Among all that’s happened to Enterprise over the last few weeks, there is one source of surprising good news in the aftermath of wildfires that blazed through the hamlet.
The AWP Industrial Park seemingly managed to avoid major damage, according to Brad Mapes, who owns the park. Like everyone else in the area, he too had to quickly evacuate and nascent business park, but he said his team were able to move most of the equipment and rail cars that were on site to a central spot that had a great deal of distance to the larger tree areas.
“None of our sites, buildings, equipment, or rail lines were touched by the fires,” he said. “We only lost a large pile of new rail ties, the site entrance sign, and all the tree areas on site.”
In essence, Mape said the site was more affected by the main CN line (that) was damaged by fire, along with the main power lines, which were a victim of the blaze.
Mapes also said that clean up and resumption of transloading operations quickly resumed, although the company was unable to complete delivery due to the shut down of the main CN rail line.
In the meantime, Mapes plans to complete the summer projects such as a truck scale, rail equipment garage, and a fuel cardlock while awaiting CN’s delivery of a timeline for their repairs.
The business park, which broke ground in 2020, has the potential to create at least 300 jobs. In a previous interview with Hay River Hub, Mapes stated that the park was a “gamechanger” and “has the opportunity to totally change the economic outlook of the region of the North.”
The project, which was expected to see an investment of between $85 to $90 million, remains an even brighter beacon of hope for both Enterprise and the region after the destruction of the past few months.
“Our site, from the beginning stages in 2015 when I purchased the land, has been a long struggle at times, but I had a vision of what the site could do for the region and the North,” said Mapes. “The fire only keeps me motivated to complete the vision. The community of Enterprise took a huge hit with the fires and our site will work together to get the community back on its feet.”
When asked for comment about the rumours of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs taking over governance of Enterprise, Mapes said the rebuilding for the fire affected areas of the North will take a lot of detailed planning to assure the best path forth.
“Happenings like the fire can create panic in making the wrong directional decisions,” he said. “Communication between all affected parties and the government will be a key for moving forward. With the (territorial) election happening, the change-over period will likely create some delays. It might be an idea to reach out to the many retired Northern residents that could assist with some ideas of coming up with a game plan.
“The North is an amazing place, and I have no plans but to continue what I started at the site. The North will keep moving forward as it is made of amazing people.”
Jay Boast, MACA’s communications and website advisor, told NNSL Media that the GNWT has no plans to take over governing the hamlet and that the department “continues to support the Hamlet through the recovery process in line with policies and legislation.”