County Reeve looks ahead to 2018

Dec 28, 2017 | 6:14 AM

The municipal election stands out as a highlight of 2017 for the Reeve of the County of Grande Prairie.

Leanne Beaupre says the year ahead will mean continued work on roads and bridges.

“The County of Grande Prairie has 311 bridges in its municipality, the largest (in this area), with the MD of Greenview running a close second. In this area, where it’s really busy, it’s very important to maintain those bridges and roads, not only for industry that’s working in the area, but for the safety and peace of mind of our residents.”

She adds she has noticed an improvement in the local economy, with activity in the energy sector picking up.

“Some of our roads have taken quite a hit in places, so we’ve adopted a Transportation Master Plan. We’ve had one for a long time, but it has just been updated recently. We really have prioritized a lot of our roads, taking a long-term look at what we need to do as it continues to be busy in this area.”

Beaupre says council approved putting more money into road construction plus an extra $600,000 into putting more gravel on 1300 kilometres of busier roads.

Beaupre adds in 2018, she expects a lot of new jobs to be created by the new hospital.

“We’re going to see people move to this area. That’s going to mean that they’re going to need housing or some sort of tenancy, so we may continue to see the development permits change and the home-building industry will start to gain some confidence as well.”

by Curtis Galbraith