by PAUL RAYNER

According to Boissevain Mayor Ed Anderson, the absence of major municipal projects in 2007 is an opportunity for the community to look ahead to the future.

Anderson is looking to examine a host of future issues for the community in this coming year. He said compared to past years, ’07 is not going to be as big in the way of capital projects, which is something community leaders can take advantage of.

“2007 looks normal after 2006,” the mayor stated. “We had things like the town shop/fire hall, developing Schaffner in the new development. My feeling is we should do some long range planning. There are no really big projects for this year, so we should take advantage of the time to do some planning.”

Anderson has a number of items he wants to look at, in no order of priority. However, all of them would affect the community overall in the long haul, and he feels they should be looked at.

For one, there is a need to examine the landfill site. He explained that it was an issue Boissevain and the RM of Morton have discussed in the past, but there is a need for consensus regarding exactly what to do. He feels the licensing for the dump will likely be in jeopardy in the not too distant future, so those involved should try to stay ahead of the curve.

“We really need to spend some time analyzing the landfill site. A decision will have to be made. Maybe we will have to move to a regional site. I feel that will happen in the future, because the little ones are in the past.”

Also from an environmental standpoint, the Town will have to look at the lagoon. Located just northeast of Boissevain, Anderson said he thinks it is working presently, but for how long?

“We need to look at the environmental issues, the potential problems before they become problems. It might mean adding another cell.”

Another issue is the Boissevain & Morton Regional Library. It has long been known that a new building is needed for the community resource centre. The institution itself has a building fund and board, staff and friends of the library have been working fund-raisers to contribute to its growth. As well, the Town and RM have been socking away significant amounts toward the project. There is a need to move the work forward.

“The library is used a lot by a lot of people,” Anderson stated, “and it is something we need to take care of. It is in an aging building, and moving on that situation has to be a priority.”

On the residential end, Anderson said they need to look at adding more lots to the new development. Although there have been developments on Schaffner recently, he pointed to Willis Crescent as a place where additional lots are needed. Overall, he projects an additional 30 lots as necessary to the new development, in order for the town to continue to grow.

Boissevain and Morton developed an industrial park just north of Boissevain, and Anderson said they need to work on getting the water and sewer in. Water itself is a major issue. For larger scale industrial projects, like an ethanol plant, there is a need to have ample water supplies. Although water studies have been made through Turtle Mountain Sustainable Ventures, the mayor said there was no definite determination of its availability.

“It is a major stumbling block,” he explained. “We need to look at test holes. There is the aquifer south of Boissevain. There have been water studies but no test holes. If we are looking at industrial growth, we need ample water.”

Anderson feels the possible environmental impact of wind turbines need to be looked at so that they are done right. As well, he would like to see another round table as was done years ago, to determine what the people feel is needed to make the community better.

“We need the input of the public, to get their ideas of what would make us work even better in the future.”

Some of these issues are Boissevain only, but many involve the RM of Morton. Anderson feels the two Councils will have to work on the planning of these projects in their joint meetings. In some cases, like the library, they need to meet with their appointed representatives. In any case, the financing of any projects has to be thought about in advance. Keeping the reserves up for specific projects is important, and has been successful for Boissevain and Morton in the past.

“That is how we got things like the fire hall/shop, the water treatment plant,” Anderson stated. “All of them got off the ground by keeping the reserves in place for specific projects.”

In the end, he wants to move quickly on these items before the year slips away.

“I think it’s important to plan for major projects in advance and have the community support. If the taxpayers know what we’re doing, they are more likely to support it, if they know we are making the community more viable and sustainable. It is a good year to take on some of these things.”

“There is enough there to keep us going for a while.”