SUNDRE — The pandemic might have presented some unprecedented challenges over the past year, but the community nevertheless demonstrated resolve in the face of adversity to persevere, the municipality’s mayor said recently.
“COVID in 2020 will go down in history as one of the challenges for all of us, but it will not define our spirit. Yes, there were COVID cancellations, but our community spirit defined us with resiliency,” said Terry Leslie.
Sundre’s mayor, who reflected on the past year’s successes, hailed the many, often behind-the-scenes efforts of numerous organizations and volunteers who stepped up to provide care and support during a time of struggle, as well as all of the health-care professionals and front-line workers who’ve ensured continued provision of critical services.
He also praised the municipality’s accomplishments, and said the town was able to hold its financial ground amid unexpected uncertainty.
“As boring as municipal finance is to most of us, 2020 saw a remarkable accomplishment in having our auditors issue a perfect audit with no recommendations,” said Leslie.
The effort to formulate a new financial framework for a four-year operational budget and a 10-year capital plan has been ongoing for the past three years, he said, adding the document’s success can be measured by the success of the annual audit.
“A clean audit is like getting straight As at graduate level statistics and calculus — it’s a great, big deal,” he said.
Now in its third year of the four-year budget, the mayor said the incoming council following the upcoming municipal election next October has been set up for success.
Among the past year’s accomplishments was the completion of the Main Avenue-Highway 27 west boulevard pathway and landscaping project’s first phase, which he said came in 50 per cent under budget.
“Making beautiful the west entrance to town for tourists, and making a walking path for the rest of our local residents, was a project that volunteers really wanted to be a part of.”
Another major but much less visible project this past year was the completion of some critical upgrades to the wastewater system lift station. Originally budgeted at $1.6 million, the mayor said, “We found solutions and innovative methods and repair strategies to bring the actual cost in at $207,000. This upgrade, and savings to the community of $1.3 million, enabled us to increase the lifespan of the lift station by 20-plus years.”
Council also allocated a pool of $50,000 to be divided and distributed to several community volunteer groups. Although some eligibility criteria were outlined, he said no organizations were eliminated from applying.
Providing support to organizations that play vital roles in the community is important at the best of times, but was even more critical during this time of COVID-19, he said.
A substantial expense this year was a $1-plus million injection to install an upgraded ice plant as well as a new ice resurfacer storage room.
“This new plant will allow us to open the arena earlier, and possibly stay open later for tournaments. We expect this project to come in under budget by about $200,000," he said.
Unfortunately, not long after the municipality opened the arena, the facility ended up closed as a result of restrictions. But at least the facility is ready to reopen on a moment’s notice, he said.
“The optimism into future, is that we’re ready to go when those restrictions are reduced," he said.
