Brooke-Alvinston Mayor Don McGugan says there are a lot of good things going on in his community, but he knows they could be better.
So he’s excited with the prospect of a strategic plan for the municipality. McGugan is inviting community members to a public meeting Monday to talk about what is good and not so good about the community to try and plan a way forward.
“We have an awful lot of good things going for us, but we have some negative things as well and we have to look at that.”
In the last few years, McGugan says there has been growth in the community, point to a new commercial plaza and the development of two restaurants and a pharmacy in Alvinston. But he wants to see sustainable planned growth in the community.
“Economically, we’ve had some very positive things,” he says. “But in 2016 and 2017, there have been no new homes built in Brooke or Alvinston or Inwood – that tells me there is something missing.”
He’s also concerned about declining enrollment at the local public school and the improvements which are needed at the local arena. “How do we turn that around?”
The municipality has received a Rural Economic Development grant and has hired a consultant to help with the Strategic Plan and a Recreation Master Plan. Monday’s meeting at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre is the first. The consultant will also meet with council and local volunteers before compiling a report.
McGugan is looking forward to the results. “We have one year left on our term, so it is a road map for us and the next council. They could add to it or change it if they wanted to.”