Welcome
to Napatak
from
the
Napatak Community Association
(updated Sept 15, 2014)
Welcome to Napatak. We are the Napatak Community Association, and
we’d like to tell you about our community and our association.
Your community association
Who we are
Your community association is made up of all the
residents, landowners and lessees at Napatak. We elect an executive, and have
an annual meeting each year on the Sunday of the May long weekend.
The community association advises Northern
Municipal Affairs, which governs our community. We have no decision-making or
spending power, but the NMD usually asks for and listens to our advice about
spending and projects.
The executive for
2014-15 is:
·
Maureen Bingham (President) (306)
425-2569 or cell (306) 292-9206 or email bingham@sasktel.net
·
Laurence Thompson (Vice
President) – Bylaws
·
Tracey Fesiuk (Secretary)
·
Laura Johnston - Roads and
Natural Gas
·
Jody Watt - Emergency
Preparedness
·
Nicole L’ Heureux - Boat
Launches and Recreation
·
Kona Guest - Sewage Lagoon and
Brush Dumps, and Recreation
What we do
Your executive
members are elected at the annual meeting for three-year terms. We are all
volunteers. Each executive member has taken on responsibility for one of the
community association portfolios. The main functions of the community
association and its executive are:
·
Roads: maintenance, snow
clearing, and signs on the local loops that run off the two main access roads
(Waskos, Niskemin, Kinoosao, Kagwa, and Niska.)
·
Representing the interests of
the community where needed, such as in organizing support for natural gas, or
organizing an emergency preparedness plan;
·
By-laws: (We don’t have
authority to pass by-laws, but we advise Northern Municipal Affairs.)
·
Brush dump and sewage lagoon
maintenance;
·
Recreation: trails and boat dock
parking lots development and maintenance (the docks and boat launch ramps are
the responsibility of the provincial park)
·
Anything else we as community
members want to do for ourselves.
What others are responsible for
Others are responsible for:
·
the road into Napatak from
Highway 2 to the B-side boat dock and the entrances to the five residential
loops (Sask Highways),
·
garbage (there is a regional
dump south of La Ronge on the old highway that runs north from Potato Lake);
·
water: The Town of La Ronge,
Village of Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band operate a common water
system from which water can be purchased and loaded at an Air Ronge filling
station;
·
electricity: Sask Power
·
phones: Sask Tel operates land
lines and cell towers
·
building permits: Northern
Municipal Affairs provides permits; contact Dee Johns, Northern District
Planner in La Ronge at (306) 425-6642
·
docks and boat ramps: Lac La
Ronge Provincial Park
Staying in touch
The community association publishes a newsletter
three times a year to keep the community up-to-date on community happenings and
news. To get it, make sure the president has your email address. You can also
now find it at http://napataknews.blogspot.ca.
As well, we have a community alert service for the community that will send a
text to your cell phone. We have used it in the past to alert community members
when wildlife was sighted in the community (human, wolf or bear) and when our
road in was flooded at the bridge. To get this service, make sure the president
has your cell number. Your cell number will be used only for urgent alerts and
will not be shared with others.
Getting here
Directions
If you are giving directions to friends, Napatak
is at kilometre 146 north of the Waskesiu (Prince Albert National Park) corner.
Turn off east (right) to Napatak. There is a small sign on the highway. Follow
the gravel road for about 5 km to the big white map signboard at a T-junction. From
this map junction, Napatak A is off to the right, Napatak B is straight ahead,
on two sides of a little bay.
Cell coverage
There is cell coverage along Highway 2. At
Napatak, you may have to go to the top of a rise on the road or an open area to
get reception. Residences in low areas may have to use a signal booster. Reception
out on the lake is great, though!
Gasoline
LT’s at the Waskesiu turnoff corner is the only
gas station between Christopher Lake and Air Ronge. LT’s closes at 10:00 pm. If
you are coming from the south, it is best to arrive in Napatak with enough gas
to get back south to LT's or Prince Albert; otherwise you will have to go
farther north into La Ronge for gas before the return trip (an extra 30 minutes
of travel). Keep a few jerry cans of gas on hand in case we or our visitors are
short.
Safety
This is a remote road north of the Christopher
Lake turn off, although there is regular traffic, you are far from settlements.
At night or in the winter, make sure you have proper clothes, supplies, and
emergency kit. Carry a cell phone, shovel, and tow rope.
Usually people will
stop on the road to help. If you need them, tow trucks are:
·
at Christopher Lake, Northern
Towing: (306) 982-2777;
· at La Ronge, Lakeshore Service: (306) 425-2155.
The highways and the road into Napatak are
reasonably well maintained. Check the Highways Hotline and the highway camera
at Weyakwin before making the trip in the winter. Good snow tires and allowing
a little extra time makes the trip safer in winter conditions.
