Mid-Sun’s March President’s Message

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I tend to get a bit overly exuberant in March thinking that spring is just around the corner. While it is true, the days get longer and it’s the month of the spring equinox, March can still be snowy and cold, and we won’t be out planting our gardens or sunbathing just yet – darn!

While the weather might not be that exciting, some of the things happening at the board truly are. Joan and Darlene have done an outstanding job of getting the Seniors Social Program started. They are meeting every Thursday afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 at the Mid-Sun Community Center. For more info email [email protected].

Also, Erin and the Playground committee have firm funding commitments both from the city and from the community association and are looking forward to breaking ground on the new playground in the summer. Stay tuned for more news on that.

Equally as thrilling, we have a new board secretary. Kathy Smith has kindly volunteered to take on this role and we are delighted to have her. Welcome Kathy. A big thank you to Vanessa Bruce, our Facility Coordinator, who has been taking minutes at our meetings while we searched for a secretary.

Speaking of the board, this month I’m featuring the fascinating Travis Black, our new Member At Large. Travis grew up in Calgary, attended Lord Beaverbrook High School, and then relocated to Fort McMurray where he worked for twelve years in various capacities, the most recent being a Project Manager for ATCO Electric. After the Fort Mac fire (yes, he was there for that) Travis relocated to Slave Lake, and then transferred back to Calgary. Seven months ago, Travis and his husband Mike moved to Sundance where they live with their one-year-old daughter Olivia. Travis and Mike now have their own company and are doing contract work for the City of Calgary. Travis is an avid golfer (he’s even golfed at Pebble Beach) and a scarily hard-core Flames fan. Our board is so fortunate to have the benefit of his experience, refreshing point of view, and great sense of humor.

Our annual board planning session took place February 8, where we discussed our priorities for the year. Some of the items we will be focusing on are updating board standards, completing the landscaping at the community center, and commissioning a new needs and preference study to help us ensure our programs are meeting the needs of the community. Of course, we will continue with the current work on Seniors Social, Traffic, Social Media and Playgrounds. We all want to thank St. Mary’s University for providing us with the use their boardroom for our planning session.

Lastly, on behalf of the Mid-Sun Community Association, we would like to thank the Government of Alberta for supporting us in our Exterior Renovation project. We received the final installment of our CFEP Grant (Community Facilities Enhancement Program) at our board meeting in February.

Have a terrific March and hopefully spring will arrive soon!

Patsy