Year in Review: Town mayor recalls highlights

“Some of the highlights were getting the Fifth Avenue piece done, basically from the Co-op gas station out to the highway,” Leslie said. “That’s something that the residents of that area have been asking for for a couple of years. We were finally able to get that one checked off the wish list.”

Sidewalk improvements were also on the town’s must-do list for the year. A new sidewalk was put in on Second Avenue West, from 17 Street to Battle Springs, on the east side.

“That is something that a long-term resident had come forth here after we did it and said that he was promised that 35 years ago by the mayor and council of the time, that that sidewalk would go in,” Leslie said. “It’s something we just did this year.”

He said it’s always good to hear positive feedback from residents and to know the town’s work is making a difference.

“It kind of really makes a person feel like that’s a success in the big picture,” Leslie said.

There are still some paving projects to be done, such as the Central Avenue one, that will be carried over into 2023.

Undertaking the new pump track installation was a big project the town was pleased to have accomplished in 2022.

“For me personally, the pump track is something that for years I’ve been having conversations with people in the community and council about, making it a reality to have that be finished late into the year,” Leslie said. “There’s still some finishing touches to be done in the spring, but to have the kids using that this fall was amazing. I look forward to the amount of usage we will see in the summer of 2023.”

Plans are to have a grand opening celebration in the year ahead after the final details are complete.

“Maybe [we can] bring in some professionals that ride the pump track circuits, and get some of our local people involved just to make a fun day of it,” Leslie said.

Getting the old truss bridges that connect to Finlayson Island repaired remains a priority for the town. Work was completed on the arched south vehicle bridge that links the Town of Battleford to Finlayson in 2022.

Upgrade work is still being finished on the north pedestrian bridge that connects Finlayson Island to North Battleford, so that side is still closed currently.

“To have that open for the spring is going to be something that we’re all going to look forward to,” Leslie said.

He noted the town wants to have the pedestrian bridge repairs complete so it is in a state where the town can confidently say it’s safe for people to walk and bike across.

“We look forward to that being back in service,” Leslie said. “I know it’s taking longer than what we had anticipated. But with the weather we had last summer, projects get delayed.”

Some of the events the town worked on in 2022 include the inaugural Battleford Food Truck and Trade Show that ran at the Battleford Arena in August. Food trucks were lined up outside the building, while the vendors market took place inside. Plans are to have the event again in 2023.

“I think it went over very well,” Leslie said. “There were some hiccups, but every time you do something in the first annual you learn from it.”

To celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, the town held a powwow downtown. A teepee was also erected on the lawn outside Town Hall as part of the event’s festivities. Leslie was pleased to see the project come together, a step towards making the town more inclusive.

“I’m quite proud that we were able to accomplish that and work with our Indigenous neighbours to celebrate a day of their culture and celebrations,” Leslie said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Year in Review: Town mayor recalls highlights

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