By Justin Dionne

County Reeve reflects on 2018

Dec 28, 2018 | 6:01 AM

The County of Grande Prairie has had a busy year and 2019 is looking just as eventful.
 
Reeve Leanne Beaupre says there have been some big hurdles the county had to jump through such as dealing with spring’s overland flooding, but there have also been some positive highlights.
 
“It was a great year for 2018. We did quite a bit of work in the County of Grande Prairie. Our transportation infrastructure is a continued priority for us and we completed 62 kilometres of work on our County roads and an additional
$1.9-million dollars was invested to enhance our ditch cleaning project.”
 
Beaupre notes one of the County’s infrastructure challenges is that it’s home to over 300 bridges. She says the roads are the main cause of complaints as some roadways are in need of upgrades.
 
Beaupre adds the county’s roads should see some improvements in the future as council has a Long-Term Transportation Master Plan which highlights priority roadways.
 
Looking forward, Beaupre mentions continuing to improve relationships with neighbouring communities as one of the things that will be focused on next year.
 
“One of the things that we’ll be working on diligently in 2019 is the relationship we have with the other municipalities, the towns, the village and the City of Grande Prairie,” says Beaupre. “This year, the government made some updates to modernize the Municipal Government Act, which requires municipalities to work in collaboration on certain items and try to find efficiencies.”
 
Beaupre explains the County will be working closely with its partnering communities going forward, and she adds the Summer Games were a prime example of communities working together as the County and its partners shared in the expenses and success of the event.