Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 11/99) - If the Town of Norman Wells has its way, the Sahtu will soon be "hovering" its way to success.

Mayor Frank Pope says hovercraft service linking his communities and others to the Mackenzie and Dempster Highways will not only benefit the area while they await a highway, he also says such a project can be completed cheaply.

"A high-speed link would bring in tourists and we wouldn't have to wait 20 years for the highway," he told News North last week. "We think we could put the whole system in -- including (hovercraft) bases in each community -- for $10 million bucks... For a $10-million price tag, we think it would pay for itself in five years at 50 per cent capacity."

Pope stressed he and his community don't see their hovercraft vision as a way of replacing their desire to be linked to the NWT's highway system. Instead, Pope says, hovercrafts could serve as an affordable alternative until an extremely expensive highway link can be constructed.

"Don't get me wrong," he said. "We still need a highway. (But) if we have to wait for the GNWT and the Government of Canada, maybe we should look into alternatives."

"We want to link the Dempster (Highway) and the Mackenzie (Highway) now."

Town staff has been assembling as much information as possible about the feasibility of such a project, Pope said. The idea has also been bounced off senior GWNT officials.

"We're losing out big-time," Pope said of his community's current land-locked situation. "It (hovercraft service) is a concept we'd like to see enhanced."