The Village of Chase recently entered into a mutually beneficial relationship with FortisBC.
At the Nov. 26 meeting, council received a request from Vanderstar Engineering Ltd., an agent for Fortis, to install an eight foot antenna on the roof of the Community Hall as part of their natural gas infrastructure. In a report to council, corporate officer Sean O'Flaherty explained that through the agreement, Fortis would pay $475 a month (starting this month), with an annual lease rate increase based on the consumer price index, while the village would pay "nominal electricity costs" in return.
Though the original proposal from Vanderstar offered $400 a month, O'Flaherty explained administration "was able to negotiate an above-market rate." He added that the revenue it generates could be used to buy a generator for the Community Hall to help provide a cooling centre during extreme heat events, and a warming centre during extreme cold, and as a location for small scale evacuations.
As part of the agreement, Fortis indicated they would need to mount the antenna, a GPS antenna and transceiver on or near the HVAC unit, and have access to the equipment and power, with consumption at less than 100 watts.
Council approved the recommendation to enter into a 20-year license agreement with those specifications.
