Convention enlightening for mayors

Three days of networking with elected officials and administrators across Alberta has two foothills mayors feeling connected.

Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck and Black Diamond Mayor Sharlene Brown spent three days rubbing elbows with more than 1,000 mayors, councilors and provincial ministers at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association annual convention in Calgary from Sept. 23 to 25.

“It’s nice to get together, network and meet other people and know you are not the only one going through the same issues,” said Tuck, who attended the convention with two other Turner Valley councilors and one administrative personnel. “I want to know that we are in line with other communities that are 2,500 in population.”

Tuck said a mentoring session she attended about engaging communities will change the way she’s been communicating with the public.

“When I’m sending out messages I want to make sure the body is very clear,” she said. “I definitely will be doing things differently.”

During the three days in Calgary, Tuck spoke with Alberta’s transportation and infrastructure ministers about improving pedestrian safety on Sunset Boulevard - one of two provincial highways that pass through Turner Valley.

“We have a ton of kids on that street or using that street and the bus picks up there,” she said. “It’s really dangerous sometimes.”

Tuck said the Town promised the public it would talk to the Province about the potential for pedestrian lights on Sunset Boulevard.

“I would like it either right on Robert or coming out of Everwood – whatever the half-way point is or (the Province’s) recommendation,” she said. “I truly felt we were heard. Most people who know me know that I don’t give up.”

Brown attended last month’s convention with four other Black Diamond councilors and two administration personnel.

Brown gave a presentation on alternative energy initiatives to almost 200 people alongside LeDuc Mayor Greg Krischke.

Brown said she and Krischke spoke about their respective renewable and alternative energy initiatives, including Black Diamond’s solar panels and energy management system at the Oilfields Regional Arena.

She also touched on the Town’s efforts to put financial savings from its initiatives into a green fund toward future energy-efficient projects.

“We had a lot of opportunities to share with other communities and that will be something we will be doing in the future,” she said. “We are very excited about that prospect.”

The presentation kicked off the convention for Brown, and she spent the next two days learning from other communities.

Information she’ll bring back to the Town is the Tourism Vitality Alberta Toolkit.

The toolkit assists small communities to determine their tourism capacity by assessing strengths and weaknesses in key areas, determining steps to improve tourism and accessing resources to further economic development opportunities.

“For a community like Black Diamond it makes a lot of sense to bring that forward, see if there is some useful pieces in there that we are able to utilize to expand and enhance our tourism industry,” said Brown. “People come to Black Diamond because of the surrounding landscapes, because it’s picturesque and its proximity to the Kananaskis country. You’ve got the agriculture and resource industry mixed in with tourism. If you look at all of those factors that make our community a great place then you have to appreciate the leadership we’ve had as a community in those type of endeavors.”

In addition to the opportunity to share and learn, Brown enjoyed building relationships with other municipalities and provincial parties.

“One of the benefits is when we’re all working together it doesn’t matter the size of the municipality, you are connecting with people in the industry and you can learn from their examples and see what’s happening in their communities,” she said. “Just connecting with communities and other people in the same industry, it doesn’t matter if you’re a big city, mid-sized city or a small community, it gives you a place where you are able to share common experiences and learn from each other. That is one of the most rewarding pieces that you can get.”