WHITECOURT TOWN COUNCIL UPDATE

Whitecourt Town Council is nominating Deputy Mayor Bill McAree for the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) 2020 Distinguished Service Award. Deputy Mayor McAree has served 26 years on Whitecourt Town Council, and through- out his years of service he has been highly regarded by his peers, and he continues to show dedication and admiration for Whitecourt.

Knelson Sand and Gravel has been awarded the contract for Whitecourt’s 2020 Street Improvement Program. The program, valued at over $800,000, is scheduled to begin in July 2020 and will include overlay projects at the following locations:

• Dahl Drive from Highway 43 to 41 Avenue,
• Elko Drive cul-de-sac,
• Sunset Boulevard and Whitecourt Avenue intersection,
• Beaver Drive and Blueberry Drive intersection,
• Sakwatamau Drive and 47 Street (Millar Road) intersection,
• West Whitecourt 53 Avenue and 59 Street intersection – Road Reconstruction,
• West Whitecourt 50 Avenue and West Street – Road Rehabilitation.

Also included are concrete repairs throughout Whitecourt, including the median along Dahl Drive, and drainage repairs at the Scott Safety Centre. Scheduling of work will be finalized in the coming weeks, and information will be posted for the community on www.whitecourt.ca and the Whitecourt Facebook page.

Since March, Whitecourt has been participating in an Economic Supports and Recovery Task Team that was established to leverage resources and provide a coordinated response to supporting businesses in the Whitecourt region throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of discussions and information gathered by the Team, Whitecourt, Community Futures Yellowhead East, the Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Labour and Immigration and Ballad Group are submitting a proposal to the Labour Market Partnership Program to complete a COVID-19 impact assessment and recovery strategy. The strategy will provide a proactive plan to best meet the needs of the business community and its employees as the COVID-19 pandemic situation evolves. If successful, the project will begin by the end of June 2020.

Whitecourt Town Council has authorized the Chief Administrative Officer to enter into an agreement to sell lands located in

the downtown south area to Whitecourt Village Ltd.

Whitecourt will be partnering with regional municipalities to explore the feasibility of creating a Northwest Alberta Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network. The number of electric vehicles on the road is growing and is expected to reach 30% of the global market share by 2030. The greatest benefit of installing charging stations is not the revenue that the charging stations bring, but the increase in revenue from new customers that stop to eat while charging their vehicle.

Road Closure Bylaw 1549 has been adopted to close a portion of Road Plan 822-1110, adjacent to Highway 43 in west Whitecourt, to accommodate the future consolidation and sale of two Town owned lots. The road does not physically exist and does not allow for vehicle access.