REDVERS — Redvers turned 120 years young in 2024, hosting a homecoming celebration over the July long weekend which Mayor Brad Bulbuck says the town is planning to make an annual event.
“It was well attended,” he said, listing some of the activities held over that weekend, including a ranch rodeo, a car and motorcycle show, and a slo-pitch tournament. “It’s something that we tried this year and it had good response, so hopefully it keeps traction.”
This was also the first year that Redvers participated in Communities in Bloom, gaining some notoriety.
“We earned three blooms, placing second in the 1,001 to 2,000 population category,” Bulbuck said. “We also received the Heritage Recognition Award for our memory pot project.”
The past year was a big one for grants in Redvers, with the water treatment plant project being approved to receive over $4.5 million through the Canada Infrastructure Program.
Another grant-funded project was the crosswalk at Highway 13 which includes speed radar signs. A much-anticipated outdoor AED was also placed in Redvers, thanks to funding from Steel Reef.
The town also received up to $200,000 for a new transit van handibus, which has been ordered and anticipated to be delivered in the spring.
This year also noted a return to a special event at the Cenotaph in Redvers, carrying a torch long held by Legion members in the community.
“We did a Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph this year, which is the first time we’ve had one at the Cenotaph in a number of years,” Bulbuck said. “A few years back, the Legion passed ownership for the Cenotaph to the town, and in the interest of the Remembrance Day tradition, we re-implemented the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph this year.”
Another program that was created to pay tribute to important figures in Redvers’ past is the Hometown History project.
“There were three individuals recognized at homecoming weekend—Jim Lewthwaite, Howard Wright, and Christian Sutter,” Bulbuck said. “And that’s just the start of what we’re doing with the Hometown History.”
There are plans in the future to expand the Hometown History project, certainly a unique addition to the town.
Partnerships are key
The Town of Redvers and RM of Antler have worked together on many projects over the years, and Bulbuck would like to see this strong relationship continue.
“We’ve had a lot of productive joint meetings with the RM of Antler as well,” he said. “We’re very happy with the progress we’ve made with the Town and the RM of Antler regarding joint projects.”
One of the most recent examples of this positive working relationship is seen in how both the Town and the RM came together to explore how to replace an aging fire truck in the Redvers Volunteer Fire Department’s fleet. If not for the combined resources of the two entities moving in the same direction, the new truck may have never become a reality. Now, a new truck is on order, anticipated to arrive in the area in 18 months.
“It’s great to have a strong relationship with the RM because the RM residents share in a lot of the assets that are in the town of Redvers,” Bulbuck said. “So we’ve got a good partnership with them, and we certainly want that to continue.”
What’s next?
The town is looking forward to breaking ground on the new water treatment plant, a project that everyone is excited to see movement on.
“Personally, I would like things to move a little quicker, but things don’t always move as quickly as you want them to!” Bulbuck said. “Hopefully we’re going to be breaking ground in the spring on that.”
In terms of a future wish list, he noted the need for a hotel, ongoing maintenance and infrastructure, and overall growth.
“We have what’s called an asset management plan, and there’s a variety of different projects that are on there,” Bulbuck explained. “They are reviewed on an annual basis and discussed on an annual basis where we need to go with that.”
With those long-term plans also comes creating the right conditions for growth, with factors such as freezing tax rates contributing to that atmosphere.
“We’ve had a lot of houses that have been sitting vacant for a while,” Bulbuck said. “We’ve had a lot of houses moving the last year, so the number of houses for sale is probably at its lowest point in I would say five to seven years—maybe even longer.”
