Peggy Revell
With 2009 off to a fresh start, Rainy River Mayor Debbie Ewald is looking forward to the new year bringing the completion of the town’s large sewer system upgrade project that began in 2008.
“Generally [2008] was good because we finally got our sewer project on the backseat being done, which is a real positive for us,” said Mayor Ewald.
The sewer upgrade was needed because for the past 10 years the town hasn’t been able to add any new connections to the existing system, she explained.
“So it’s is really important that this project gets done,” she stressed.
“[The sewer upgrade] was putting in a new forced main, and we’re building a new pump house and adding another cell onto our lagoon,” Mayor Ewald described.
“So far, we’ve just got the forced main done, but the rest should be done, hopefully, by the end of next summer.”
And while 2009 will bring progress on the sewer system upgrade, there are some continuing challenges for the town that remain.
“Being a part of Northwestern Ontario, it’s a challenge for jobs [and] keeping young people here,” Mayor Ewald remarked. “We’re trying to work on the economic development, but the whole region is in not a great shape at the moment, so it makes it more of a challenge.
“But we’re just plugging ahead,” she added.
“We’ve got some other things kind of in the fire, but I can’t really say right now because they’re not for public knowledge yet,” Mayor Ewald continued, noting that a couple of these ideas currently are being researched and worked upon before being made public.
“It’s been successful for this council this year again because we’re moving ahead and that’s important because this town has just been stagnant for so long,” she said. “And now things are starting to evolve and happen that I can think are only good for the town.”
