Tilley
Tilley's growth remains strong
Medicine Hat News
With fewer than 500 residents, Tilley may look like a sparsely populated village, but for several years this self-described bedroom community near Brooks has been full to bursting.
After it outgrew its old water system, development in the village came to a virtual standstill. But a $60 million water pipeline from Brooks, completed in 2009, will give the village new freedom to grow. Mayor John Timko says a new 32-lot residential development - on hold until now - is once again in the works.
An oilfield pipeline project also brought good fortune to Tilley, with 85 workers making camp in the village for almost three months last fall.
"Instant cash influx, terrific,” Timko says, describing the effect of the project on the community. “And the workers were not only residing in our community, but very quickly became part of our community in that short time.”
Not only did workers help out with projects around the city in their spare time, Timko says the company also hopes to make Tilley its home base again, when another project begins in the spring of 2010.
The pipeline project also helped the village’s new campground get off to a successful start. Though it went into business at the end of the camping season, Timko says the site was packed through fall 2009.
Village council - represented by Timko, deputy mayor San Zahn and councillor Carol Charlton - will also see a long time goal realised in April, when construction begins on a new fire hall.
Overall, Timko says the village is “optimistic, but optimistically cautious” about its growth in the coming years. One major success, he’s quick to point out, is the town’s excellent financial health.
"We have no burden on us,” he says. “We came into this slowdown with virtually no debt of any kind, and I think that's a tribute to the foresight of everyone in our community."
Tilley is also home to one of the region’s most offbeat Canada Day celebrations. In addition to the usual face painting, fireworks and two parades, the village also hosts an annual Bed Race. Teams of five push mattresses strapped to trolleys down Tilley’s Centre Street while one team member - dressed in pajamas and slippers, of course - rides on top of the contraption. Bingo tournaments, pony rides, and a 10-team ball tournament are also on offer.
81698900•03/30/10
REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community — 11
Rosemary
Rosemary known for Canada Day
Medicine Hat News The village of Rosemary reputedly has the best fireworks display in the region every first of July.
The community’s Canada Day celebration is so popular that a countdown to the day of pyrotechnics, parades and mud bog races is posted on the village website months before the event. Thousands of visitors from surrounding communities typically flock to the town of 400 to get in on the celebration, which also features summer snowmobile races, a tractor pull, live music and a pre-fireworks street dance.
In recent years, a number of young families have moved to Rosemary, which traditionally has a large population of seniors. Much of this growth has been driven by the area’s oil and gas activity, as well as a strong farming and ranching community.
However, Mayor Yoko Fujimoto says much of this growth has leveled off in the last year, most likely due to the recession.
“I think because the economy’s slowed down, people can’t afford to move as much,” she explains. However, the village is still working to promote its Cottonwood Crescent residential district, built about five years ago to accommodate an influx of new residents.
The village is also working with the Canadian Badlands Association to promote tourism to the area, which Fujimoto describes as “off the beaten path.” As part of that strategy, a new campground and walking trail are being planned, and will be built with federal grant money.
Fujimoto and village councillors Don Gibb and Laura Kasdorf also plan to have the village’s sewer and water lines replaced slowly over the next few years.
“It’s a big, big project,” Fujimoto explains. “We’re hoping to do a little bit at a time.”
Canada Day isn’t the community’s only well-attended celebration. The local recreation centre, run by the Rosemary Agricultural Society, also hosts a youth hockey program which includes a popular father-son hockey tournament.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120