by Denise August
Central Region Reporter
Ha-shilth-sa Newspaper
June 17, 2004
Hot Springs Cove - Hesquiaht members in Hot Springs Cove can now enjoy upgraded and more affordable phone service, says Band Manager Nancy VanHeest. Prior to 1999, the people of Hot Springs Cove had virtually no means of communication to the outside world. The Band Office had a single line Autotel phone that served both as a non-private business phone and fax line for the entire administration staff. In the 'lobby' area was a radiotelephone that community members could use to make calls, all with long distance charges. It too was not private and users were on the honour system, expected to record the time, date and number they called for billing purposes. Needless to say, many calls were unrecorded.
Making calls to Hot Springs Cove was particularly difficult, especially if it were a family emergency in the evening and nobody was in the Band Office. Many took the circuitous route of calling someone in Ahousaht that had a phone and a far-reaching VHF radio. Messages would have to be relayed over the air between Ahousaht and Hot Springs Cove.
In 1999 the community was given the option of having their own phones installed right at home. It was a radio satellite system that required the owner to carry a 'black box' or power unit around with their phone. At a cost of $600 to $800 for the black box, it proved to be too expensive for most people.
The satellite system also limited the number of community members that could use their phone lines for Internet use to six. With more people logging onto the Internet and the agonizingly slow service, it was decided that a more practical phone service was needed to be put in place.
Before Telus would consider installing a new system, VanHeest said new power poles had to be installed to replace old and decayed existing poles. With the new poles in place Telus workers arrived in the community in early June to 'hard line' each house, allowing each house to have a private landline, the kind of system most of us take for granted.
The new system allows subscribers to enjoy calling features such as call display and call waiting. They may also go online via dial-up Internet connection, as many people as there are phone lines. Better yet, there is no costly 'black box' to purchase.
VanHeest reported many other improvements have been made in the community over the past several months. She says along with the new poles came a new power system and some streetlights.
The old generators were located almost in the center of the village on the waterfront and next to the school and administration office. Their fuel storage tank was located right next to the waterfront.
With only two generators serving a community of just over 100, the energy demands of the community were barely being met. VanHeest says they were old, worn and threatening to blow up any day. People had to learn to live with the almost constant din of the generators as they spewed diesel exhaust into the air and threatened great environmental damage should there be a fuel spill.
Last year four new generators were installed further up the hill behind the community. The fuel storage area is also located there behind locked gates for the safety of the children, and far away from the water.
VanHeest says the community is much quieter and far less polluted. They are still dealing with the cleanup of the old generator site, as evidenced by the bright orange fence around the excavated area. The site must be excavated down to the bedrock then power washed before it can be refilled with clean soil.
In other good news for Hesquiaht members, the long-awaited road linking Hot Springs Cove with Hesquiaht is nearing reality. Most of the road already exists, old logging roads that have been upgraded. All that needs to be done is to build a relatively short 1.4 km road, to link the existing logging road near the head of Hot Springs Cove to the community.
Don MacMillan of Interfor says applications have been made to remove some land from Parks and for Ministry approval to build the road. He is confidant the needed approvals that haven't already been granted will come soon. If all goes well he expects road building to start in August or September of this year and would probably be completed by November 2004.
VanHeest says the new road will allow Hesquiaht members more freedom of movement. They will have easier access to resources in their traditional territory and school students will have access to a safer boat route to Ahousaht, avoiding the rough open ocean and Sharp Point.
She says the new road may mean more members will want to relocate to their ancient village site in Hesquiaht Harbour. The road, she says, will reach the harbour itself. There is also the potential to link up existing logging roads for access to Gold River.
Don MacMillan also
spoke of the opportunities the road would create for Hesquiaht. "Docks
could be built along the way and so could quarries for raw materials for
their new school," he said, adding, "The sky is the limit."
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Copyright Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper, published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Reproduction of this article or photographs, in whole or in part, is illegal without the written consent of Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper (hashilth@nuuchahnulth.org)
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