COALMONT — People living in a rural community near Princeton say the future is finally friendly. Coalmont lost its only 24-hour public pay phone in March and residents have been fighting to get it replaced ever since. Their persistence has paid off because last weekend, Telus installed a new phone.
“We’re very pleased,” said Bob Sterne, a resident who spearheaded the campaign. “There’s no cell service here so it is important for people to have some way to call 911 if there’s an emergency. We now have that again, which we haven’t for the last couple of months, so we’re very pleased.”
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In March, Roland Giroux, 65, was accused of ramming his car into the booth in an alleged attempt to kill the man using the phone. Giroux is now on bail under near house arrest.
The victim suffered leg injuries, while the booth was completely destroyed.
When Global News first contacted Telus, the company said it couldn’t justify replacing a pay phone that consistently gets vandalized and is hardly used.
On Monday, a spokesperson said it had always been searching for an alternative option.
“We knew it wasn’t ideal to install a similar payphone, which could be a target for vandalism, making it unreliable for users,” said spokesperson Liz Sauvé. “So while consulting with the community, we heard they felt it was important for passersby to have access to a phone at any time day or night, and we agreed.”
Sauvé says the new phone is credit card operated and combined with a new location, the company hopes the measures will curb vandalism.
Telus will install an additional sign so visitors will know where they can make a call for help if needed.
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