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SAMBAA K'E/TROUT LAKE - With three projects simultaneously underway things are booming in Trout Lake.

"This is probably the busiest that Trout Lake has been in the history of Trout Lake," said Rick Phaneuf, the general manager of the Sambaa K'e Development Corporation.

A gravel truck pulling a pup is just one of the vehicles involved in Trout Lake's gravel haul project. The project is one of three initiatives currently boosting employment in the community. - photo courtesy of the Sambaa K'e Development Corporation

The projects include a gravel haul, upgrades to the community's winter access road and the installation of walk-in freezers and fridges in the community's store. The projects and their economic spinoffs are providing employment for 21 community members. This is a considerable increase from the average four to five people that are normally employed through the development corporation at this time of the year, said Phaneuf.

The projects' staffing demands have, in fact, surpassed what Trout Lake can provide, so an additional 10 people have been brought in to assist with the work, he said.

The majority of the employment opportunities are linked to the gravel haul.

The approximately $400,000 project is the result of a collaboration between the Sambaa K'e First Nation, the development corporation, Northland Utilities, the NWT Housing Corporation and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The organizations pooled funds to stockpile 5,000 cubic metres of gravel, enough for all the projects planned over the next two years, said Phaneuf.

The gravel is being extracted from a site located on the other side of the lake. To transport the gravel to the community, an eight-km ice road was built across Trout Lake.

A total of 14 community members are working on the haul.

The project is producing gravel at a reduced cost.

One cubic metre of gravel normally costs the community between $400 to $500. The haul is bringing gravel in at a little more than $100 per cubic metre.

The reduced price is the result of both the band and the development corporation supplying resources at cost, said Phaneuf.

The corporation also has a good working relationship with Stan Dean and Sons Ltd. of Hay River which is supplying the majority of the equipment for the project.

"It's a win, win situation," said Phaneuf.

"Everyone in town gets work and the town gets gravel at cost."

Also underway in Trout Lake is the first phase of a four-year project to upgrade the 126-km winter access road that connects the community to Highway 1.

The development corporation, which holds the contract for the construction and maintenance of the road, will use between $150,000 to $200,000 from the Department of Transportation on the project this year.

The project involves improving the road by leveling off bumps, increasing lines of sight on the tighter bends and widening the right of way to allow for two-lane traffic and space for snow storage.

"Our winter road has had many hazards on it that are now being eliminated," said Phaneuf.

The work is starting at the community and will move towards the highway over the course of the four years, said Larry Purcka, a project manager for the Department of Transportation.

A total of $1.8 million is budgeted for the project.

This year's budget of half a million also includes approximately $300,000 for three portable bridges.

The bridges, which will be installed next year on the stream crossings, will lengthen the road's operating season, said Purcka. The bridges will be taken out at the end of every season.

The project will improve both the safety and comfort aspects of the road for drivers, he said.

The final and smallest project is the installation of walk-in freezers and fridges at the Island River Community Store.

The new equipment will reduce the store's power bill, said Phaneuf.

The freezers and fridges use a free air exchange system that takes advantage of the naturally-cold outside air during the winter.

The project will also increase the store's refrigeration space so more food can be stockpiled during the winter road season, he said.

Approximately 60 per cent of the $90,000 price tag is being covered by grants from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. The development corporation is paying for the rest.

The work in the store started on March 12 and will take approximately a week to complete, Phaneuf said.