(Photo: Town of Sylvan Lake)

By Troy Gillard and Josh Hall

"There are brighter days ahead"

Mayor says 2020 proved ‘resiliency’ of Sylvan Lakers

Dec 30, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Sylvan Lake’s mayor is proud of the town’s residents for coming together to overcome the challenges presented by 2020.

From overcrowded summer beaches to temporary shutdowns for many local businesses, Sean McIntyre says the year proved Sylvan Lakers know how to be resilient.

“COVID has dominated the conversation,” McIntyre says of his talks with residents. “Some people want to talk directly about the impact on themselves and their family, while others are looking for every bit of normalcy they can find, so that means talking about policy, projects in the community, or what’s going on with their family [aside from COVID-19].”

McIntyre rightfully notes the abundance of “bad news,” and that society would be remiss to not reflect on what went well over the last 12 months – including socially distanced birthday parades and fundraisers, window painting, and volunteering to help people who are struggling.

The municipality’s Emergency Coordination Centre was active for months on end, which he points out is highly irregular for a singular assignment, in this case to respond to the pandemic.

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“Their job was to keep residents safe and the community moving, and they went to great lengths to do that,” says McIntyre. “One of the biggest things we did this year was enhance our communication to people within our community and people who visit our town, and encouraged them to enjoy Sylvan Lake responsibly. We also had staff on a very intense cleaning regimen, as well as additional enforcement with RCMP and additional signage.”

McIntyre, who was honoured this year by the AUMA for outstanding civic leadership, highlighted the growth of Pogadl Park, including the new baseball stadium which will play home to the Sylvan Lake Gulls in the WBCL starting next summer.

The Town, he adds, also reallocated community grants in 2020, including $10,000 each to the Sylvan Lake Food Bank and Sylvan Lake Community Partners.

“Sylvan Lakers have continued on in the character we’ve been able to define over the last 10 years or so, and that character shows that we are a community which comes together when it counts,” he says.

The Town completed several infrastructure projects this year, including phase one of the 50 Avenue redevelopment (with phase two happening in 2021), the rebuilding of 50A Street, and the complete rebuild of 53 Street.

There was also the Hunter Road Rehabilitation project including new stormwater infrastructure for the Hewlett Park area. Upgrades were also made to the local skate park and the Town completed a new water reservoir and pump station to “serve generations to come.”

“Also worth noting was a major collaboration with our municipal neighbours with the near completion of a historic intermunicipal development plan,” McIntyre added.

“This will help guide development all around the lake in eight different municipalities as we go forward. I call it historic because there was an attempt to do something like this in 2000 which didn’t quit pan out. This time we found consensus on the way things ought to be done and if all goes well, we’ll see third reading before the springtime.”

In the meantime, he says, the Town of Sylvan Lake is working diligently on a 2021 budget that provides residents with the services and infrastructure they expect, but is also sensitive to the harsh economic times.

“The message I want to get out to everyone is to look forward to the future we’re building together, and remember life won’t always be like it was in 2020. Remember we have endured and succeeded in overcoming challenges together and that we share that bright future.

“The days are getting longer, and we’re reminded that darkness fades. There are brighter days ahead, literally and figuratively.

“I want to thank Sylvan Lakers for their compassion, congratulate them for their resilience and encourage them to look forward toward our collective future,” he adds. “Whether we recognize it or not, we’ve always been in this together and we’ll celebrate together soon.”