Duane Hicks
2015 has been a busy year for the Town of Fort Frances.
In a year-end address at Monday night’s council meeting (the last one of 2015), Mayor Roy Avis noted there’s been many capital improvements throughout the town.
These include a new animal shelter, a new salt/sand shed, Civic Centre roof repairs, and upgrades to the recycling depot, sewage treatment plant, the day care centre, and Public Works building.
There also were infrastructure reconstruction and road repairs on Nelson Street and King’s Highway, as well as the demolition of the old Rainy Lake Hotel in preparation for a market square.
“We must not forget the excellent work our staff does in maintaining the town assets,” added Mayor Avis, noting these include the Memorial Sports Centre, waterfront, cemeteries, library, and museum.
“A thank you is in order to the management group and their team,” he remarked.
Mayor Avis said volunteerism is at the heart of the community and many volunteers comprise the 30 sub-committees of council.
“These people are committed to improving our quality of life,” he stressed.
“On behalf of council, I’d like to thank each and every volunteer.”
Some volunteer-driven events held in the past year included the the Snowbirds’ air show, “Harmony of Nations” Music Festival, Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Festival, Dudley Hewitt Cup, and “Duncan Keith Day.”
2015 also marked the first full year as a new council, with Mayor Avis thanking the rest of council for their commitment to the citizens of Fort Frances.
He noted that newcomers Couns. Wendy Brunetta and June Caul have brought new ideas and new perspectives to the table and are doing an excellent job representing the people of Fort Frances.
This year, each councillor attended an average of 100-plus meetings—representing Fort Frances at many functions both here and out-of-town.
This speaks to the sacrifices that a councillor makes in their family and personal lives “to represent the citizens and make Fort Frances a better place to live, work, and play,” Mayor Avis said.
Looking ahead to 2016, Mayor Avis senses it will be “a prosperous year.”
“We’ll continue to negotiate with the First Nations on the Point Park, continue to support and work with Resolute on repositioning the mill, and we look forward to the opening of the New Gold mine west of Fort Frances,” he noted.
“Presently we are working on the budget, and our focus will be to maintain our level of service in a prudent and cost-effective manner,” the mayor added.
Mayor and council wished the citizens a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year, and reminded those celebrating the festive season to not drink and drive.