First steps in building
Your lot
All sites have been surveyed and are marked with
iron survey pins on all corners. These are sometimes hard to find. Best way is
to measure based on the mapped dimensions, then either dig around or use a
metal detector to find them.
Zoning
Napatak is part of a regional planning area with
a zoning bylaw. You can find zoning maps and the zoning bylaw at http://www.planningforgrowthnorthsk.com/lac-la-ronge-planning-area.html.
Zoning restrictions include:
·
Development permits are
required for all buildings over 100 square feet. The building must conform to
the zoning bylaws.
·
Restrictions on storage of
unlicensed vehicles
·
No mobile homes or sea cans
·
Site requirements / setbacks
for new buildings
Permits
You must get a permit to build any buildings
larger than 10 m2 (100 sf). There are certain site requirements, and you must
build to the National Building Code, although there is no building inspection
(except for plumbing connections, electrical wiring, and gas fitting). To find
out what is required, call the community planner, Dee Johns, at (306) 425-6642.
Clearing, filling and grading your lot
The soil at Napatak is glacial till, which is a
fancy name for clay and boulders. You will find it difficult to dig even
postholes or piles, because there are so many rocks. Drainage can also be a
problem, as surface water sits on the soil. There are also underground layers
in the soil where water runs. This can make a foundation tricky because of
water problems. Be sure you have some
good advice or someone with experience in building in the area if you plan a
foundation. Many people fill their lots and build on surface pads.
There are local contractors who will clear,
grade and remove stumps, and bring in fill for your lot (usually local sand).
Ask around and local people can give you names and numbers. (You will find that
everybody knows just about everybody else around here!)
You cannot remove live trees from crown land
(off your lot). Note that no lots extend to the waterfront. The waterfront is
crown land, and you cannot clear trees on it. You can remove deadfall and
standing dead trees for your own use, unless they are within 30 metres of Lac
La Ronge, where you need a permit from the Park office at Mistasinihk Place in La Ronge.
You can haul brush from your lot to the local
Napatak dumpsite. THIS DUMP IS ONLY FOR BRUSH, NOT FOR BUILDING MATERIALS OR
GARBAGE. IF THIS IS ABUSED THE DUMP WILL
BE CLOSED. The Napatak brush dump is the first good road on your left (south
side) as you drive out of Napatak to the highway. When you use it, put your
brush as close to the pile as possible so others have room.
Security and emergencies
Emergency
Emergency services (fire, police, ambulance) can
all be reached by calling 911.
Emergency services are in La Ronge, which is 20
minutes away, so they will take a while. You should be prepared to deal with
emergencies until help comes (such as a first aid kit, and fire extinguisher and/or
pump).
The La Ronge district fire department provides
service to Napatak. However, they will charge the property owner a firefighting
charge, which can be as much as $10,000. You may want to have a fire coverage
rider on your property insurance, which costs very little.
Make sure you and everyone in your house know
your street, lot, and block number and can give directions so emergency
services can find you. A provincial bylaw requires that you have your address
clearly visible from the road. It is your lot number followed by your block
number.
Power outages
Power in rural areas is subject to power surges
and outages more than in the city. Rarely, it can go out for hours or even
days. Make sure you are prepared with candles, flashlight, and radio. It is a
good idea to keep a phone charger in your vehicle to charge your cellphone if
there is no power.
Security
Napatak is a quiet, safe community. The neighbourhood watches each other's properties and are willing to help each other out.
Wildlife
Once every year or two, a bear will wander
through Napatak. They are usually more scared of you than you of them. Keep
your dogs away and call SERM (Environment) at (306) 425-4234 to have them come
and set up a bear trap. In recent years we have also had occasional wolves on
the lake ice in winter and in the forest surrounding the community in the
summer.
Fire
The biggest risk around here is fire. Take care
with fires; your neighbours will appreciate it. Don’t burn garbage, and
remember that fires can smoulder underground in the peat even when they appear
to be out.
Utilities
Telephone
Telephone lines come to the front of your lot,
but you will have to arrange for a connection with SaskTel, and pay for that
connection. It costs about $400 to connect up.
Power
An electric power connection is prepaid with the
price of your lot. Call Sask Power to arrange for a connection.
Water
You are on your own for sewer and water. For
water, some people have wells, some people pump from the lake, some haul their
own water, some use a La Ronge based water service that hauls water with a tanker
truck from Air Ronge on Thursdays. Hauled water from Air Ronge is safe to drink
out of the tap. H & H Enterprises, the water hauler, can be reached at (306)
425-1489.
Propane
There are two suppliers of propane for heating
in La Ronge, Co-op and Superior. They will provide a tank for an annual rental
and regularly fill it.
