Westlock County gathered their departments into the Vimy Community Hall on Monday, June 16 for their annual open house, providing essential information for the upcoming elections, programs and finances.
Booths containing an assortment of goods and pamphlets lined the hall as people gathered in, some with specific questions and others just there to take a look around. Regardless, residents wandered from booth to booth learning about the various departments and programs the County has to offer.
The administration was the welcome booth with a door prize. If people collected stamps on their ‘passport’ they could be entered for a chance to win a special gift basket. One booth posted information about the upcoming elections for the County, Town and School Board in October. Financial Services had graphs breaking down expenses for residents to know where the money is coming from and where it is going.
Agriculture Services was using their booth to raise awareness for the different invasive plants that residents should be aware of and how their department works to mitigate them.
“It’s a really good program just to try and control the spread of the weeds, right? Because obviously every private property is adjacent to each other.” says James Breadon, Assistant Ag Fieldman. Breadon described the work his department does as a way to maintain agricultural lands, “In our pasture lands, having those weeds, they obviously choke off the grass, so you’re getting less forage for the cattle.”
Enforcement Services and Fire Services were also in attendance to talk about prevention and safety during evacuations, recruitment for volunteer firefighters and the crime rate in the county.
It was not just departments that were included in this open house. Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) joined to talk about their events for the summer and why it’s so important they get out into the community.
“Every time we come to an open house, we meet somebody new who has no idea what FCSS does,s” ays Tracy Proulx, “So if we can help somebody new, that’s always a win for us.”
The Westlock Library presented its summer reading club for kids ages three to 18 with an adult summer reading club also available as a way to “encourage more adults to take part in the activities during the summer,” said Michelle Arts. This year’s theme is Camp Read S’more with different programs and reading challenges for all ages.
This display of openness and connectivity started as an open mic for departments to answer questions and talk about what they do. Three years ago, Tony Kulbinsky, CAO of Westlock County, came up with the idea to have different booths for each department “and so if they just find the person they need to talk to, they’re usually good because it’s usually a one question night for some people.”
Part of this approach is to have face-to-face time with the residents so they can ask the questions they want the answers to, Kulbinsky said. “We just want to get information out to the right people, let you know what we’re working on on their behalf. And if they have any follow-up questions that we’re here to answer them, and then they can walk away, hopefully happy, with a burger or hot dog and a fresh drink, and then they can go home with some more information that maybe they didn’t have before.”
