Tuesday, December 31, 2019Owen Sound | by
Matt Hermiz
Mayor looks back on 2019 as year of infrastructure projects and growth.
Owen Sound’s mayor expects the new year will bring continued investment in the city after plenty of development in 2019.
As of earlier this month, the city had been nearing $47-million in total construction value for the year — nearly double the average annual value for the past 20 years — and Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy is optimistic 2020 will see the positive growth trend continue.
“Over the last number of years we’ve tried to set the table and make Owen Sound a good place to invest. We’ve tried to streamline developers coming through the doors at city hall,” Boddy says. “It helps … send the message we want to move forward and want to work with them.”
“This year I think was just sort of a sign that some of what we’ve been doing the last number of years is working.”
Aside from growth, Boddy mentions infrastructure investment in the city as a highlight of 2019. The first phase of the Downtown River Precinct project — a $2.93-million revamp of an area downtown near the Sydenham River and the reconstruction of 1st Avenue East between 8th Street and 9th Street — was substantially completed. Owen Sound also embarked on the $8.68-million 10th Street Bridge replacement project. Major watermain work also occurred this past summer on several streets downtown including 2nd Avenue East, 3rd Avenue West, 9th Street West and 1st Avenue East.
For next year, Boddy points to the rehabilitation of 16th Street East as another major infrastructure job set to get underway after the city received a $933,000 provincial grant for the work in 2019.
“But with the 10th Street Bridge replacement (ongoing) that’s a major challenge as we recognize traffic going through town and detours,” Boddy says. “We need to ease off a little bit on some of the other infrastructure that we would work on. And that’s certainly why we tried to get as much done as we could before the 10th Street Bridge came out.”
Among the challenges city council faced in 2019, Boddy points to managing the budget and tax increases. The draft combined levy increase for 2020 in Owen Sound is 1.6 per cent — the lowest in years.
“I think we’ve done a pretty good job of managing that over the last few years,” Boddy explains.
As for some priorities city council will deal with in 2020, Boddy mentions the hiring of a new city manager, the renewal of Owen Sound’s strategic plan and a review/update of the official plan.
“Those are all major things that will take a lot of attention in the next year,” Boddy adds.
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