The archives at Coquitlam city hall got a little more crowded in 2014.
Hundreds of documents, ledger books, correspondence and old photographs were donated last year, with one of the largest acquisitions coming from the Coquitlam Heritage Society.
Emily Lonie, the city's archivist, said the collection of glass plate negatives, oral histories and hundreds of old photographs - mainly from Maillardville and Fraser Mills - has been the largest acquisition so far.
"That brought us most of our historic images," said Lonie, who has a master's degree in public history from Carleton University and spent four years at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. "That collection is the one that researchers ask for the most."
Other 2014 acquisitions include:
Riverview Historical Society's glass plate negatives, with more than 100 images of early Colony Farm and Riverview, then known as Essondale;
the Don Cunnings collection, which includes news clippings, pamphlets and other archives related to sports in Coquitlam and the 1991 BC Summer Games;
Canadian Western Lumber Company ledger books, photos and textual materials;
and ledgers, administrative records, news clippings and reports from the Northeast Coquitlam Ratepayers Association.
Jay Gilbert, a clerk with the city of Coquitlam, said with the municipality's support of the archives, residents have been less reticent to donate their materials.
"If you are asking someone to give you their family's history, they want to have some degree of confidence that it is going to a place where it will be looked after," he said.
So far, the collection consists of about 50 linear metres of material, and the 300-sq. ft. room in the basement of city hall is getting crowded. Gilbert said options are being discussed about a permanent location for the archives.
The collection is open to the public by appointment only and donations are welcome. Some of the materials can be searched on the city's website at www.coquitlam.ca/archives.
HOT AND READY
The construction of a new heating and cooling energy system at several Coquitlam civic facilities has been completed and is expected to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas they emit.
Invented by B.C. engineer Jeff Weston, the Thermenex System is a water-filled pipe with hot and cold ends, using refrigeration technology to create a thermal gradient. The technology works through a system of reclaiming energy and has been used at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex since 2009.
Last year, the city decided to adopt the system at the Four Corners civic campus, which includes the Coquitlam RCMP detachment, the City Centre Aquatic Complex and the Evergreen Cultural Centre, and allows future facilities to hook up.
"When it achieves optimum performance, this Thermenex system will have prevented 500 tonnes of CO2 [equivalent] from being released into the atmosphere," according to a city staff report. "This is equivalent to the emissions from consuming 215,000 litres of gasoline or burning 540,000 lb. of coal every year."
The system, which had an approved budget of $3.5 million, will be fully operational by March.
While environmental benefits were a major reason for the decision to implement the Thermenex system, it was also projected to save the city in energy costs. However, the anticipated savings could be smaller than anticipated, given the falling price of natural gas and oil.
Perry Staniscia, the city's manager of strategic initiatives, said it is too early to say what impact falling energy prices will have on Coquitlam's projected savings with the system.
A comprehensive report outlining all the figures, including GHG and cost savings, would be made available to council at the end of the year, he said.
@GMcKennaTC
