If he could be Langdon’s Santa Claus, that would suit Al Schule just fine.
He set out a list, and has checked it more than twice, and now wants to make everyone happy, those who are both naughty and nice.
In the two months since re-taking the job as Ward 4 councillor, Schule has set out a lengthy amount of projects he wants to address.
Now that he’s moving into 2018, he’s going to try and tick them all off one by one.
“I have a lot of goals but I have to tackle the highest priority ones, the ones I’m hearing most about,” Schule said. “I’m hearing from residents and 98 percent of them I agree these are issues and we need to deal with them.
“I know a lot of the stuff I want to do won’t happen overnight or in the first year. But many of these we can accomplish or at least get the ball rolling in the first year.”
The laundry list goes a little like this, with the order changing all the time:
- A pedestrian walkway that will connect Boulder Creek to Langdon Crossing.
- A new firehall that can more properly equip the Volunteer Fire Department, its two trucks and some 30 members.
- A new recreation facility that will be part of the expansion south of the shopping centre on Main Street. Ideally he would like to co-ordinate it with the arrival of a new high school.
- A seniors living facility that will keep aging Langdonites in the Hamlet instead of seeing them leave for other centres.
- A policy review for the Rocky View County council, with a snow removal one written to supplement the snow clearing one.
- A solution for storm water draining and to fix areas where it was done incorrectly in the past.
- Find a solution to the policing problem that seems to plague all municipalities. The key is finding the best way to spend the money and get the most bang for the buck.
One thing that changed in Schule’s view from his campaign to being in office is that he doesn’t believe putting a police station in Langdon will change much. Therefore, it’s probably not cost effective.
“I don’t have the numbers but I don’t believe there’s much of a difference between Langdon, Chestermere and Strathmore,” said Shule, noting the latter two communities have stations.
“Putting a police station in Langdon would be nice but it would sure be expensive. I don’t think we afford it. Is that the proper solution or is that a better one.
“It’s been brought up heavily with all the counties and municipalities across Alberta. Everyone has the same problem. We’re not unique but we have to come up with a solution.”
While a pedestrian pathway is Schule’s No. 1 priority, No. 2 is probably a new firehall. The Langdon Volunteer Fire Department responds to around 300 calls a year, which means it’s a busy place.
“I think we’ve outgrown the garage many years ago,” Schule said. “We have a very proud fire department and it’s cost effective. They are hard-working people and I would like to give them something to be proud of that they are part of.
“We want to show that the county cares about them but it’s also something we need. It’s busy and we have a fantastic volunteer base.”
The first thing Schule wanted to do once he was elected to council was to get everyone on the same page. He considers that done, so now he’s free to look ahead to the big picture.
“One of my big issues was to get a united council when I was first was running,” Schule said. “We’re fortunate that we do have one. We have a good council.”
