Fonds 0130 - Smoky West Rural Electrification Association Ltd. fonds

Smoky West R.E.A. was incorporated under the Co-operative Association Act (Charter 299) on February 18, 1954, and in June 1954 signed an agreement with Canadian Utilities (later Alberta Power) to provide electricity for the association. The area to be served was the east half of Improvement District 13, mainly Twp. 77-81, Rng. 23-26 west of the 5th and 6th Meridians. This included the hamlets of Eaglesham and Watino. The application was made by Maurice Boivin, Fred Johnson, Walter Paluwski, Frank Phillips, William Campbell, Emmanual Gaboury, Zack Lemoine, P. Campbell and Eric Paakse. A total of sixty-three members were signed to begin construction. Estimated cost of construction was to be $1160 per member, with a down payment of $100, and the remainder to be borrowed from the Rural Electrification Revolving Fund Act, at an interest rate of 3 ½%, repayment to be made in ten equal payments. After construction, surplus funds were refunded to the R.E.A., and applied to the members' lien notes. The yearly refund was $220 until 1963, when construction costs started to increase. Four presidents served the R.E.A. over the thirty years of its existence: James Emerson, Walter Pawluski, Nick Poohkay and Rae Erickson. There were only two secretaries over that same time period: Maurice Boivin and Nick Poohkay. In 1983, the R.E.A. decided to sell the assets of the association to Alberta Power Ltd. Each member received $582.28 as a final payment, which included the value of the association dues and all funds in the Deposit Reserve Account.