Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec shares updates on county projects

PARKLAND COUNTY---Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec recently shared several updates on the county's current projects and future priority areas.

The council is currently undertaking strategic planning, and have already had two sessions earlier this month. The next meeting will take place this week.

One of the council's goals is to focus on core services.

"People are struggling right now. There's affordability issues so we're going to be focused on maintaining those core services, maintaining our road networks and protecting our agricultural industry," said Mayor Shaigec.

He also mentioned a focus on economic growth, particularly industrial and commercial development.

Mayor Shaigec also talked about the Entwistle Reservoir project which was initiated to bring municipal water to the to the hamlet of Entwistle after concerns from residents about the quality of water. The county received provincial funding through the Water for Life strategy for the project.

"So this allows us to have a larger storage capacity out there to better serve not just the current residents and businesses in Entwistle but also for any future expansion as well," said Mayor Shaigec, hinting at a future expansion of the project.

Lastly, the mayor shared his thoughts on the new wetland construction north of Spruce Grove. Wetlands are constructed to manage surface water run off and flooding issues, although there are a few additional benefits as well.

"So we see this is a great opportunity to alleviate some of those concerns and contribute to better ground water quality and it also provides an opportunity for wildlife habitat as well," said Mayor Shaigec, listing the additional benefits.