The Mayor of West Perth says 2024 was full of exciting events and accomplishments.
The Mitchell 150 celebrations, events for Ketterson Park upgrades and much more were held this year, including a fundraiser for the ongoing West Perth Village Ritz VIlla long-term care home project. Mayor Walter McKenzie says a fundraising event for that this year drew thousands.
"They had a tailgate party as a fundraiser, and it brought in over 2,000 to that one event on a night in September. So just a tremendous success and I believe they're thinking of doing that again," McKenzie shared.
2024 also included some tough decisions. That included ultimately choosing to demolish the old municipal building.
"It was sitting empty and we struggled with this one for awhile, and we ended up building a new administration building just because of the cost of renovating the old building," noted McKenzie. "So that one was demolished and has basically been put to bed but, certainly something that was quite melancholy for myself and many members of staff to say goodbye to that building."
McKenzie says among many local upgrades, developing and expanding the industrial park in Mitchell was a huge one, and more will be done there in the year to come.
"In the coming year and years, we'll be upgrading that, putting services in to sell industrial property. There's been a big demand for industrial lots in Mitchell and we just haven't had a lot," McKenize pointed out.
Other 2024 highlights included numerous major roadwork projects, including re-doing Frank Street Bridge. The municipality also re-did James Street in Mitchell, major improvements to Line 32 in Fullarton, as well as Road 160 and 164, some of the more heavily travelled roads in West Perth. In 2025, more work will be done to the rest of Line 32 from one end of the municipality to the other. Also, sidewalks will be done through the village of Brodhagen.
Overall, McKenzie says he still enjoys serving on council and being the mayor, as he finds it socially enriching and rewarding. He's been no stranger to local politics, having recently been celebrated by council for 40 years of municipal service. That celebration included commendations from Perth-Wellington MP John Nater and MPP Matthew Rae. McKenzie says he still really enjoys it.
"I really haven't had a bad council, and I guess you wouldn't do it if you didn't enjoy it eh?" McKenzie stated proudly. "The successes you realize and you appreciate, and the ones that don't work out so well, you kind of forget about them over the years. I still love doing this and being a part of council."