2018 has passed and it’s been quite the eventful year for Starland County.
From staff and council turnover, to a new fire station and truckfill in Munson, as well as a new and improved location for the Craigmyle Fire Department, to a devastating fire at the Starland administration office. Despite this, 2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Starland County with some new projects that will benefit the residents of Starland County for years to come.
“I would first like to give a big thanks to all our wonderful staff and emergency personnel for the great work they did assisting with the fire and the recovery. The outpouring of support from our community partners, firefighters and neighbouring municipalities has been much appreciated,” said Reeve Steve Wannstrom.
Staff have had the difficult task of not only carrying on with the day-to-day operations of the municipality, but also of cleaning up, rebuilding and planning for the future.
The Munson Fire Hall was finished just in time for the county to take over for housing administration until it secured a temporary office in the Village of Morrin.
As for 2019, the major project on the horizon is the joint administration building/public works shop, which is in the initial stages of design. Prior to the fire last year, Starland had been saving capital funding for a new public works shop since 2008. They have decided to join the two buildings to realize some cost savings and finally bring the entire staff together under one roof. Starland crews are currently are working on the site and it should be ready for development in the spring or summer of 2019. While there are still a number of steps to go, they hope to have a contractor selected and work started this summer. This project will be the largest development ever undertaken by Starland County and will provide a critical piece of infrastructure for the next 50+ years.
In addition to the new building, the county is also working on regular road building projects, basic road maintenance, culvert replacement and more. They will maintain cemeteries, parks, & campgrounds. and crews will continue their efforts with monitoring weed control and assisting farmers with agriculture issues.
“This year we will also be opening our new boardwalk and walking path at the Michichi Reservoir, so watch for that. We have planned for some upgrades to our northeast radio communications system for Emergency Services. We look forward to celebrating with the Hamlet of Rumsey this year as they celebrate their centennial this July, and they are well underway with planning the festivities,” said Wannstrom.
“Thank you for all your support and patience this past year as we dealt with some challenging circumstances, you can be sure that Starland County will continue on stronger than ever in 2019. “
