With potential redevelopment of several pieces of municipal infrastructure, the opening of a brand new multi-purpose facility and the possibility of finally resolving issues surrounding wildlife in Three Sisters Mountain Village, the Town of Canmore could see some big changes in 2013.
That was the focus of Mayor John Borrowman’s state of the union address last week (Jan. 10) at the first Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association (BOWDA) meeting of the new year.
Referencing Bob Dylan’s influential song from the early 1960s, Borrowman indicated, “the times are a-changin” for the Town of Canmore this year with the amount of projects on deck as well as hefty decisions that will have to be made by both the public and council.
“All of these things are in fact initiated this year so there will be a lot on the go from a municipal point of view,” the mayor said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of really great decisions made and some really hard work done. I’m really optimistic.”
Ron Remple, executive director for BOWDA, agreed with the mayor regarding his presentation and the scope of some of the bigger issues and projects that will be focused on throughout the year.
“Some of the opportunities we have staring us in the face are quite interesting, with the opening of the arts centre, the development of the rec centre and the old day care site,” Remple said.
“Those do provide some significant opportunities for the Town to shape its future,” he continued. “I think the opportunity facing council is what do we want the town to look like in 15 years?”
In addition to the opening of Elevation Place, which could happen as early as mid-February, and other issues that involve public engagement currently being collected, the potential of getting Three Sisters out of receivership is a major topic that will be looked at heavily this year.
“There’s some big benefits to come out of this process and one of them is the resolution of the wildlife corridor,” Borrowman said. “I think that’s important because we’ve been struggling with that for quite a bit. The hope of getting that land back into development would be really beneficial as well.
“The fact Three Sisters is starting to see some potential coming out of there, that’s a huge issue and potentially a very positive one,” added Remple. “If that can come out of receivership in 2013, I think it’s going to bode very well for the rest of the community.”
Some other topics the mayor mentioned that are up for discussion this year include the idea of having more affordable housing within town, expansion of homes for seniors and corporate members for Elevation Place.
