Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj is focusing on the positive and looking ahead to a successful 2010.
She outlined some of the big achievements in the township in the past year and looked to the future at the annual Mayor's Breakfast last week at the Elora Mill Inn.
The annual event is sponsored by OLG and hosted by the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce. It drew a full house of business leaders, township council and staff, and members of the community to the Waterside Room to hear the mayor go through an impressive list of projects done in the past year.
They're all part of building quality of life in the township, she said, which is essential to the future.
Quality of life in the municipality is key to attracting business, she said, "and we have the winning ticket to making this community attractive ... I'm positive we will have success 2010 attracting new industry to the municipality."
Municipal government is "very active," she said. One of the biggest successes of 2009 is the team of community partners, council, and municipal managers working together.
"All three partners worked together to make the quality of life in Centre Wellington the best it could be," she said.
Last year, which she called "the year of how shovel ready are you," really tested the township's planning processes to come up with projects to take advantage of federal and provincial grant programs.
"I could go on all morning about what we do in Centre Wellington ... There's just so much going on," she said.
Making the most of stimulus spending grants meant taking a "really quick and serious look at what we have ready to go out the door," she said.
As an example, she told the group the township had just heard of an opportunity to apply for funding to rebuild Sideroad 19 in the north of Fergus.
The township had applied for grant money for the road in 2009 - considered by some to be one of the worst in the township - but wasn't successful. With higher levels of government saying the stimulus spending money was drying up, the new announcement was a surprise.
Council was expecting to approve an application for the grant at a special meeting Monday.
Among the highlights of the past year's activities Ross-Zuj listed:
• The planning department completed urban design guidelines and a comprehensive, township-wide zoning bylaw, worked on a sidewalk inventory and created map books for the fire department.
• Finalizing a parks master plan that will guide direction for revitalizing the township's green spaces.
Service clubs and the Grand River Agricultural Society are "stepping up to the plate to get that action plan going," she said. Next year, she hopes to continue with the plan to revitalize Bissell Park in Elora.
• Upgrades and repairs to the Fergus Grand Theatre, again with grant money and help from community groups.
• Developing the area as a culinary tourism destination - thanks to a grant for a staff position - in a way that brings together area farmers with local restaurants.
• The public works department's efforts on the township's waterworks, which included creating a full water system manual, and which has become a model across the province for how municipalities should run their systems.