By Councillor Joanna Wilson
The summer of 2019 has seen clear skies and clear sailing for the ongoing projects at town hall while 2020 is just 5 months away.
It could be said, Creston town council had 20/20 vision when in 2012, a discussion around the council table broached the subject of the need for a new or renovated fire hall building. In 2014, a consultant determined renovation of the existing fire hall building to be prohibitively expensive and recommended the town consider the construction of a new fire hall.
Following a successful referendum on October 20, 2018, Creston council approved the recommendation of the Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee, that the lifespan of the new building be, “fifty years and beyond” to serve the community now and into the future.
The phased revitalization of the downtown core may be another momentous council decision. I believed then, as I do now, that this project’s phased-in beautification is an attraction for residents and visitors alike, to our traditional business district on Canyon Street. Canyon Street is now an attractive tree-lined street with lighting, benches, gorgeous hanging flower baskets and not to mention the absence of parking meters, is a thriving business centre for the Creston Valley.
Cook Street, with its proximity to the Farmers’ Market and potentially acting as a future by-pass for larger traffic through our downtown core, will also include the new Creston emergency services facility; serving as a hub for emergency first responders. The Community Fire Hall Technical Building Advisory Committee is overseeing the planning for the new facility as it takes shape with construction slated to begin this fall or early spring of 2020.
