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Village of Keremeos thanks all involved in emergency response

A look back and ahead from Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer
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Manfred Bauer, Mayor, Village of Keremeos

Happy Holidays from the Village of Keremeos

As 2018 comes to an end, we can look back and count our blessings. The unprecedented amount of water in the spring and the summer fires and smoke forged a bond between people and communities in a way that only emergencies like that can. I would like to thank the volunteers, staff, emergency response services locally and externally, and all the service agencies that did their best to keep us safe in very challenging situations.

Amidst all this chaos, Village business continued and we were able to complete most of the projects that were scheduled for this year. We received recognition as the region’s first Age Friendly community and the Village Office received accessibility improvements. The water upgrades on 7th Avenue and Sparks Drive experienced many delays but were ultimately completed. The downtown visual enhancement and attraction plans developed from community input made progress with the hilltop welcome sign improvements, curb flares and trees on 7th Avenue, a start on the Pocket Park, and a redesigned and expanded Village website. Three more businesses used our façade improvement grant program to make their businesses more attractive to potential customers and to help to improve the overall appearance of the town’s core. Many thanks also to our arts community for bringing the quail sculptures and outdoor art shows to Keremeos.

We look forward to 2019 being another exciting year in Keremeos. Council and staff will be looking at the sewer plant expansion and other infrastructure upgrades identified in the asset management plan and the liquid waste management plan. While we are hopeful that 2019 is free of floods and wildfires, we will continue work on emergency evacuation, wildfire prevention, flood mitigation, emergency social services, and community resiliency plans. We will concentrate on tools to keep our residents informed and the provision of opportunities for public input. We will continue to work with FortisBC to replace existing street lighting with LED fixtures in order to reduce operating costs. The regional tourism strategy will go into its 8th year of successfully promoting the Similkameen Valley in collaboration with Black Press, TOTA and Destination BC. Council is also very pleased to assist in the development of affordable housing in Keremeos.

Mayor, Council and staff wish everyone a very peaceful holiday and a perfect start to a new year.

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@TaraBowieBC
editor@keremeosreview.com

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