Jasper townsite to reopen Friday, but only to residents

Officials say the plan to reopen the fire-ravaged Jasper townsite will go ahead Friday as planned, but only to residents for now.

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland says they are acting on concerns they heard from residents about visitors intruding on their privacy as they learn first-hand the state of their homes and businesses.

Residents were previously allowed to see their homes on bus tours but were not allowed to get out and look around.

The town’s 5,000 residents, along with 20,000 more visitors, were forced out on July 22, just a day and a half before a wind-whipped fire roared in and destroyed a third of town buildings.

Early figures indicate the fires destroyed $283 million worth of property, which works out to a $2.2-million loss in annual property tax revenue for the townsite.

Officials said earlier this week that utilities and critical services had been restored to the point that a blanket re-entry would begin Friday for everyone regardless of whether they lived in town.

Ireland said that promise was one of many factors that had to be ironed out and said the priority has to be the needs of the residents.

Jasper’s public school district is racing against time to get smoke-damaged schools ready in time for the start of classes, cleaning and fixing everything from fire alarms to fish tanks.