Influential Bonnyville resident gets recognized with new sign

On Monday, the Bonnyville Naming Committee unveiled a new sign for Slawuta Pond.

Slawuta Pond is a cozy spot at the edge of Jessie Lake with a sustained rainbow trout population that’s available for senior citizens to fish and a fountain that keeps the pond from becoming stagnant.

It’s named in honour of Bill Slawuta, who had an extensive hand in the development of Lakeshore Drive during his time as town mayor.

According to the Naming Committee, Slawuta felt it was essential to develop the drive after the land had been “torn up” during the installation of a sewer line, and to help make his vision a reality Swaluta hired carpenter John Kwasek.

Kwasek was of Polish descent and came to Bonnyville in 1959, quickly making a name for himself through the quality woodwork he performed throughout the community,

“I personally had called him [John Kwasek] up a couple times and brought him to my place to look at my trees and the trees on the boulevard,” said committee member and councillor Ray Prevost.

“He was an amazing individual. He did nothing but very good work for the town of Bonnyville.”

In recognition of Kwasek’s contributions to Bonnyville a park of the corner of 46th Street on Lakeshore Drive was named in his honour, which has become one of the most used parks in the community, whilst Lakeshore Drive has grown to become a defining feature of Bonnyville.

Prevost also mentioned that the trailer dump station across from Slawuta Pond would be getting moved behind the RCMP station sometime soon, depending on this year’s fall budget, in order to make the area appear more presentable.

“If the dollars are allocated in the budget, and it was to come in on budget or slightly lower, then I suspect it would be approved and probably done the following summer,” said Prevost.