In a move to combat the effects of climate change and usher in the usage of clean, renewable energy, our Town of Perth Ontario plans to start a partnership together with Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. to covert 60 acres of land into a 10 megawatt solar park. If the plan pushes through, the property, which served as the former Darou Farm/Wildlife Rd. landfill, will contain approximately 50,000 large solar panels placed on racks. Once operational, the park is expected to produce enough energy to power 1,000 homes, about half the households in Perth, Ontario. The solar park’s creation will be made possible once the CSSI’s plan is approved by the Ontario Power Authority or OPA.

Should this plan push through, it would be extremely beneficial to the residents of Perth Ontario. Thanks to CSSI, an international solar cell manufacturer based in Ontario, and the local environmental group ecoPerth, a proposal was drafted containing details of the undertaking. The best part of the deal is that CSSI will shoulder the capital and operating costs of the project, even paying the town $40,000 a year for 20 years, based on the sites projected 10 megawatt production. An excellent deal, seeing that the land used to be a landfill, making it unsuited for other uses.

It gets even better. Once construction goes underway, the deal between Perth Ontario and CSSI stipulates that the town is to be provided with $400,000 for the rehabilitation of the heritage stone house on the Darou site, as well as other miscellaneous that will benefit the town.

CSSI plans on calling the solar park the “Wendy Laut Solar Park”, named after a prominent Perth Ontario Councilor, businessperson and volunteer who passed away this year. Since the time of her passing, friends of the councilor have come together to work on a large-scale project as a means of paying tribute to her efforts. With the extremely good benefits this idea brings about, citizens are crossing their fingers, hoping that this plan pushes through.

The North Perth Sports for Kids Fund, organized by the North Perth Parks & Recreation of North Perth Ontario, is a fund aimed at helping families who are having a hard time giving their children the chance to participate in physical activities like sports and recreation. The institution provides financial assistance for different expenses, including the costs of fees, special clothing, special equipment, and travel expenses.

To qualify, children and youth have to be aged between 4 to 18 years old. Their family has to have a low net income, or is either dealing with a special situation that ranges from recent financial problems, illness or death, and family crisis.

Among the families that need the most help are those who reside in rural areas. In most cases, families are unable to pay for registration since the money needs to be used for more important things, like food and shelter. Kids belonging to these families are often deprived of the opportunity to engage in sports and recreation. The North Perth Sports for Kids Fund understands this problem and provides assistance to children in need. Furthermore, the institution understands that for a child to have a happy and normal childhood, sports and recreational is a vital necessity. Whether it is basketball, baseball, tennis or football, the institution wants children to enjoy any sport they like, without thinking and worrying about costs.

For families that want to apply for the program, the application process is fairly easy with anonymity being assured. In this climate of economic hardship, don’t take away the fun your child should enjoy to grow, contact the North Perth Sports for Kids Fund of Perth Ontario now if you’re in need.

Athletics Canada, the national governing body of athletics in Canada announced last week the three finalists for each awards division for the 2009 Athletics Canada Awards Gala. Among the finalists is our very own Sultana Frizell, hailing from Perth Ontario, an experienced Olympic athlete, and nominee in the F.N.A. Rowell Trophy Field Athlete of the Year for being a World Championship Finalist in the Hammer Throw category.

Sultana Frizell traces her athletic career back to when she started out as a young figure skater, moving on to take up track and field in high school. While attending Perth and District Collegiate Institute, in Perth Ontario, she found an interest in shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw. Her successes soon followed after, winning gold medals in hammer and shot put and silver in discus at 2003 Canadian junior championships. In addition, she also bagged fourth place in the hammer throw and sixth in shot put at the 2003 Pan Am junior championships

After finishing high school, Frizell then enrolled at the University of Georgia, immediately competing for three consecutive seasons. It was in college that she saw remarkable improvement. Placing ninth at the NCAA Championships and third at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, Frizell improved her personal best records for shot put and javelin. She climbed up the rankings at both NCAA Championships and Canadian Championships, forging a name for herself in Canada’s athletics world.

Standing alongside Sultana in this upcoming event are three time IWAS World Juniors gold medalist Alister McQueen of Calgary, Alberta, as well as Outstanding Para-Athlete of the Year, Noella Klawitter of Carleton Place.

Each finalist was chosen after much discussion by the Athletics Canada’s Awards Committee. The three winners are set to be honored at the Awards Gala, on November 14, in Vancouver so let’s all give Perth Ontario’s very own a big round of applause.

Happening over the weekend, the LASA Group (Lanark Space Agency) is set to launch to balloons from Perth Ontario. Although these launches are un-sponsored and independent of help from schools and the like, they are nevertheless important and quite frankly, fun at the same time. Something folks from our little town of Perth Onatario won’t soon forget.

One of the biggest obstacles the group will have to hurdle is predicting how and where to get back the equipment once the balloon makes a landing. It is fairly easy to set up an Amateur Balloon; the only problem is getting your payload back. This is especially important for those who want to take pictures from near space.

It pays to get hold of an updated Jet Stream Map. If you can get one online, you will notice that the jet stream is “aimed” more South than the usual East this time. Jet stream maps are crucial in predicting the location of where the balloon will land. Furthermore, they are pretty accurate as well.

So, all the team has to do is anticipate whether it’s North East, East North East, East , East South East or South East. Yes, it still sounds very tedious but it’s what makes it even more rewarding for the team.

But that’s just one factor. The team then needs to figure out how quickly the balloon enters the jet stream upon its descent after its release from Perth Ontario. In addition, a balloon can even rise up back into the jet stream, often bursting in the process. Once it gets back to the jet stream, the team’s predictions often go haywire.

It all boils down to a combination of hard science and luck. The balloon is guaranteed to come down; it’s just a matter of having a recovery unit near it once it lands.

One thing’s for sure, our folks at Perth Ontario are pretty excited over this launch. Of course, every time someone launches anything into space or even near it, it’s guaranteed to cause a commotion.