached lists)

RSVP’s go direct to Lawrence Marshall at [email protected]. We also ask that you include a cc to the following: Lorne Markin [email protected] Anil Mattoo [email protected] This information will help with managing the work project activities, accommodation requirements and also meal planning. See you in November! . Lorne Markin, Society Secretary & Anil Mattoo, Volunteer Coordinator. 5

List of • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

jobs to be done: Replenish the wood shed by cabin 1 Replenish wood in front of cabins Chop smaller wood, prepare kindling Prepare axes for cabin renters to use Get wood for Retreat building Check vents in on Eagles Nest Place matches in cabins to start fire Clean out ash from all wood stoves Wrap electrical outlets at campsites and volunteer area Blow out lawn sprinklers Drain gas out of lawn mowers / weed eaters Check that heater in pump house working plus anything else that needs to be shut off Water valve closures Check and enhance gas supplies Burn trees and branches Rake leaves Chlorinate or shock the water system All power outlets in campsites Repair snow blower

Spring Cleanup – To be Determined Whatshan Experience Weekend - July 10-12, 2015 • Information will follow in the New Year. • Contact Elmer Verigin for further information 250-304-2801 [email protected]

From the Board – Positions for 2014-15 Year Elmer Verigin – President Lawrence Popoff – Treasurer Lorne Markin – Secretary Peter Rezansoff – Chair, Major Projects Committee Anil Mattoo – Chair, Volunteer Committee Paris Voykin – Liaison member, Freedom Quest Lisa Poznikoff – Liaison Member, Freedom Quest Lorissa Demoskoff – Marketing/Promotions Committee Nona Kucher – Marketing/Promotions Committee John J. Verigin – Special Projects

Let us know what you think. We want to hear from you as to what you would like to be updated on for future newsletters. Thanks, Nona Kucher – 250-231-1962 Email: [email protected] 6