By Mike Moore | The Pearl
This past year has been a challenging one for staff and city workers in Mount Pearl, but Mayor Dave Aker adds it was a year of positive growth and projects that simply had to be done.
Residents of the city welcomed different public events with an eagerness for more, including the successful and well recepted profile of the city on Roger’s Hometown Hockey which highlighted some of the city’s more prominent volunteers and community leaders.
Commonwealth Avenue construction was often a headache for many frustrated commuters and business owners along the city’s busiest stretch of road, but Aker says it had to be done and hopes people understand exactly that.
“It was an ambitious project, we got a lot of work done. We replaced the existing water, sanitary, storm sewer systems … almost 2 kilometres worth of upgrades,” Aker said.
“Ultimately we’re glad we did the work, in less time that we originally forecast … but there’s no doubt it had an impact on our business community.”
Aker added that the end goal is to reinvest in Commonwealth Avenue, and that the construction from the this year will pay dividends for business owners along the stretch.
“We have a little bit left to do next year, and over the winter we’ll be consulting with businesses, like we have in the past, and we’ll try to minimize the disruption,” he said.
“Once it’s done next summer sometime I think people are going to be very proud of the work that’s been done.”
Currently the city has eight active subdivisions, according to Aker. He says growth of the city will come from within, and a future subdivision is on the horizon. The city is undergoing planning that will lend itself well into 2030 as city council continues to look ahead.
The city will be launching a community engagement process that will be ramping up in January 2019, aimed at structuring a plan to guide the city through the next decade of recreational planning based on community feedback.
“One of my personal goals is to make sure that we’re always in a position to offer growth,” he said.
“We want to attract new families to the city. We’re not in the land development business, we’re in the business of providing a good community. A community that people value.”
