Building a Helipad!

In the spring of 1997, the Lake Panache Campers Association Inc. embarked on its most ambitious and important project ever – the building of an air ambulance emergency landing site on the Ministry of Natural Resources property in the marina bay.

Earlier in the year, the Association signed a Land Management Agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to assume the maintenance of the MNR property within the marina bay at Lake Panache

With the support of the Association’s membership and the financial support of the former Town of Walden, the Association began construction of the air ambulance emergency landing site in the summer of 1997.

The preparation of the site was handled by Carman Construction, and we extend our sincere appreciation to Albert Laderoute and his team at Carman Construction for their assistance in levelling the site for us. For those of you who know the site, it was quite a job!

A team of volunteers worked throughout the months of July and August to finish the clearing of the site, and the laying of the patio stones to allow the air ambulance to land.

The Association quickly discovered that the site would not be accessible in the dark without the installation of a series of reflective cones. Led by Brian Young, the Association with the support of the Town of Walden, raised over $7,000 from association members and supporters to install the necessary reflective cones. A plaque has been erected at the site formally recognizing the contributors to the Association’s Buy-A-Cone program. Follow this link to learn more about the Buy-A-Cone program and its supporters.

In early August of 1997, the site was approved by the Ministry of Health for use, and opened. In August of 1998, the site was officially opened by LPCA President Jack Hamill, Bill Murdoch, MPP for Grey-Owen Sound, and Dick Johnstone, Mayor, Town of Walden. The official opening was marked by a visit by Bandage 2, one of the Ministry of Health’s air ambulances.

In the fall of 1997, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Associations (FOCA) recognized the Association’s efforts by awarding it the Jerry Strickland Award of Merit.