« A lot of people tell me the municipality needs to be more progressive, » said Walker, commenting on results of his door-to-door campaigning.
Walker seeks to retain his position as one of two councillors for Ward 2. He noted that his past four years as a first-time rookie councillor were a learning experience about how the municipality functions. Now he wants to put that experience to use as part of the new council after the October municipal election.
« I see a lot of changes that could be made, » he said, « how we could make the municipality more useful to the people. »
Part of the progressive change Walker wants to see during the new four years includes closer cooperation and teamwork both among members of the new council and between council and municipal staff. One issue that needs addressing, he noted, is the municipal landfill.
« There are many issues there, » he said, including better management of the site, and construction of « a proper road » around the site to provide a better buffer zone between the landfill and surrounding neighbhourhoods.
Walker also noted that there are three former wells at the landfill site that need to be repaired and then capped for proper decommissioning. Proper marking of the old well sites is also necessary to prevent any future damage to them from landfill operations and prevent any risk to the area groundwater system.
« When I’m going door to door, people also say the biggest thing they want is their (neighbourhood) road improved, » said Walkerk. « There is no reason we should not have a long-term plan for our roads. »
Walker promised to lobby for creation of five-year and 10-year plans for Alfred-Plantagenet’s network of roads if he is reelected. He noted that other municipalities have long-term plans for scheduling road improvements and the township should have one also.
Walker noted that the township now has a forest cover bylaw that will help protect local wetlands. He would like to see that bylaw revised and expanded to apply to the entire municipality as part of Alfred-Plantagenet’s environmental planning.
He also wants to see the present user rates system for the township’s water and sewer system reviewed and revised. « It should all be equalized, » he said, adding that Alfred ratepayers have the lowest water fees in the township while Plantagenet ratepayers have the highest, with ratepayers in Wendover, Treadwell, Lefaivre and other villages falling in between.
