The Mail is continuing its series of updates and a glance to the coming year with area municipalities. Last week readers were brought up to date on Special Areas and Starland County. This week there are updates from the Village of Munson and the Village of Delia. Watch for more in the coming weeks.
It has been a busy year for the Village of Delia, and the community is well positioned for the future.
The Mail caught up with Mayor David Sisley to review the progress the village has made in 2018 and what it is looking forward to in the coming year. One project Mayor Sisley is very excited about is approval of a new Delia School and the unique community hub which they have partnered. The Delia School Enhancement Society has been busy raising funds for the project. They have surpassed the $1 million mark.
“The Village was the first to put up money and they donated $100,000,” said Sisley. “It is going to include the library and a field house the public can use. There are parts of the building that can be used all of the time.”
“The committee that looked into other schools that have been built recently found none of the schools had done this sort of thing.”
Groundbreaking on the new school is expected this coming spring.
The Village was busy in 2018 expanding the water storage unit that supplies the community. This necessary renovation is well underway and is expected to be completed this spring.
“If there was a major fire or some major catastrophe where we would need water, in just a few hours we would have no water,” Sisley explained.
He says the Council has also been busy putting together a strategic plan for the community with the help of a facilitator. This will be a document to guide the future development of the Village.
“Hopefully it will help with tourism and more economic development, and bring more businesses to town,” said Sisley.
The village has a few projects coming including a sidewalk replacement program over the next two to three years.
The future looks bright for the community, especially with recent population growth.
“We have gone from 186 up to 216,” said Sisley. “It’s people wanting to get away from the big city more than anything and have more quality of life.”
He says in 2018 they have had 12 properties for sale and all but two have been sold. There are three new houses under construction. They have also sold three commercial lots.
