The first Battleford town council meeting of the year took place Jan. 9, and Battleford Mayor Chris Odishaw used the opportunity to look back on the past year and speak about the future of the town.
"2012 is going to be a great year for the community of Battleford," Odishaw began. "I think the last several years, if not for decades, the town has been building an infrastructure and population base in an area that is well-suited to future growth."
Odishaw went on to describe how the highway twinning project has been under consideration for the last 25 years and has finally come to fruition, and how the town now has "no excuses if growth is not going to happen." Emphasizing the mill rates, utility departments, and capacity of the town, Odishaw argued growth for Battleford is on the horizon.
As recently as Dec. 29, Odishaw had met with a food processing company that was potentially interested in relocating some business to Battleford.
Odishaw also commented on the growing number of immigrant families moving to the community, describing it as a positive development.
As for the next nine months, Odishaw asked council to spend a little more time and energy with the town's appointments and committees, "to provide support to them is in our best interests and in the best interests of the town," he explained. Odishaw did not use the yearly address to discuss new projects, but used it to emphasize two major projects the city is handling right now - the highway twinning project and the Historic Opera House Restoration Project. The latter was described as "just the one thing that everybody gets passionate and excited about."
As for the future, Odishaw spoke on the town's legacy.
"The town of Battleford does pull its weight, and we do help make the Battlefords a better place to live, work and play and we need to continue that."
