Week of May 30, 2024

Ski plane landed at South Cooking Lake Airport (ARCH006844)

40 years ago (May 30, 1984)

“New $1- to $2-million airport for South Cooking Lake”

Forty years ago, a $1-2 million upgrade to the airport near South Cooking Lake was approved. The improved airport was to feature a 3000-foot paved runway intended for recreational and small-scale commercial use with propeller-driven aircraft. The funding for the improvements led some to envision Cooking Lake as the new “Gateway to the North”. Others, such as Frank Petroskey, a horse breeder and trainer with land adjacent to the airport, were upset with the airport’s facelift. Petroskey feared the airport’s expansion would destroy his operation and appealed to the province for compensation. The new runway would direct aircraft right over his racetrack. A suggestion to realign the runway over his house rather than his racetrack was agreed by Petroskey to be better than no change at all.

30 years ago (June 2, 1994)

“County schools host first interactive science class at Salisbury Composite”

Students may be familiar with online and virtual classes now, but 30 years ago, it was a technological wonder for students at Salisbury Composite. They, along with other high school classes from across the province, attended a class on meteorology without having to leave their classrooms. The instructor lectured out of the Salisbury classroom with video cameras providing multiple angles of the room to other students across the province. Speakers on students’ desks allowed them to hear and speak to the other students, making the class interactive despite the distance. Teachers looked forward to the system as an excellent resources for schools.