Reg Olson wasn’t there at the beginning, but he was pretty darn close.
That beginning, for Crossroads Gas Co-op Ltd., was 1973. It was among a number of natural gas co-ops that sprang up after the province urged rural Albertans to develop their own gas distribution systems.
Olson, who went to work for Crossroads the following year, recalls how the co-op was initially run out of a director’s basement.
“We set up an office in an old lumber yard in Wimborne in 1975,” he said.
Olson became general manager in 1976, and three years later Crossroads moved to the Innisfail premises that remained its home for more than three decades — until this fall.
Crossroads recently moved into a new operations centre north of Innisfail in Red Deer County. With 10,000 square feet of shop area and 10,650 square feet of office space, the co-op is set for years to come, said Olson.
“The building was designed so it can be expanded upon,” he pointed out, adding that the $2.4-million structure and fenced storage yard only occupy five of the 19 acres at the site — leaving plenty of room for future growth.
Crossroads might eventually need it. It’s adding about 125 new services — or meters — to its member network each year. The count is now up to 3,000, a far cry from the 1,300 services the co-op maintained in 1974.
And there are some big residential subdivisions proposed for Crossroads’ sprawling coverage area between Red Deer and Carstairs.
When Olson started, most members were agricultural. But acreages, rural subdivisions and industrial users have become more common.
During this period, the co-op’s premises in Innisfail Business Plaza became increasingly inadequate. It outgrew its own bay and had to rent two more, but was still short on space.
“It wasn’t all that efficient,” added Olson.
The new centre has room for vehicles and equipment, as well as Crossroads’ 17 staff members.
The relocation was a big undertaking, and has yet to be completed. It was celebrated at a Nov. 17 grand opening, with members of the founding board among those in attendance.
They reminisced about 37 years of operations, and Olson was familiar with most of these.
“Except for the first year, I was there for all of them.”
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com