Each year, our City’s annual financial planning process generates a healthy conversation about our operations and services and the broader community-wide issues we face. One point which has stood out in these recent discussions is the notion of investing in our community, and thus paying a little bit extra in residential taxes, in order to make it more attractive for current and prospective businesses and residents.
Attracting new folks to Port Alberni will expand our tax base and assist with making municipal services more affordable for all of us. It will also ensure that we can maintain and improve many of the services we need and value, such as clean drinking water, recreational facilities and police, fire and library services.
Many of the comments we received in relation to our five-year financial plan touched on ways of improving our community’s ‘curb appeal’. Are our streets clean and inviting? Are our neighbourhood’s attractive?
I’m pleased with the steps our City Council is taking with the creation of an industrial road and updates to some of our key bylaws which deal with these matters. But I also know that making improvements to the overall look and feel of our community will not come solely from such actions. Achieving this will also take everyone’s cooperation in Port Alberni, to take real pride in our homes, buildings, yards and streets. This includes even the small stuff, like cleaning up the litter which you can find on many of our streets.
In the past we have had community groups, as well as individual citizens go out on their own initiative and pick up litter. In light of this, our City Council has brought forward a city wide initiative in April to clean up our streets and reinforce awareness about littering.
So far local Churches, the Port Alberni Shelter Society, Alberni District Secondary School, our Alberni Valley Rescue Squad and of course the City management and staff (CUPE) are signed up to participate. The City will be able to provide logistical support and as well some employees will be volunteering their time. We can also coordinate which area of the city is going to be covered by specific groups.
We are targeting the week of April 15th through to the 21st as the period for this initial cleanup campaign to take place. The question now is, would you or groups which you’re involved with like to take part?
If you are able to participate in this “Pride in Port Alberni” spring cleanup campaign please contact our City Works Yard at 250-720-2840 for information regarding resources that may be available such as gloves and bags, as well as how you can either drop off your collected litter or what is the procedure for having the litter bags picked up.
Thank you for taking pride in our community and for investing in our community by helping to keep Port Alberni clean and attractive.
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