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By Kenyon Stronski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Taber Times
reporter@tabertimes.com
As we come stampeding into the October 2021 municipal election, Mayor Andrew Prokop will be looking to duplicate his 2017 success for his second consecutive run as mayor — clocking in his third consecutive term with a seat on Taber town council.
In 2013, Prokop was elected councillor, and in the last six months of that term he served as a mayoral interim. The outcome leading to his 2017 election as mayor.
“It has been a pleasure to be a part of this particular council,” Prokop stated. “We’ve been making the best decisions possible that are always in the best interests of the municipality for the betterment and enhancement of our community members’ benefits.”
Prokop discussed the three main goals of his mayorship — those being economic growth, recreational growth and enhancement — and the priority needs of the municipality. Some of these advancements include the completion of the William Ferguson Emergency Building, the completion of the Trout Pond — which has been open since 2018, and the completion of the fourth ball diamond at the Ken McDonald Sports Complex in 2020 with the assistance of the KMMSC Group.
Prokop and Taber council have set big plans in motion for the future of Taber — one of the largest being the Meadows Project. The Meadows Project is a large-scale endeavour taking place over a 60-acre plot of land just south of the cemetery. Its goal being to create affordable housing for residents of Taber and those looking to move in. Upon its completion over the next several years, the Meadows Project promises to create up to a maximum of 302 new residences for the Town of Taber, with lots ranging from $67,900 to $77,900. Residences like these could prove to be a boon, especially as the town slowly transitions into a post-pandemic world.
To highlight another point in Prokop’s political career, the Town of Taber has been averaging the start-up of 45 businesses a year since his election in 2017. Prokop noted he is proud of this entrepreneurship.
Even in 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, Taber managed to attract 41 new businesses. Prokop said, “41 in a pandemic year, as difficult as these past 15 months have been, is quite phenomenal.”
In 2021, Taber is on pace to break that 40 mark once more, as the town transitions back into a more normal period.
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