Resourceful Spirit, Growing Opportunity

City MattersYour City ~ Your News

www.cityofgp.com

February 2014

1914-2014

1914-2014100

YEARS

100YEARS

Remember this mural?

Hint:

It was painted on the side of

a building located in the City’s

downtown. It was rumoured

Queen Elizabeth II visited

the establishment in 1978 when she

arrived for the hospital’s sod-turning

ceremony!

The answer is on the next page.

As Grande Prairie celebrates 100 years since incorporation as a village we thought we would revisit some the places, people and things no longer found in

our City!

City Matters Your City~ Your News

Recognize the view from this once iconic piece of Grande Prairie history?

Answer from cover:

That mural was painted on the side of the York Hotel by local artist Tim Heimdel. Built in 1948 and touted as the finest hotel north of Edmonton, it fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2010.

It’s the Canfor Crane! A significant part of the City’s landscape for nearly thirty years. It was dismantled in 2012 because it required extensive structural and electrical upgrades, making it too costly to maintain.

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Message From the Mayor

Phil Dupuis and Alice Buckle from the Grande Prairie Royal Canadian Legion presenting the Mayor with his annual Rememberance Day poppy.

Welcome to the first City Matters of 2014!This year – which marks the 100th anniversary since the incorporation of Grande Prairie as a village – is off to a busy start.

At the end of January, Council approved moving forward with a census this spring. I am certain this will show our community has moved significantly toward the 60,000 resident mark and with growth like that (nearly 4% per year) the most important job council has is to think ahead.

With that in mind, Council held its two-day Strategic Planning Session, January 23-25. With the participation of the City Manager and Directors, we completed a blueprint, laying out our priorities and the directions that will guide us through this term.

This edition of our Strategic Plan differs in that it’s for four years, rather than three, matching the new length of the term of Council and our revised budget cycle.

It was timely Council met as a group. As a new Council, it was important to invest some time bringing together the ideas of each council member and discussing how we could incorporate them in a unified

vision for our City and work plan for our organization.

We are still finalizing the details, but I believe the plan demonstrates Council’s willingness to be bold and chart an energetic, forward-looking course of action for our community.

The overarching themes in the plan include; proactive leadership, optimizing existing services, strengthening our core, exploring new directions and capitalizing on growth. I know that is a little cryptic right now. It will all be more clear when the plan is completed and released publically.

The plan will be finalized and then approved at a Council

meeting this month. From there it will provide direction to Administration as they develop the budget that will be presented to Council in the fall.

2014 promises to be a banner year for Grande Prairie with Centennial celebrations and a new council charting a new course for our community.

Sincerely,

Mayor Bill Given

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Mr. Repka became Mayor of Grande Prairie shortly after it obtained City status in 1958 and continued his career until 1969. Mr. Repka also owned the City’s first and only drive-in movie theatre located on the corner of what is now Wapiti Road and 84 Ave.

Council’s Standing Committees

Community Growth Committee

Biweekly, Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

Councillor Kevin O’Toole, Chair.Community Living CommitteeBiweekly, Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m.

Councillor Lorne Radbourne, Chair.Community Safety Committee

Biweekly, Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

Councillor Kevin McLean, Chair.Corporate Services Committee

Biweekly, Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m.

Councillor Dwight Logan, Chair.All meeting dates, webcasts, agendas, and

minutes can be found at www.cityofgp.com

Introducing George Repka

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The City Of Grande Prairie’s Action Plan to Improve Service Delivery

Grande Prairie as a place to live 1: Top- Of-Mind Descriptors

The City of Grande Prairie conducts a Citizen Satisfaction Survey (CSS) every two years. In the spring of 2013, the Citizen Satisfaction Survey was used to measure the municipality’s performance and develop an understanding of citizen expectations, views and satisfaction level with City services, programs and the value for their tax dollar. The City partnered with Ipsos Reid to undertake the survey.

Overall, there is universal (95%) agreement that the quality of life in Grande Prairie is good. Survey respondents described Grande Prairie as a “growing, friendly, young and vibrant - energetic” community.

Nonetheless, key service areas were noted for City Administration to improve, including, but not limited to: Infrastructure, Land Use Planning, Municipal Tax, and Snow Removal.

City departments have developed a follow-up report outlining action plans to improve the service delivery in areas where satisfaction levels were lower.

The progress of these action plans will be published every six months. Residents are encouraged to follow these updates.

Comments and suggestions from all stakeholders are welcomed to help the City reach its goal of improved satisfaction levels in the next Citizen Satisfaction Survey in 2015.

The Citizen Satisfaction Surveys for 2011 and 2013 and follow-up reports can be found on the City’s website at www.cityofgp.com/communications Input can be provided to

communications@cityofgp.com

Community Living Committee

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Making a Difference - Grande Prairie’s Youth Council

Grande Prairie is renowned as a young City and the municipality’s Youth Council is celebrating five years of ensuring the voice of residents aged 14 to 21 is heard and taken into account. The Youth Council is comprised of junior and senior high school students from across the city and generally meets bi-weekly to discuss topics that matter to them.

“Our Youth Council members have a lot of energy and are really passionate about Grande Prairie,” says Dale Tiedemann, Youth Services Supervisor for the City.

The Youth Council has participated in several initiatives aimed at creating a safer, healthier, and more vibrant community for Grande Prairie teens.

“The Youth Council recently polled more than 500 peers from the Grande Prairie Composite and Peace Wapiti Academy high schools about how they get to and from school,” Tiedemann says. The survey also investigated where students spend their time during lunch hour and on breaks. “It confirmed that many students cut across the (Highway 43) bypass on foot,

and are not using the existing crosswalks because of their location in relation to the schools.”

Youth Council members presented the report to Mayor Bill Given and the Community Living Committee to discuss ways for the area to be made safer. The result was a meeting between the Mayor and the Hon. Wayne Drysdale, Minister of Transportation, being arranged to discuss the topic in greater detail.

In addition to becoming more aware of issues affecting them, Youth Council participants enhanced their leadership skills and strengthen their overall connection to the community.

City Matters Your City ~ Your News

The Grande Prairie High School opened in 1950 on the site that is presently the location of the Provincial Courthouse and was demolished around 1980 in preparation for its construction.

Another Look at Grande Prairie’s Past!

5th Annual Grande Prairie

Youth Week A week long celebration of

youth culture!

May 1-7

Visit www.cityofgp.com

for more information!

The Youth Council meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

For more information about the City of Grande Prairie Youth Council, contact Dale Tiedemann at youth@cityofgp.com or like its page on Facebook: City of Grande Prairie Youth Council.

Youth Council Continued

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Report a blocked or frozen storm drainat www.cityofgp.com/seeclickfix

or call 780.538.0354 ext. 3

Time to start thinking about the Spring melt!

Keep storm drains clear!