At the annual Mayor’s Breakfast, Sicamous Mayor Terry Rysz confirmed that he will be running for office again this term after outlining future projects he wants to see come to fruition.
“I just took a holiday and had a lot of time to reflect…do I want to put four more years of my life into being the mayor of Sicamous? And the answer to that is yes,” he announced to a round of applause from the crowd of approximately 80 people. “It is exciting what’s going on in Sicamous. We’re trying to build vibrancy here.”
Rysz added they have a strong team at the district, with council and staff working together to accomplish some major projects, including the upgrades to Shuswap Avenue and Main Street, the water line extension out of Hillier Road and most notably the roundabout at no direct cost to the district thanks to government grants.
The money for that project is just the tip of the iceberg, with Rysz stating the district has received over $23 million in funding, which is what they campaign for at such events as the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
“Can you imagine what the impact would’ve been if we’d had to do this through taxation?” he pointed out. “This is unheard of for small communities.”
Despite having accomplished a lot in the four-year term, council has more plans such as a permanent track for the snow bike event, sidewalks all along Main Street, a new hotel, with several chains having expressed interest, working with FortisBC to get natural gas in town and new welcome signs that reflect the new branding and events that will continue to put Sicamous on the map.
One such event that Rysz was finally able to announce is the RCMP Musical Ride which the Sicamous and District Chamber of Commerce managed to arrange for July 17.
“These guys are absolutely incredible,” Rysz stated. “And we’ve got them coming to Sicamous.”
The mayor isn’t the only one to sing Sicamous’ praises, with local MP Mel Arnold acknowledging the district’s accomplishments.
“Sicamous you’re doing an incredible job; the mayor and council serve the people well. When I come over here, I feel most welcome,” he said. “If you keep on like this, Sicamous is going to be a place to live well.”
-Submitted by Heather Black, Sicamous Chamber of Commerce.