Natural gas
A natural gas trunk line runs to La Ronge, but
does not yet connect to Napatak. Sask Energy plans to bring natural gas to
Napatak in the summer of 2015. If you want gas and have not yet signed up,
contact Jeff Schewaga at (306) 953-8323 or by email at jschewaga@saskenergy.com. A gas
connection will be about $5,000, which Sask Energy will finance. It will very
likely be cheaper to connect when gas first arrives than it will be after
service is established.
Sewer
You must have a sewer holding tank (public
health rules). Any new construction must be inspected by the Public Health
Department for a sewer connection at the time of installation. Lakeshore Towing
& Septic pumps tanks, and can be reached at (306) 425-2155. They come to
Napatak on Wednesdays. If you haul your own, the sewage lagoon for dumping is by
the brush dump.
Garbage
You are responsible for disposing of your garbage.
To keep critters away, keep garbage in a shed, metal cans or in the house.
There is no dump at Napatak. The local brush dump is not for garbage. The La
Ronge area dump is on the old highway to La Ronge. As you head north to La
Ronge, turn off at the main Potato Lake entrance (the one after South Drive)
and turn left when you hit the road that heads north. The dump is on the left
close to town. It is not open Sundays or Mondays.
Roads and snow removal
In winter our road in from the highway is
ploughed after Highways has finished clearing highways; this can sometimes be
days if there is frequent snowfall. Local loops get done when we can find a
contractor willing to come out - not every snowfall - just when conditions
warrant. Property owners are responsible for clearing their own driveways
including the windrow left by the grader.
Shopping and services
There are no services at Napatak. Downtown La
Ronge is 20 minutes and 20 km away. La Ronge is actually several communities
grouped together. The main communities are Air Ronge, La Ronge, and the Near
and Far Reserves of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. There are also outlying
communities up and down the lake, such as Eagle Point, Sucker River, Wadin Bay,
Potato Lake, and of course, Napatak. La Ronge and area includes 7,000 people,
so there are good services, mostly along Highway 2 and La Ronge Avenue, along
the lakefront in La Ronge. There are well-stocked grocery stores, lumberyards,
a hardware store and many others.
Dogs
Dogs (along with roads), are the biggest topic
the Napatak Community Association hears complaints about. You can go a a long
way to getting along with your neighbours by taking care with your dog.
Napatak has a dog bylaw. Dogs must be licensed.
Lifetime licenses for Napatak are available for $5 from the Northern Municipal Affairs
office in the Mistassinihk provincial building on La Ronge Ave. in La Ronge.
Dogs are required to be under the owner’s
control or tied up. If you let yours off, do it where it won’t bother anyone
and keep it under control so that you can recall it if other people, dog, or
cars are around.
Neighbours appreciate, and the dog bylaw
requires, that you keep your dog from barking and that you keep it under
control or on your property. If you have a concern about a dangerous dog on the
loose (that is threatening people or other dogs) call the RCMP in La Ronge, who
will deal with it with a written complaint from you.
The good stuff
Fishing
Once you have got your place built, emptied your
sewer, filled your water tank, and tied up your dog, you’ll want to get on the
lake. There are two public docks, one on each side of the bay. In Napatak A,
the dock is at the end of Kinoosao, which is appropriate, because that is the
Cree word for fish. On Napatak B, follow the road in all the way to the end.
Fishing licences are available on line from the
Saskatchewan government. To fish on Lac La Ronge requires a special endorsement
on your fishing licence to keep track of and limit fishing of lake trout.
You can usually catch jackfish in the shallows
around the bay or just outside the bay. With a big boat, you can cross the lake
to Hunters Bay (1 ½ hours across) or to other deep water to go lake trout
fishing. Pickerel/walleye fishing isn’t great, but if there are any, they are
likely in Hunter’s Bay too. Pickerel fishing good on the Churchill River - head
up to Stanley Mission or Missinipe.
The beach
The great secret of Lac La Ronge is that most of
the south end of the lake is surrounded by beaches. Pile into the boat for a
day on the beach with the whole beach to yourself.
Other outdoor activities
There are several walking / skiing / snowmobiling
trails around Napatak. Look for signs at the trailheads; they are marked with
small signs and there are maps posted. There is also a trail all along the
lakeshore in front of the cabins, although it is a little hard to find in
places.
The Nelson Lake trail follows the shore of a
little landlocked lake. One entrance is on the north side of the road a few
yards to the east of where the road splits to Napatak A and B; the other
entrance is off the road into the Sask Tel microwave tower near Napatak B. A
well marked trail follows the lakeshore for several kilometres.
La Ronge has skiing and canoeing clubs, well
maintained ski trails, and a golf course. There are canoe outfitters at
Missinipe, north on the Churchill River.
Finding out what’s going on
The local newspaper, the Northerner, comes out
every week. You can buy it most places in town to find out what’s going on.
Missinipe Broadcasting (MBC), the local radio
station, is at 89.9 and CBC is at 105.9 on the FM band.
