For Athabasca County, 2017 was a business-as-usual year while moving ahead on a number of larger projects “to serve the region in the future,” according to Reeve Doris Splane.
Number one on Splane’s list for 2017 was supporting the new $15.3-million regional pool project, which received approval from both county and Town of Athabasca councils in the spring.
“That facility is one that all who have been part of it today can say is their gift to the next two to three generations of people in our region,” she said. “I can’t wait.”
Splane said she was “very happy” the county received some “long overdue” news in 2017 about an Athabasca Bridge replacement, which was added to the province’s list of funded projects in its 2017 budget.
“Very happy to see this happen because down the road it will positively affect development of the land on the north side of the river,” she said. “I’ve been hearing about it as long as I’ve been on council.”
Another highlight of 2017 was successfully lobbying Canada Post to reverse changes to new policies that affected where county residents picked up their mail and how much it cost, Splane said.
She said council began lobbying Canada Post after hearing concerns residents had, that they were being given notice to fork up a fee or have their postal box transferred from Athabasca to Colinton.
Council learned at their Dec. 28 meeting Canada Post made a final decision to stop the relocation process and refund customers who had already paid a fee to remain in Athabasca.
“We are very thankful for the successful outcome of that,” Splane said.
She continued on to list a number of highlights for Athabasca County in 2017: working to improve cellular service; putting a Tax Installment Payment Plan in place for residents; staying connected with the community through events such as the annual Fly-In Barbecue, Farm Food & Safety Days, Farm Women’s Conference and the Change Conference; and a municipal election that saw three new councillors join the ranks.
The reeve also noted a “wonderfully wet spring” made 2017 memorable, when asked what may not have gone quite as planned. The Athabasca region received the most accumulative rainfall in the province, which Splane said impacted the county in that roads became challenging to maintain and projects saw some delays.
“It was a challenging year, but in the end county crews were able to complete all the major road construction projects despite experiencing those conditions,” she said.
Splane spoke about Athabasca County’s work at updating its Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB), which was put to a halt in February after residents voiced concerns.
The proposed amendments came out of a two-year review and consultation process, which came to a head Feb. 14 during a final public hearing. Three days later, county council sent a letter to residents saying residents’ concerns have been noted, and the county would “re-evaluate” proposed changed to the LUB.
Splane said it was a long process, and the county had put off working on their MDP and LUB for “a long period of time” due to provincial plans that were not yet complete that could preempt anything they did.
“We had withheld working on ours, not wanting to put things in place, then have them preemptive by the provincial plans. That’s part of what took so long getting this process going,” Splane said. “But I think now it’ll be full steam ahead.”
Splane said looking ahead into the new year, the MDP and LUB “is certainly critical.” She added moving forward with the pool would be another priority, along with maintain relationships with neighbouring municipalities.
“Reestablishing and getting to know the new people,” She said. “That’s a big part of it.”
“Successfully keep moving forward, doing the best we can do,” she added. “We certainly know we’re not perfect, but we’re going to do the best we can.”
