The past year was one of numerous accomplishments for the Town of Sundre as well as milestone achievements for local organizations and institutions, the municipality’s mayor says.
“Our staff took over the operation of the water treatment plant this year and were able to find substantial savings in operating our facility with our people,” said Terry Leslie, adding staff have done an outstanding job assuming a role that was previously contracted out.
“On the wastewater treatment side, our staff have found major leaks underground, made repairs, and found significant savings to our treated wastewater volumes.”
What that translates to is greatly easing pressure by no longer being “in a panic” to prepare and deploy plans to expand the wastewater treatment facility, he said.
The facility faces required upgrades to improve the quality of effluent discharged back into the Red Deer River as per updated governmental regulations, as well as an increased capacity to accommodate future growth. Identifying and repairing leaks and infiltration has resulted in significant savings of about 20 per cent of the wastewater volumes treated, and by extension reduced the immediate need to increase capacity, he said.
“That means we aren’t in as much of a panic to expand the water treatment plant.”
Underground infrastructure upkeep and upgrades might not be particularly “sexy,” but the work being done by municipal staff behind the scenes is remarkable, he said.
“The hard work of staff means we can phase in expansion, rather than spend a lot of money we don’t have because we are up against a wall.”
Additionally, an audit that was completed on the town’s water and wastewater system by Alberta Environment and Parks was “near perfect,” indicating the municipality has “the best qualified staff doing exceptional work — each and every day.”
That effort largely goes unseen, but the results are impressive, he said.
Another highlight from the past year is the municipality’s curbside blue bin recycling program, which Leslie said “has been one of the best in terms of resident participation.”
However, acknowledging the closure of the Sundre Recycling Centre on Dec. 31, Leslie said the municipality must devise a more suitable alternative to that facility in the coming year.
“It takes time and we’ll figure it out,” he said.
The mayor also pointed to the successful streamlining of the town’s planning and development to facilitate obtaining building permits, development applications and subdivision developments, he said, adding the Sundre and District Chamber of Commerce had asked for that to be done for years.
Major developments over the past year include the ongoing construction of the Candre Cannabis facility as well as a subdivision approval for 56 bare land condominium units, anticipated for the following year, he said.
“Those have us coming around the bend from flat growth to the possibility that we’re coming out of the recession like everyone else.”
Additionally, administration and council worked alongside their Mountain View County colleagues to establish partnerships under a new inter-municipal collaboration framework master agreement. The document sets the stage for secondary sub-agreements including for recreation and culture, which will receive significant funding increases to support programs, services and organizations, he said.
“I would be remiss to not mention how administration and council have worked closely with our county counterparts,” he said, adding those efforts help to “improve what’s going on in the community.”
Despite a disagreement regarding a land designation that the county had sought for gravel extraction, the neighbouring councils not only “sat down in meetings and sorted it out” but also proceeded to forge ahead and negotiate the new master agreement.
Sundre’s council will continue to seek ways to improve when dealing with issues that are brought before elected officials, he said.
The mayor also praised all of the “groups and organizations that provide all of us the opportunity to feel connected to this wonderful community we call home.”
This year marked two major milestones — “the birthday celebration of 50 years for our Sundre hospital and the 50 year celebration of the Sundre museum.”
He also mentioned the continuing success of “a spectacular Sundre rodeo that draws competitors from North America” as well as the “new and hopefully annual Canadian Indoor 3D National Archery Championship that put Sundre on the national stage.”
There was also the inaugural Tri Services Regimental Spring Ball and fundraiser that recognized and celebrated first responders, the annual Neighbours’ Day event hosted by SPOG “that is a model for community engagement world wide” and the annual Sundre Hospital Legacy Gala organized by the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee, a group that represents “a model deeply respected by the minister of health and the CAO of Alberta Health Services.”
From the municipality’s perspective, there are some hurdles anticipated ahead, he said. The expected requisition increase from Mountain View Seniors' Housing prompted five mayors and the county’s reeve to write a letter to the minister of seniors and housing, expressing concerns about rising senior care costs downloaded by the provincial government onto municipalities, he said.
“We’re dealing with the difficult circumstances in a way that is typical Sundre fashion,” he said, adding that means identifying the issues, developing solutions to resolve them and making improvements “for the people we serve.”
