The County of Paintearth No. 18 is a municipal district located in east central Alberta, and the current setting of several innovative infrastructure projects. With these upcoming projects, the county is not only aiming to enhance their service delivery and to foster economic growth, but to establish a new model for regional development – a model based on collaboration and cooperation between municipalities in order to solve problems that singular municipalities can’t hope to tackle alone. Michael Simpson is the chief administrative officer at County of Paintearth, and has been serving in that role since the summer of 2018. In his time there, the county has grown and evolved significantly, and he’s played a key role in some important projects. One example is the Crowfoot Industrial Subdivision Lift Station, which involved a significant upgrade to the sewer service at Crowfoot Crossing – an industrial park and subdivision located at the intersection of the high load corridor highway 36 and highway 12 That project was more than just a sanitary sewer service upgrade; it also represented a bold strategic partnership with the nearby town of Castor, which is only four kilometres away. They ended up running a force main sewer line between the industrial park and Castor’s sewer system. That collaboration marks the first intermunicipal sewer service agreement in the area, a pioneering step towards a cooperative approach to infrastructure development. “That represents a big step forward for our area,” Michael explains. “Now our elected officials are looking at service delivery on utilities JUNE 2025
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