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THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 2 10th Anniversary Acton Jiu-Jitsu 5A Mill St. East We are proud to announce the 10th Anniversary of classes at our Mill St. E. location! (Previously we were located in Prospect Park for 3.5 years. - 13.5 years in Acton!!) The celebration is scheduled for: Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. All former and current students whom have shared in and contributed to this Acton Success Story are invited to attend this momentous event! Your Sensei, Linda Squires, humbly offers gratitude and respect to you all, without whom this would not be possible. Tel: 519-853-8530 12865, Hwy 25 www.besttiredeals.ca Acton, ON. Quality/Service/Price with 23 years experience ENERGY MXV4 205-55-16 $500 per set installed! Taxes Included. Your Hometown REALTOR Call me for a Complimentary Home Valuation KATE BANKS Sales Representative, B.A. www.BANKonBANKS.ca Bus: 519-853-8467 Dir: 416-997-4161 Fax: 905-877-0702 Ground breaking Monday for Acton Splash pad By Frances Niblock I t may be hard to conjure up images of sun- kissed children cavorting in a water park when the ground in Prospect Park is covered in snow, but thats what guests at Mondays ground break- ing ceremony for the new Acton splash pad will have to do. Loca l po l i t i c ians , Town staff, construction company officials and a member of Superior Gloves Geng family that made a financial contri- bution will be on hand to turn a shovel of dirt at the project where work began several weeks ago with the removal of the wading pool, an Acton Centennial project. The need for addition- al water play options in Prospect Park were identified in a 1999 park master plan and in the Towns strategic plan. The Towns 2010 capital budget forecast includes $426,000 for the project, but since the lowest bid was more than what was budgeted, Town Coun- cil approved a financing plan to cover the total $540,000 cost. Staff said the wading pool needed major re- pairs and that the splash pad would be open 1,050 hours per season (Vic- toria Day to Labour Day) compared to 120 hours for the wading pool. The hourly operating cost for the splash pad is $19.05 while its $210.83 for the wading pool. The splash pad does not require lifeguards, requires less mainten- ance than a wading pool and saves water by re- cycling and filtering it back into the system. The splash pad will open this July. Rural Acton solar panels -an investment in the future By Frances Niblock The four solar panels in the backyard of a Crewsons Corners family make up one of largest residential solar power systems in the prov- ince and are an investment in the future. With his interest peaked several years ago by a sibling who installed solar panels at the family home, rural Ac- tons Michael Jeffrey finally decided to generate electri- city with a solar system when Ontario Power Authority pricing and program chan- ges in October improved the return on his investment. In a deal that sounds al- most too good to be true, Jeffrey, who is saving for his three childrens educa- tion, is paid 80.2-cents per kilowatt (kW) for the energy his solar panels generate. He currently pays between five and 10 cents per kW for the electricity to run his home. The provinces FIT (Feed In Tariff) and microFit pro- grams are cornerstones of the provinces Green Energy Act, designed to jump start Ontarios alternative energy program by providing stable, guaranteed pricing to renew- able energy producers of all sizes. Within six or seven years, Jeffrey said he would recoup his initial outlay approxi- mately $100,000 and will have an annual income of approximately $16,000 along with the satisfaction of producing, not just using power. Family members consider themselves energy conservationists and have a geothermal heating/cooling system. This is something I dont have to work for. The sun is going to come out, and if it doesnt come out today, it will come out tomorrow, Jeffrey said adding there are many roofs in this area with enough space for solar panels that would generate enough to cover the annual property taxes. He said several of his neighbours plan to install solar systems. Russell Lauzon co-owns Solar Direct Canada, the Richmond Hill company that installed Jeffreys system that tracks the sun across the sky, said at first people say that the program sounds too good to be true, and then ask why everyone isnt getting into it. The money comes from the Ontario Power Agency, but it goes to, in this case, Halton Hills Hydro which writes a cheque to the home- owner, Lauzon said. The province has had 4,400 applications for the microFit program and 1,400 for pro- jects generating more than 10kW and Lauzon expects even more interest. People are learning about this program and this invest- ment that can earn up to 15 per cent return for the next 20 years thats the length of the OPA contract. You wont get a better investment than that, anywhere, Lauzon said, add- ing they had over 100 people attend a recent open house at Jeffreys house. The Halton Region Solar Project is hosting a tour of local solar panel installa- tions on March 7, and the Jeffreys will be one of the stops where homeowners and vendors will discuss how the system works and financial strategies. For more information vis- it halton.ourpower.ca or call 905-299-2327. SOLAR SYSTEM: Four solar panels installed in the backyard of a Crewsons Corners residence are putting electricity into the grid and making the home- owner money part of a provincial program to jump-start Ontarios alternative energy program by providing stable, guaranteed pricing to renewable energy producers of all sizes. Frances Niblock photo