The extreme weather of 2011 and the subsequent flooding that followed forced the County of Forty Mile to put on hold a number of projects, particularly those relating to road work.

Reeve, Tom Thacker said the county is planning on getting some of those projects back on the agenda in the upcoming year.
“We will tweak the road program and continue with it. There was lots of work put on hold last year. We like to keep things front and center,” said Thacker, adding he is hopeful the province will be contributing to further work on Highway 61.
While the re-sloping of the ditches along a portion of Highway 879 is complete, the county will also continue with its push for upgrading the thoroughfare that sees a lot of heavy traffic, including broadening the shoulders.
“The 879 will continue to be on the burner. With only one elevator in the area, that road is used extensively by our farmers,” he said.
Also on the county priority list for 2012 is the completion of their shop building that is currently under construction in Foremost.
“We are hoping to have the county shop complete in 2012. We got started on it, but there is quite a bit of work left to be done,” he said.
The building will provide space for the public works department, including more bays, as well as office space. The building is also designed to be more environmentally friendly and will include modernized ventilation and lighting, along with better insulation and a small wind turbine.
“The wind turbine will generate power and will allow us to pump energy onto the grid system. The lighting and insulation will help in keeping costs down,” he said.