It’s the start of a brand new year, a time to reflect upon all that has happened in the previous year and look ahead to the times to come. The Drumheller Mail spoke with Mayors and Reeves in the area and asked them to look back and ahead and share their thoughts.
Big Valley
It will prove to be a big year for Big Valley. The town is in the process of constructing a new subdivision, with lots already available to be purchased.
Council is looking forward to finishing a few old projects, improving infrastructure, and developing their tourism industry even further.
“I am looking forward to 2012 with great excitement,” said Gail Knudson, Mayor of Big Valley. “We have a great team to go forward with. We have a unique village and an active rural community, which helps our community thrive.”
Delia
Delia is closing in a milestone. The community is on the brink of celebrating its centennial.
“I wish everyone a very happy new year. In 2014 Delia will be a hundred, so we’re getting started on the centennial,” said Mayor John Rogers.
Mayor Rogers went on to say that one of the projects on the top of the list this year will be putting together a committee and planning for their big birthday.
Hussar
In Hussar the new year will be business as usual.
“Everybody have a really successful and wealthy new year! As far as the village of Hussar goes, we’ll continue our success into the future,” said Mayor Bruce Kaufman.
The biggest project occupying the minds of council and staff of The Village of Hussar is working on upgrading infrastructure within the village. Everyone is hoping the upgrades will be successful and make things better for everyone in Hussar.
Rockyford
The village of Rockyford has finished a big year. The wildly successful Rockyford rodeo in July was one of the best the village has ever hosted. The village also saw the completion of a new water and sewage system through three blocks of the village.
However, 2012 will prove to be another busy year for the village.
“I’d like to, on behalf of council and staff of the village of Rockyford, extend a very happy new year and a prosperous 2012. In 2012 we’ll see the completion of our new firehall and the municipality will be taking on a $1.5 million expansion of our sewage lagoon system,” said Mayor Darcy Burke.
Starland County
The County of Starland had a great year as well. The county completed the renovation and modernization of the county office in Morrin.
The county also became one of the few to achieve the rare feat of eliminating its long term debt.
The county undertook the ambitious program of assigning addresses to the hundreds of rural properties. Starland finished the task of putting gravel on all the roads in its borders and completing the backlog of previous years.
In 2012 Starland is thinking green and undertaking another ambitious project to utilize the sunny summers and get solar power installed in farms throughout the county.
Wheatland County
Wheatland County is taking time in the new year to redo its municipal development plan. The project began last year and one of the big things to cross off the to do list was finishing a growth management study.
It is hoped that with a current and up due date development plan, the county will know where it stands and be able to proceed with new initiatives.
The next biggest topic throughout Wheatland is the acquistion of water. Stable water sources are needed to spur development of hamlets within the county.
2012 has barely begun, but already Mayors, Reeves, and the remaining staff in the villages and counties in the area are looking ahead to the new year and planning how to make 2012 a momentous year.
