Town looks at strategic planning for the future, downtown mentioned

Council has passed their Strategic Plan from 2021-2031 for the Town of Bonnyville, a document meant to sustain and improve the quality of life for residents.  

“We had a mini strategic planning session in the fall just to revisit our priorities to see if they continue to align with the council’s vision for the town, which they did,” said Mayor Elisa Brosseau.

Brosseau said strategic planning measures are to ensure that the things council sets out as priorities are actually being attained.

Town Revitalization is something that sticks out in the future plans to transform Bonnyville’s downtown into a more enticing destination.

“When we drive into the Town of Bonnyville we are on Highway 28 coming through, but how do we entice people when they get to the first set of lights to continue on to our main street where there are a lot more retail opportunities?” said Brosseau. 

Council sees this being done by repurposing unsightly or empty buildings and finding new businesses to fill those vacant spots, to replanting trees into planters along the sidewalk of main street for a more pleasing scenery. 

“There is not really anything inviting per se, so is there a way to spruce things up. Is it more green space downtown that we’d like to see, or is it more retail businesses? We are taking a look into how we can make main street and downtown more vibrant,” said Brosseau.

When it comes to economic growth, the town is investigating more ways to promote tourism and bring in things that will attract tourists to the Lakeland. This includes encouraging a stronger retail base so residents can shop in Bonnyville instead of outside of the community.

Council is also focused on the community’s youth by taking interest in creating a larger and more welcoming skatepark for youth. Jessie Lake will also be getting some love in plans to transform the green belt of grass into fitness areas and add room for recreational activities such as pickleball, frisbee, and golf. 

Jessie Lake has already been going through phases of lighting up the walking trail and will continue to move forward with that project which is set to be completed in 2023-2024. 

The lake also has future plans for restoring and fixing the south side of the trail as the plan is being developed for 2024-2025.