170 | BusinessWorld | August-September 2014
works. The department is charged with
cons truc t ion ac t i vi t i e s re l ated to
subdivision and capital projects/public
infrastructure, as well as road maintenance
and repairs, city beautification efforts and
the public trolley transportationprogram.
Its 2014 operating budget is $6.5 million
and its budget for capital projects is $7.5
million, but the set-up is unique in that all
traditional public works elements are
subcontracted to a private company.
“We're very fortunate that we have a very
progressive council that is wanting to see
this growth and it's encouraging it and gives
us direction to find innovative and flexible
ways to get the job done,” Bowden said. “It
creates a very exciting atmosphere for staff
here, with the fact that council encourages
us to be innovative and think of ways to do
things quicker, faster, cheaper andbetter.”
Many infrastructure projects have been
funded through partnerships with other
pertinent branches of government, and
Bowden said the development-specific
community has responded well to the
collegial approach emanating from a
council that's been in place for nearly two
decades.
“We me e t wi th the de ve l opment
community at least once a month to talk to
them about how we can improve, what we
can do better, and they ask us how they can
help,” he said. “It's invaluable because of the
speed of growth.We talk about all the issues
that come up related to development, and
we figure out solutions together, rather than
as if we were the enemy trying to regulate
their business.
“We see them as partners and they see us as
partners.”
Upon incorporation, the city acquired
many infrastructure elements that had been
under the auspices of a regional district, so
cataloguing those assets and performing
maintenance tasks to get them up to
necessary levels has been a priority item in
the last few years. Going forward, the focus
will include supplying amenities being
