Morinville looking for final input on 25-year plan

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – The Town of Morinville is hosting two public forums this week to give Morinville residents another chance to participate in shaping the community over the next 25 years. Morinville 2035: Growing Together, the title of Morinville’s Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP), is nearing completion after many months of work and public consultations, the most recent being a two-day workshop last November.

The two public open house sessions are set for Feb. 10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the sessions the community will have an opportunity to see an overview of Morinville 2035 and the Town of Morinville’s supporting three-year strategic plan. Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the draft document before it goes to council for final approval.

“This is the last public consultation piece,” said Mayor Lloyd Bertschi of the upcoming open houses, adding he hopes residents will participate in the process. “We encourage the entire community to get behind this because this is the vision of the community for the community. Hopefully they’ll come out and give us their input.”

The MSP, which looks at the future of the community from six pillars: governance, cultural, social, economic, infrastructure and environmental was formed largely from the input of residents, business owners and other community groups.

“It’s been put together by members of the community, not be the Town Council and not by our administration,” the mayor said. “We did hire the consultant but the consultant worked with the people of the community to see what we should look like in 25 years.”

Bertschi said once completed and adopted it will be council’s responsibility to put together three year plans with the overarching goal of 25 years in mind, not just the current three years.

“Hopefully what that will help us do is break out of the election term planning which has been typical of most municipalities,” the mayor said. “We’ve done a reasonable job of working past that but there’s always that term ending that you want to have things accomplished by. Hopefully by having that longer vision we’ll be able to be able to span the election cycle and move the community in the direction the community wants to go.”

The draft Morinville 2035: Growing Together document is available on the Town’s website at: www.morinville.ca/town-government/strategic-and-business plans/morinville-sustainability-plan. Hardcopies of the report are also available at the town offices main floor reception.

Those wishing to attend the sessions are asked to contact Kim Wieringa at the town office or by e- mail at kwieringa@morinville.ca.

Both sessions will take place in council chambers on the second floor of St. Germain Plaza, 10125 – 100 Avenue.

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