Chris Lowrey
SHAWVILLE Oct. 4 , 2017
Current Shawville Mayor Sandra Murray has declared that she will run in next month’s municipal elections.
Murray, who is just finishing her second term as mayor, said that there is still important work to do in Shawville, and she wants to continue working for the community.
Murray listed the continued maintenance of the water and sewage systems as her main priorities.
She also pointed to the surface-level infrastructure in town as another priority.
“We want to try every year to pave some new streets or some new sidewalks as we can afford to do it,” she said.
Murray also stressed the importance of the Shawville Arena and making sure it stays in good condition.
“We always have problems with it and something always breaks and we have to fix it,” she said. “The arena costs a lot of money but it’s something we have to have.”
Murray said that one of the toughest parts of her last term as mayor was prioritizing which infrastructure projects needed immediate funding.
“That’s a tough choice because you want to do everything, but you can’t do everything,” she said.
Casting her eyes to the future, Murray said that the biggest expense the municipality faces is a new chlorination system for the town’s water. The municipality is looking to put in place a new automated system.
She also pointed to the need to pave more streets. There has been progress in recent months but there are still a number of roads that need resurfacing.
When it comes to the MRC as a whole, Murray said her top priority is bringing more employment opportunities to the Pontiac.
She pointed to the lumber trucks shipping wood out of the Pontiac as one of the things she’d like to see change. She reinforced the need for a local wood-processing plant.
When it comes to the economic well-being of Shawville, Murray said that the town’s location positions it well in the grand scheme of the MRC.
She said that although Shawville doesn’t have many cottages, it’s surrounded by cottage country. Many of these cottagers come into the municipality to support local businesses and she wants to safeguard that.
“People come to Shawville to shop and support local businesses,” she said.
