HIGH RIVER, AB: As the five year anniversary of the Alberta floods approaches, the Town of High River is celebrating its resilience and community spirit.
“The town has moved on from what happened in 2013, that is not all we are or all we have to offer,” says Craig Snodgrass, Mayor of High River. “Now it’s time to show the world how far we’ve come while celebrating our outstanding achievements in renewal, safety and security in High River.”
The Town will recognize this landmark anniversary with two mini-documentary style videos that will share the story of where High River is headed, rather than revisit the past.
The first video is available now and highlights High River as a thriving, business-friendly and family-oriented community that is close to amenities, the mountains and pathways.
“Even if you are not familiar with High River, you can watch this video and see that we have a close knit and supportive community filled with opportunity,” says Jodi Dawson, manager of economic development with the Town. “We have all spent the last few years investing in recovery and building something new, and today, we turn the page on a new chapter for High River.”
The second video in the series will be released at the end of June and will focus on the Town’s flood mitigation program and its world class safety and security features.
“What happened in 2013 demonstrated that improvements were required and the Town adopted a ‘build it back better’ mentality,” adds Snodgrass. “Since that time, over $200 million has been invested in flood mitigation and protection for the community and High River is now the most well protected town for high water events in all of Canada.”
With support from the Government of Alberta, the Town has built over seven kilometres of dikes along the Highwood River plus an additional vertical metre of free board protection, and this includes raising 498 Avenue to safeguard the eastern portion of town.
As part of High River’s ongoing flood mitigation strategy, infrastructure improvements are also being made to the town itself. Starting in the summer of 2018, a flood gate will be constructed on the south side of the Centre Street Bridge, a keystone in the productive community.
Another 3.5 km of mitigation will be constructed over the coming year and a half which will complete the Town’s mitigation program.
“High River is becoming home to those who dream of growing something bigger,” adds Dawson. “As a result, we are seeing significant interest and growth in a variety of sectors including agriculture, technology, tourism, film, the arts, and a mix of professional, scientific, and technical services.”
The success of the mitigation program becomes clear as High River continues to grow and improve as a community while drawing in new residents and businesses with a unique and neighbourly culture.
“With the 2013 floods now behind us, our community has never been stronger,” says Snodgrass. “We have an award-winning downtown area that helps connect people to business and opportunity, and our progressive Council and Administration places people first. High River is creating a new story.”
The Town would like to thank the Government of Alberta and VStrategies Inc. for their collaboration on the video project.
The town of High River is a people-first community where 13,584 citizens live, work, play, and invest.
With an enviable design, our community is walkable, bikeable, and drivable and offers a variety of facilities, services, and events to enhance overall well-being. It’s a quality of life that people line up to experience.
High River’s proximity to Highway 2 and central location within the rolling foothills has positioned it as a regional hub supporting the commercial needs of its surrounding rural communities.