The past year has been a time of progress for the Town of Altona as they began to implement their new strategic plan.
“When our term started, we looked back to the previous four years and reviewed progress on goals set by that council,” shared Mayor Harv Schroeder in a year-end interview. “After a year or working on those goals and receiving feedback and requests from the community, it was clear that we needed to look to the future now. These steps helped us shape this new, long-term plan for Altona, along with adding our own perspectives as elected leaders. We then met with administration over the period of several months, refining our plan and giving it focus.”
For 2024, town council narrowed it down to three key strategies: making fiscally responsible decisions, practicing good environmental stewardship, and preparing for sustainable growth. Areas of focus included recreation and culture, transportation infrastructure, economic development, and organizational strength.
In terms of good stewardship, the Town will be moving ahead with their Urban Forestry Management Plan.
“We’re hoping to implement that in 2025,” Schroeder said. “It’s a long-term 20-year plan, and we’ll need to ensure that Public Works is educated on how to follow through on how to take care of trees, pesticides, planting, types of trees and where to put them.”
Last year, the Town also addressed the flooding issues on 9th St.
“We’ve known that the street has been low for a long time. A few years ago, we had to set up a Tiger Dam after heavy rain,” said Schroeder. “Since that time, we’ve brought up the sides and added shale and gravel to bring it up to a good level.”
Council has applied to the province’s 2024 Manitoba Growth, Renewal and Opportunities for Municipalities (Manitoba GRO) program for additional funding.
“If we get the grant, we’ll be looking at fortifying it up to engineered specifications over the next few years.”
Last year also saw changes in the community’s waste collection.
While the Altona/Rhineland Waste Disposal Site started accepting paint products and empty containers for recycling, the Town is currently seeing a new long-term compost collection provider ahead of the current contract’s end Jan. 31.
“Penner Waste was in charge of that tival, Canada Day, Winter Carnival, and the Night of Lights.
“There were crowds for each event, and everyone had a great time. We also held an Altona tote bag design contest, a winter photo contest and a Blue House Market at Gallery in the Park. All went over very well.”
The town’s rec department offered about 53 programs to residents in 2024. This includes the usual swimming lessons, which saw an eight per cent increase in registrations over 2023, and the addition of the new Under 18 Hockey and Skating Initiative.
Progress was also made on Altona’s Recreation and Active Transportation Master Plan, intended to address the long-term needs of the community, through a series of public online surveys, open houses and a stakeholder advisory committee. A final plan will be presented to council in 2025.
In the focus area of transportation and infrastructure, 15 major areas throughout town were successfully repaired, and existing sidewalks and multi-use trails were repaired or added thanks to a $1 million mill and fill project.
“We’ve received very positive feedback from the community,” Schroeder said.
As well, a new lighted crosswalk was installed on 5th St NW to connect the sidewalk with the path to the new Kiddie Sunshine Centre daycare, and a concrete path was laid on McKinley Cove.
Capital investments, on top of the mill and fill project, throughout 2024 included a few new pieces of equipment for Public Works & Utilities, including a CCTV truck.
“This is a camera where they can go into the sewer connections. If there is a break somewhere, they can pinpoint exactly where that is and do some preventative work on the old pipes,” explained Schroeder.
At the town-owned cemetery, improvements continued to take shape as well. This summer, the facility’s first-ever columbarium was installed. Other projects included a new roof for the Gallery in the Park, with new siding scheduled for next year.
In the area of economic development, the community welcomed 11 new businesses, 50 new building permits were issued for a total value of $18,693,800, and council doled out 15 grants to local organizations and projects this past year.
“It’s been a very busy and positive year, but there’s always more work to be done,” Schroeder noted. “There’s never a lack of projects. We’re starting to go through the preliminary budget, with a strategic plan to stay in line with that.”
