Lac La Biche County mayor reviews 2024 as a very busy year

Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the community's new aquatics centre, which is slated to be completed by 2026. File- Rob McKinley.

 

It was an extremely successful year for Lac La Biche County, especially in terms of completing capital projects that have significantly upgraded the municipality’s infrastructure and quality of life, says Mayor Paul Reutov.  

In a year-end interview with the Lac La Biche Post newsroom, Reutov spoke about the highlights of 2024, and also listed some of the capital projects that were completed over the course of the year, including the second phase of the $32.5 million Main Street Revitalization project and the now $10 McArthur Park Redevelopment, as well as various improvements at the Lac La Biche Golf Course.  

The funds and features continue, he said, with the community’s new $46 million swimming pool that saw construction get underway in 2024.  

“The construction of the new Aquatics Centre at the Bold Centre has also started, and the project is on budget and on track to be completed in 2026”, he told Lakeland This Week. “With more than 40 capital projects and an investment of approximately $60 million dollars over two years, we will look after our needed infrastructure and quality of life projects.” 

Lac La Biche County, Reutov explained, continues to follow its Strategic Plan, which includes six priorities: Economic Growth, Service Excellence, Strategic Communication, Social Wellness, Tourism and Recreation, and Environment and Agriculture.   

When asked about some of the highlights of 2024, Reutov said La Biche County continues to collaborate with Portage College as well as local Indigenous communities. Additionally in 2024, Reutov said, council supported lake studies that municipal officials hope will see positive outcomes in 2025, and make Lac La Biche lake a more pristine attraction for residents and visitors. 

Portage College partnership 

Reutov said the County works with Portage College to ensure the community continues to be promoted as a “college town.” He said the continuing collaborations between the local college, local business, industry, residents, and the County offers many unique opportunities compared to other rural municipalities.  

Reutov said other partnerships are also seeing benefits, including the continuing opportunities developing with Indigenous leaders through the Indigenous Collaboration Committee.  

“It is exciting to see where this committee is going, and 2025 will see significant gains in collaboration,” he stated.  

According to Reutov, another major achievement that has taken place in the municipality is that the crime rate has been greatly reduced due to the establishment of a municipally-operated community patrol night shift.  

“The community patrol works closely with our local RCMP officers,” he stated, adding that overall complaints from county residents have been reduced in all areas because of the municipality’s excellence in providing services that are responsive and adaptive to residents’ needs.  

Looking ahead into 2025, Reutov said many of the municipality’s multi-year capital projects will be wrapped up, including the Main Street makeover, the McArthur Park redevelopment, as well as the final enhancements to the Lac La Biche Golf Course.  

The community’s new aquatic centre will also see significant progress throughout 2025, he added.  

Regarding the Main Street Revitalization Project and how it will benefit the Lac La Biche community in the years ahead, Reutov – who did stall the project when he first took office in 2020 in order to look over the project's budget – said the required underground water and sewer infrastructure was aging and in urgent need of replacement, so the project had to be done.  

Because of this necessary underground work, he added, Lac La Biche County took the opportunity to be innovative and included aesthetic upgrades to sidewalks, walkways, bulb-outs, and many other features to create a more welcoming downtown experience.  

“The County cannot thank business owners enough for their patience throughout this project to ensure that infrastructure was replaced,” he said. “We hope to see greater growth in the downtown core, and to see existing businesses flourish.” 

Municipal funding in 2024 began with council sucessfully approving a budget that cut spending by five percent from the previous year. That, said the mayor, was a large accomplishment. At the end of the year, council also approved the 2025 budget, which also included reductions in expenses, and a promise of no municipal tax increases to residents and business owners.  By focusing on efficiencies while providing the same or better services, the County has saved more than five million dollars in two years, he added.  

“Cultivating the “Lac La Biche County Advantage”, which means providing top-quality services and amenities in the most efficient way possible to give our taxpayers maximum value, continues to be our main pillar for building the municipal budget each year,” he said. 

 

 

 

 

  

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