The Mayor for Ritchot says the opening of the new daycare in St. Adolphe will be a huge win for the municipality. Chris Ewen refers to that as one of the anticipated highlights for 2020, adding it is slated to possibly open in February.

Also in 2020, Ewen anticipates they will tackle some Main Street revitalization projects in the municipality, particularly in Ile des Chenes. He notes those roads have not been touched since 1972, yet keeping infrastructure alive and healthy is the foundation of a community.

"Once those are done it will create better walking paths, it will create better business, walking traffic," adds Ewen. "It will create a friendlier neighbourhood because people are going to get outside and start walking together."

According to Ewen, big things like that create little blooms in a community. He anticipates Main Street revitalization to be one of their biggest projects for 2020.

Meanwhile, Ewen says approval of their business incentive grant in 2019 should spark more business development this year.

"I predict and I project over forty million dollars of assessment increase over the next ten years," suggests Ewen. "So if we can see a fraction of that (this) year, that's great."

Ewen says municipal collaboration should continue to be a theme in 2020. In late 2019, the municipalities of Ritchot, Tache, Hanover and Niverville announced plans for a regional wastewater facility.

Another initiative that should carry over from 2019 to 2020 has to do with recreation. In 2019, council approved Ritchot's recreation master plan. Ewen says they are currently focused on their recreation assets and determining what needs to be serviced or maintained first. He notes their new recreation committee will start meeting, serving as a founding block to launching the master plan.

Finally, even with our wet fall and all the snow received so far in North Dakota, Ewen remains optimistic that major flooding will not be part of 2020.

"I'm an optimistic mayor," he says. "I always think preparation is key to avoiding disaster."

Ewen says with the right preparation, with the help of administration and their emergency measures officers, he thinks they can be ready for whatever comes their way.