The Town of Penhold held an open house at the multiplex Feb. 12 to give residents a glimpse into the future of the town and a chance to ask questions.
Representatives from planning and development, community services, the fire department and elsewhere were on hand for the evening event which used visual displays to outline capital and operating projects, public works efforts, youth programs and more.
Though only a handful of local citizens stopped by, town officials said the event was an important step in engaging with the local population.
ìI think the information is very well presented,î said CAO Rick Binnendyk. ìIt would have been nice to see more public participation.î
The presentation gave residents a chance to learn about the municipality's goals and how the town is doing at getting on track with the multiplex budgeting.
ìWe anticipated three to five years for the flowout,î he said of plans surrounding the facility. ìIt's just nice to have a little bit of communication with the public.î
Though this was the town's first stab at such a public forum it's something which will likely happen again, he said.
ìIt's all here,î he said. ìEverything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.î
For Ashley Meek, 28, and her 10-month-old daughter Madison, the evening was a chance to have a peek behind the scenes.
ìPeople can see what the town is doing,î she said, noting she participates in the library program but wasn't fully aware of many of the other activities. ìIt did a very good job of explaining what the town does.î
While you might notice municipal employees on the street you may not know all the effort that goes on to make that happen, she said.
ìIt's good to see what the town has to offer, especially last year with the tax fiasco,î she said. ìEveryone in the town got all riled up.î
Meek said she was surprised to see the variety of areas the town is responsible for.
ìThe only thing you can do is to be active in the community,î she said.
Dana Jones, community peace officer, said it was important to show how she serves Penhold in her role.
ìI was able to present my 2013 focuses and what we do to make the community safer,î she said, ìto show that I am trying to be a leader in supporting the town.î
She works with youth and town citizens through bike rodeos, at pedestrian crosswalks and safety meetings. Currently, Jones is putting together an anti-bullying program relevant to youth and parents which will touch on cyber bullying and elder abuse.
ìI'm here for the town and for those who come to live, work and visit,î she said.
Mayor Dennis Cooper said the information can be replicated at community breakfasts and put on the town's website and on Facebook.
ìAll the stuff we have here can definitely be repeated,î he said. ìÖall the work we put into this won't be lost.î
Cooper says he understands that civic education doesn't make for the sexiest night on the town.
ìI wish we had more people,î he said. ìIt's not exciting stuff.î
It was, however, an important continuation of the public budgeting process the town tried out this year, he noted.
ìWe approached our budget totally different this year,î he said.
