The mayor of Sylvan Lake, Sean McIntyre said 2016 was a year of planning and building for the future of the town.  

It started with completing an annexation of 12 quarter sections of land to prepare for future growth and four new outline plans for development.  

McIntyre said the town also purchased the former waterslide property and reserved the space for future recreation and opened the new Rotary Lighthouse Park.  

The mayor added there was also an exciting donation from a local family.

“We were so excited to receive a land donation from the Pogadl family, which will also be set aside for future land recreation in our community, this time in the southwest corner of town.”

Phases 5 and 6 of the Lakeshore Drive Redevelopment were also completed and in the spring the town opened a new fire hall and received a new aerial firetruck.

However, McIntyre said 2016 also brought significant milestones and challenges.

On the social side of the things, the town invested heavily in FCSS and staff made great strides in their vision for non-violence.  

This included increasing awareness and giving the town tools to deal with issues like elder abuse and bullying which the mayor added included 11 municipalities across Central Alberta.  

The community was also heavily involved in the response to the wildfires of Fort McMurray in housing hundreds of evacuees.

“It was just incredible to see our community come together and look out for our neighbours in the way that they did. I know that’s part of being an Albertan and certainly Sylvan Lakers stepped up and did their part.”

The mayor said the economy also had an effect on residents and in response council developed a lean 2017 budget and continued to work to diversify the local economy through tourism.

With 2017 already here, McIntyre explained it will be a year for moving forward and moving up.

There are two main priorities going into 2017 according to the mayor and one of them is the regional wastewater pipeline, connecting the region to Red Deer.  

It's something that's been in the works since 2008 and the town is currently waiting for provincial funding to see it through.  

The other priority the mayor says is bringing urgent care to the community.

“We met with the Health Minister and CEO of Alberta Health Services and we submitted a detailed plan to them in the fall to establish urgent care in Sylvan Lake. We’re looking forward to hearing back from them in early 2017.”

Other exciting new initiatives for 2017 include the opening of the Nexsource Centre for recreation in March, continued neighbourhood development and automated recycling pick up.