Blackfalds Mayor Jamie Hoover. (Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti

Looking forward to completions in 2024

Year in Review: Blackfalds had many projects commence in 2023, says Mayor Hoover

Dec 30, 2023 | 8:30 AM

Mayor Jamie Hoover says 2023 was filled with new projects commencing in Blackfalds that he hopes to see completed in 2024.

He says as the town continues to grow, they are finally starting to see the commercial growth they have been lagging in.

“As we come into our own in terms of population, wanting to be or representing a larger population needing to be self sufficient, we’re always, and have been for years, trying to develop our economy and we’re seeing a significant amount of growth the last couple of years with mostly starts,” he said.

He says almost 50 new businesses have opened over the past year and at least 25 new commercial spaces are under construction.

Their main challenge, he says, has been having enough housing for all the new people moving to town. With their last census done in 2021, he says he anticipates to see continued above provincial average growth in their 2024 census.

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While Habitat for Humanity completed various projects during the year, he says some developers have also been working on affordable housing options that will hopefully start in 2024. While they have focused mainly on single-family homes, he says they will soon see more multi-family homes and rental apartments that will be a “game changer” for residents.

“It’s challenging to get the trades to build these types of facilities, they’re needed all over the place, so we’re very fortunate to be in the hub of the province and have access to a great workforce, including many skilled people that live and work in Blackfalds so we’re going to see our housing situation change starting very soon; at least we’ll start seeing that activity happening next year,” he said.

READ: Habitat for Humanity Red Deer presents keys to four families

One of the biggest projects for the town, he says, has been the construction of their first high school, the Iron Ridge Secondary Campus. With construction on schedule, the school is expected to open for the 2024-25 academic year.

“For a community our size, it’s a huge milestone to bring our youth back that we’ve been shipping out for high school forever,” he said.

He says the Town has also started budgeting for site preparation for a new K-6 Catholic school, which he believes they have a good chance at receiving provincial funding for.

READ: Construction on schedule for Blackfalds high school

With the Border Paving Plaza having completed construction this year and soon to host a grand opening, Hoover says the Town has many large events planned for the community spaces, including a concert.

“It’s in the planning stage. We have a good idea of who we’d like to see and we’re in negotiations with that but we’re budgeting for a fairly significant event to happen during Blackfalds Days, so I’ll be excited to update you on that but more to come. I can’t give everything away right away,“ he joked.

The Blackfalds Bulldogs have also been attracting action at the new Eagle Builders Centre, having put in a bid to host the World Junior A Championships in 2024, with the results to be shared this upcoming February.

Finally, Hoover says he has learned over the year how to work with the new UCP government under Premier Danielle Smith and hopes to see a positive impact in the Town’s health services. Having run on the services of just one doctor in the town, he says they managed to attract a few more doctors over the year and hope to continue as they grow a higher profile in the region.

READ: New doctor finally comes on at Apollo Health Centre in Blackfalds

Mayor Hoover thanked the community for being such great people.

“We have great community spirit, amazing volunteers. We did such a great job coming out of a tough number of years and we have our head held high and our head is well above water,” he said. “Lots of great things happen here. We’re a young, exciting, dynamic community that’s always got something exciting going on.”