(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

a year of gathering once again

Year in Review: Sylvan Lake mayor proud of how town bounced back

Dec 29, 2022 | 10:44 AM

2022 was an important year for Sylvan Lake, says Mayor Megan Hanson, who believes things began trending in the positive for the town.

“We opened the spray park and a new playground, a project 10 years in the making, and we got to filling Pogadl Park where the Gulls baseball team lost very few games and fans had fun,” the first-term mayor says.

“We had some great celebrations like Friendsgiving, and a bull riding event sold out at the NexSource Centre.”

On the town council side, Hanson says they refined advocacy goals.

“We had great discussions in that area, in detail like we haven’t had before, to find out the things Sylvan Lake really needs, what we can provide, and what our action plan is,” she says. “In the past, we’ve said certain things are outside our realm, but this year we wanted to be players. One example of a huge success was getting Victim Services back for the first time since 2019.”

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Sylvan Lake is of course known for its tourism industry, and Hanson says there’s still work to do on that front, but adds that the pandemic hit Sylvan in a different way than how many people may think.

“We saw a ton of tourism and traffic because a lot of the people planned their stay-cations close by, instead of going out of the province or country,” says Hanson. “It was sure great though to, more recently, get back to normal operations and give people the full Sylvan Lake experience, which includes the great dining and events that make us extra special.”

Next year will be important, she adds, with an ice dragonboat festival coming early in 2023, and then budget dollars have been allocated to ensure proper observances of National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21), and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept. 30).

She says the Town is aiming to be more proactive in planning for these and other things.

“It was also a record year for some of our workers and staff at the volunteer fire department with call volumes and stats up substantially. Those folks have worked very hard this year,” Hanson notes. “All in all, it’s been a really great year and we’re ending it on a high note because we’ve had a couple months here where we were successful in gathering our community and seeing grant applications approved.”

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