Town of Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson. (Image Credit: Town of Ponoka/Supplied)

By Ian Gustafson

Looking back at 2025

Year-in-Review: Town of Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson reflects on exciting year

Jan 11, 2026 | 11:44 AM

Town of Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson said the community had a great year after accomplishing multiple goals throughout 2025.

His message to the citizens of Ponoka is that he’s proud of them after the community rallied to support a local charity organization called the Rising Sun Clubhouse after organization ran into funding challenges.

“To see folks in this community come together, it just warmed my heart and reaffirmed my choice to make me look out there and wonder why you wouldn’t want to live in Ponoka,” he said. “It is such a great community.”

In terms of accomplishments this year, there were many that the mayor wanted to highlight.

Although it wasn’t new in 2025, the mayor explained they made headway in its downtown facade improvement program, which provides municipal grants to owners of buildings in downtown Ponoka for up to 50 per cent of eligible building improvement costs up to a maximum of $5,000 per project.

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He said that as a result of the program being in place for a few years, the image of downtown looks much different.

“It really looks like it’s been spiffed up,” he said.

One of the biggest projects, he said, the town took on this year was the improvements made to Highway 53.

In the summer, the town partnered with Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors to improve and rehabilitate the highway between Highway 2A and 38 Street.

Alberta Transportation took on the job of improving the road, but the Mayor said the town incorporated the trail system into the road, as well as added new street lighting, decorative lighting, and white fencing along the highway. In addition, they renamed the section of the road that runs by the Stampede grounds, Rodeo Drive.

“It’s a very welcoming road to bring you into our tourism district, so we are quite happy with that. We consider that a major accomplishment,” he said.

Ferguson was also quite proud of the grand opening they held in September for the new multi-use skate park in the downtown area.

The expanded park was designed for multiple different types of equipment, including skateboards, bicycles, inline skates and scooters.

It also features a 38-metre-long skate run, vert and pyramid ramps, and landscaped seating areas.

“It’s been greatly appreciated by our younger folks in town, and I dare say, as well, we do get a number of out-of-towners that do come to use it,” Ferguson added.

The town also opened an 18-hole disc golf course that was erected on the east side of the river in June, according to Ferguson. They were able to build it in partnership with the town’s Ponoka Arts, Recreation, and Cultural Society, which contributed $15,000 to the project.

More renovations were completed at the Ponoka Aquaplex in 2025, including the modernization of its changerooms. In past years, they resurfaced the pool deck, added an HVAC system, and also resurfaced the pool and hot tub, among other items.

“The most important thing about this, though, is that we took an Aquaplex that was built in the 1970s and refurbished it,” he added.

In terms of challenges that council and the mayor had to overcome over the last year, Ferguson said narrowing down their top priorities was on the list.

There’s always a certain amount of money, but there always seems to be a list of things that need to be fixed and things that council want.

“It gets quite complicated because you’re also looking at a timing issue as well. These projects you don’t always start them and get them done in a year; they’re usually years in the making,” Ferguson said.

Looking ahead to 2026, the town will continue to invest in its annual pavement and concrete improvement program as it determines which roads need to be prioritized in terms of maintenance.

Ponoka will also start a project this year where it’ll make upgrades to its wastewater and treatment facility. This year will begin with phase one and will be a multi-year project.