Aside from a little rough weather two weeks ago, the sun has been bathing the area this September. Residents have had the chance to enjoy what little of summer and the sun remains.
    Starland County is hoping to enjoy the sunshine, though in a different way. The county is working on a new initiative to help farmers in the area get hooked up to solar power.
    “We are excited that the alternative energy industry has had some major advancements that make it a smart and cost effective investment. We are working to help in every way we can so businesses, farms, and residents of our region can access and utilize the technology,” said Jordan Webber, Economic Development Officer for Starland County.
    A new initiative, though in its early stages of development, would involve creating solar packages for farmers, where the farmer could do some of work to set it up themselves. In other words, the equipment would be in a do-it-yourself solar kit.
    The project is in the works and the county is hoping to have it ready once funding is more forthcoming from the province.
    “Alberta Agriculture has a program, which is a little limited at this time. The province has a pot of cash, which is joint money from the provincial and federal governments, called Growing Forward. They cover up to 50 per cent of the cost of on farm solar,” said Starland County CAO Ross Rawlusyk.
    “We’re in the initial stages to gear it up, so when they come up with a new Growing Forward framework with more of an emphasis on alternate energy, we’re ready.”
    Solar power can be quite expensive. The aim of the project would be to cut costs to make it more affordable for farmers to use the alternate energy source.
    “What we’re looking at doing is to get it as cheap as we can. There would be a component where the farmers could do some of the installation themselves, like the racking,” said Rawlusyk.
    “The racking systems are essentially pre-made. So there could be savings in the racking and putting panels on, but you would still need someone to hook it up in the end.”
    The county is also working on a modelling program where those interested could enter their current power bills and the size of solar array they want, and they would get an estimate of the energy savings they could expect.
    Once harvest season is over, Starland County is inviting county residents to a meeting in Delia to outline the project and how to get hooked up to solar power.
    The Alternative Energy Symposium will feature alternative energy suppliers and experts. Area residents are invited to learn more about the options available in the area.
    “We’ve been collecting names of farmers who are interested,” said Rawlusyk. “We’re hoping to have a standard package so we can carry forward.”
    The meeting is scheduled for most of the day of November 1 in the Delia Community Hall.

    The Drumheller Town Council is hoping to meet with the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) fundraising committee to assess the three year old campaign after concerns were raised by Councillor Jay Garbutt at the September 17 meeting of the Committee of the Whole.
    Councillor Garbutt felt not enough progress had been in reaching the fundraising goal for the BCF. Town Council is planning to meet with the fundraising committee in October to discuss the campaign.
    The Mail spoke with fundraising committee co-chairs Jeff Hall and Elson McDougald about the campaign so far.
    “We’d like to be at the $6 million plus mark, but we’re grateful we’ve raised over $3 million. Everybody has been working pretty hard at it,” said McDougald. “We’re really grateful for the support we’ve had so far.”
    So far, the campaign has raised roughly $3.4 million. The goal for the first phase of the facility was set at $6 million.
    Fundraising for the facility began in November 2009. In only five months, $1.7 million had been raised. In November 2010 contracted Nine Lions Development Consulting for $233,000 to consult on the fundraising campaign.
    There have been some challenges in the campaign, including the global economy.
    “I’ve approached oil field companies all over. Times are tough for some of them, so they’re not being too generous right now,” said McDougald.
    However, one of the keys to a successful fundraising campaign may lie right here in Drumheller.
    “I’m a little disappointed in the local support around Drumheller. In my opinion there is a lot of money in this area to help the facility along. You could easily blow right by it [the $6 million goal] if you got some good support locally,” said McDougald.
    The fundraising committee continues its efforts to raise money. Some initiatives, such as the Legacy Donor Patio Brick campaign, are ongoing and some ideas for events could help bring the funds raised closer to the goal. One event idea, mentioned in the September 17 Committee of the Whole meeting, was to host another alumni hockey game.
    However, the committee isn’t just about hosting events.
    “An event is a difficult thing to put together. The main focus of the campaign cabinet has never been events. There will be one or two events that will happen on an annual basis to help raise money,” said Hall.
    At the moment, there is a roughly $2.6 million difference between the fundraising goal and what has been raised thus far. The Town of Drumheller has stated taxes would not be raised just to pay for the facility. As a backup plan, the Town secured a loan several years ago to pay for the remainder of the first phase  while the fundraising campaign continues.
    “Taxes, in the three year budget, are set to increase by 3 per cent per year,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “We applied for and had it [the loan] approved when the interest rates were really low. It’s a contingency in case we don’t raise quite enough.”
    The Town and fundraising campaign committee are working to meet in the first half of October. Fundraising efforts will continue.
    “I would encourage the community to get behind this and make things happen,” said McDougald.
    “Any time there is a lofty goal established, there are challenges to meet that commitment. It think for a community the size of Drumheller, we’ve had some pretty good success,” said Hall. “We’ve got a great facility and the usage has been fantastic. It’s a positive thing for people and the community. It’s a great thing to get behind and put a financial commitment to.”