Staying the course and community initiatives are some of the main highlights from 2023 that stick out to Town of Sexsmith Mayor Kate Potter.
The town tookpart in the Communities in Bloom competition this year, where they recieved four out of five blooms. Potter says the result was extremely positive, but what she took note of was the work that the “passionate group” of residents put in to make the town look beautiful while also ensuring what they were doing was sustainable.
“I love the focus of communities in bloom, that it is not just about putting lipstick on a pig, it looks at are you doing all the things behind the scenes too that make a community beautiful.”
Potter says 2023 also saw the Sexsmith Chamber of Commerce join the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce. She says this move is positive for members of the local business community. In November, the Grande Prairie Chamber held a meet and greet in Sexsmith; where Potter says around 40 business owners from Grande Prairie came to takepart.
“We are really fortunate to be neighbours with the third largest chamber in the province, but one of the most active. They have full-time staff, but they also have a super strong business community that surrounds them and are members and that makes all the difference,” Potter says. “Many of them already held memberships with the Grande Prairie and District Chamber because it is exactly that, it is a district chamber it is not only the City of Grande Prairie.”
Looking forward to 2024, Potter says public safety is a topic that is top of mind for her and council. She explains that the town has recently purchased a new Ariel firetruck which is not expected to be delivered until 2025, though Potter says she is optimistic could be sometime in 2024. Council also approved a new firefighter position which would give the Town of Sexsmith two full-time firefighters on shift during the week.
“That for us, when we think of emergency services and healthcare and times of crisis for people, it was a fairly easy decision to say if we can have a fairly immediate response when a medical call comes in that is someone’s life that can be saved. It takes five to seven minutes, and we all know that when we are in a crisis, that is when those five to seven minutes are critical.”
Potter says in 2024, a focus will be put on strategic planning and looking forward, explaining there are two years left for this council before the next election. She says it is important to the current sitting council that the community has been set up well from their decisions and the strategic plans they have in place.