TISDALE — A new Co-op grocery store, securing $3.6 million in funds for water system upgrades and fixing the RECplex roof were 2018’s highlights for Tisdale’s mayor.
“We had a pretty good year in town with paving and some more waterline replacements, which is always nice to get those out of the way,” Al Jellicoe said. “That paving is probably $500,000 or $600,000 a year project that we’ve been able to do on a very regular basis over the last 10 years.”
According to Jellicoe, the $3.6 million for a lagoon expansion and a new sewer lift station to replace one that’s around 60 years old is a big highlight because the system is at capacity
“It’s essential we get that done as part of the growth of the town.”
While Jellicoe listed the RECplex renovations as a positive, it was also a challenge.
“The RECplex roof was a long process that started in April and didn’t really wrap up until November, but it was a necessary project that had to be done,” Jellicoe said. “It was definitely cheaper to do it now than two years from now.”
Another challenge this past year, he said, was taxes.
“It’s a constant struggle with the revenue sharing with the government and grants. The good thing is part of that budget challenge is we’ve had some increases with commercial property that is going to be contributing in the next couple years, so that definitely helps.”
An aspect that made 2018 taxes a challenge was the lagoon expansion.
“Sure we got some revenue grants out of the federal government, and the provincial government, but we still need to come up with one third,” Jellicoe said. “But we have to do it.”
In 2019, one of the coming highlights includes starting the construction on the lagoon.
“That sewer project, and lagoon project, probably one of the big ones,” Jellicoe said. “We haven’t started our 2019 budget yet but probably one of the big ones is the lagoon project.”
The mayor also highlighted the economic development department’s Agrivalue Strategy aimed at attracting companies to process crops grown in the area.
“Let’s process where it’s produced, the land is cheaper here than it is in Regina or wherever.”
While this is a coming highlight, Jellicoe also said the investing enough time for the strategy in 2018 for the was one of the year’s challenges.
Paving is another highlight returning in 2019.
“We are going to continue our paving program, so that’s coming along,” Jellicoe said. “Every year we do three or four blocks of that waterline replacements, the next year we do the curbs, then the second year we do the paving. So I know probably the biggest one is the block right beside the theatre. That’s scheduled to be paved this year.”
The expectation is the paving will last for 20 to 30 years.
“The paving is not cheap, but it lasts.”
Sidewalks, excluding the proximity of Main Street, are not expected to be worked on in the foreseeable future.
“Any new residential, there is no sidewalks,” Jellicoe said. “Sidewalks are not cheap to replace. We don’t need sidewalks, we’re not replacing them.”
