Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Subsequent to the accolades he received at the provincial level, Greater Napanee firefighter Mackenzie Grosvenor was recognized by his hometown council during the June 25 meeting.
Greater Napanee fire chief Shawn Armstrong recapped the life saving action Grosvenor took last fall that earned him a Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery.
“On Oct. 28 around 12:20 a.m., the Amherstview fire station was dispatched to a serious MVC (multi-vehicle collision) on Hwy 33 in their area,” Armstrong told the council chambers. “The dispatch report was confirmed on arrival that there was a two vehicle collision and one of the vehicles was on fire. Jason Flowers, the driver of the car on fire, had multiple broken bones and possible severe head injuries along with multiple lacerations. He also had a guardian angel that night. Firefighter Grosvenor was at the house that the collision occurred right in front of. As a result, hearing the collision Mack ran out to see what had happened, donned his personal protective equipment and without any hesitation, Mack attended to the scene and rescued the driver from the burning vehicle.”
Armstrong says without a doubt, Grosvenor saved a life that night.
“We’re really proud of Mack,” said Armstrong. “This young man exemplifies what it means to be a Greater Napanee firefighter and he exemplifies all the things that are good about the Greater Napanee Fire Services.”
Grosvenor was on hand to receive a certificate from Greater Napanee mayor Terry Richardson. He then addressed council, thanking his girlfriend, who first heard the action and alerted him to it as well as his girlfriend’s mom Julie, who assisted at the scene.
“I’d like to thank my father, without him joining the fire department back when he did and letting me be involved as much as himself and the fire department is, I don’t know that I’d be a fire fighter today,” added Grosvenor. “I’d also like to thank my mom, she’s heard all the stories of all the calls I’ve been on and everything that I’ve been through and she’s always there with open arms and I appreciate her for that. Nathan as well, I thank you very much as well deeply. My brothers as well, Jesse and Justin and Jordan for being here as well.”
He concluded by adding he didn’t feel as though he did anything that any other firefighter on the scene wouldn’t have done.
“Anybody else would have done the same thing, any member of Greater Napanee or Loyalist Fire Department,” he added. “It’s nice to be recognized. We’re not out for that, but it is nice.”
-Council heard a deputation from Shaheer Aziz, senior director business development for Hydrostor.
Aziz spoke of a potential advanced compressed air energy storage facility, which they’re looking to construct in the area of Galt’s Corner in Greater Napanee, near the North Fred Hall.
“The electricity sector in Ontario is undergoing a transition and as part of that there are ongoing energy storage procurements,” said Aziz. “One of the key procurements that’s been announced earlier this year is called the long-lead two process, in which the province will be procuring energy through generation such as through solar and wind as well as long-lead time resources, such as long duration energy storage and hydro.”
The proposed project is known as Quinte ESC and would provide 500 megawatt capable of being stored for eight hours.
Aziz described the process as unique from previously proposed energy storage facilities in this area in that the technology involves used water and compressed air to store energy. Aziz says this technology has existed since the 1960s and is currently used by the company at sites in the U.S. and Australia. He added the don’t carry the risk of fire as compared to a battery energy storage facility.
The proposed site in Greater Napanee is still very much in the preliminary stages with geological studies needed to ensure the site would be suitable for the project. Looking to clear up what he deemed was a miscommunication between engineers on site and nearby homeowners, Aziz said they don’t expect any of the testing to disrupt the local water table as their drilling is more shallow than that of a standard well.
The site would require 80 to 100 acres and would generate 40 long term jobs. The target date for operating is 2033-34.
No decision was required from council at this time as Hydrostor still has several feasibility tests to conduct before they would seek council’s approval to apply to the province to build at that site.
Councillor Mike Schenk said even if the risk is low, he would want the company held responsible for looking after homeowners if their water supply were impacted.
“It’s quite an idea but there’s a lot of steps that we have to go through and were at Step One,” added Schenk.
-Councillor Bob Norrie was selected as council’s rep for the OPP Detachment Board.
Richardson was originally under consideration for the role but was deemed ineligible due to the fact he is a retired OPP officer. Norrie comes from a policing background as well, though his career was with a city force and not a provincial one, which allows him to serve on an OPP board.
-This meeting marked the first for Greater Napanee’s chief administrative officer Matthew Grant, who has officially begun his new role. He took the seat to the right of Richardson at the head of the council horseshoe, taking over the role temporarily filled by deputy CAO Brant Zätterberg following the departure of John Pinsent.