Progress made for St. Davids in 2019, but more work ahead

Greg Dell, former president of the St. Davids Ratepayers Association, is pleased with the accomplishments of the group over the past year, but says there is more work ahead.

He expects Mike Pearsall, the current vice-president of the SDRA, will take the lead until the May election of a new executive, and the organization will be in good hands, although as past-president, Dell plans to remain involved.

He points to several accomplishments of the association over the past year, including an updated website; donations already made toward the new St. Davids Pool, including $30,000 from the Town’s annual golf tournament, $10,000 from the St. Davids Lions Club and $5,300 from the SDRA; and the progress on a design for the pool.

The community safety zone designation along York Road was a long time coming and he is grateful to the Region for approving it, and especially to Regional Coun. Gary Zalepa for his help pushing it through, he says. 

“He was like a dog with a bone. He was really instrumental in getting this done,” he says, of the zone that warns motorists to slow down along York Road, in front of St. Davids Public School, or face increased fines for speeding.

Still to come for the villagers, he hopes, is a safety zone along Four Mile Creek Road. That was part of the original request, he says, and he’s never heard why it wasn’t included, but will keep working at it for the future.

The Town is also moving ahead with heritage designation for a small square area, with the York Road/Four Mile Creek Road intersection at its centre, But although he believes work to be progressing, it’s also contingent on the money for it being included in the Town’s budget. It’s important not only to protect existing homes but to guide new subdivisions.

“There is still a lot of empty land developers have their eyes on,” he says. “St. Davids is expected to grow by about 5,000 new homes in the next five years. We’d like them to be compatible with what’s already there.”

There is also a portion of sidewalk along Creek Road to be finished, from Cannery Park along the front of the cold storage business, but Dell is hoping it will eventually go as far as York Road, on both sides of the road once the new homes are built across the street from Cannery Park.

A new pizza and brewery business is in the works for St. Davids, one that will be great for the villagers, giving them a place to go — much needed in the growing community, Dell says, and something villagers are looking forward to.

And a long-anticipated path from the homes behind St. Davids Lions Club and the swimming pool should be completed in 2020, he says.