Davidson Town Council was elected on the promise of transparency, and Mayor Keith LePoudre exemplifies that pledge with his monthly “Meet with the Mayor” sessions. The sessions, held at council chambers on the first Wednesday of the month, welcome ratepayers to discuss their concerns and ask questions in a casual drop-in environment. Attendance varies from month to month, but LePoudre brings his laptop regardless, so he can review bylaws or draft a letter during downtime.
(Photo by Kevin Gilby)
“(Meet with the Mayor) was a chance for me to meet with people if they have concerns and give them an opportunity to talk,” he said. “Initially, I had hardly anybody show up, but it’s slowly built up. The largest crowd I had at one time was seven or eight people. “The issues on that day were trees overtop of sidewalks and people not trimming their trees.” Through meeting with people, he helped them understand town responsibilities and those of the property owner with respect to branch overhang. He informed them that in cases where the trees reside on town property that public works staff are responsible for their care. In instances where branches come from property owner’s land, letters are sent to remind owners of their responsibility to keep sidewalk access available. He says that the common concerns people come to him are reflected in the recently conducted Quality of Life survey.
“What we’re doing about infrastructure. Where our money is spent, and stuff like that,” LePoudre said. “That always comes up in the meetings I have with people.” Town infrastructure comments are often focused on streets, sidewalks, sewer lines, and water service, but LePoudre is quick to remind people that buildings fall under infrastructure as well. “We are starting to develop a plan going forward, where we try to do some (of every- thing) every year,” he said. “For example, we have done camera (inspections) of all of the sewer lines, so we know which ones have to get done.” Using sewer relining as an example, LeP- oudre can quickly explain the scope and costs associated with major projects. Sewer relining work will be soon underway on two different blocks in Davidson. Of areas identified in need of repair, all but possibly one location can be fixed by relining from the surface as opposed to more expensive digging and replacement. Five hundred meters of relining is to take place at a budgeted cost of $200,000. LePoudre estimates it will take about 10 years of relining five to six hundred meters per year to replace the end-of-life sewer lines in town. Sidewalks have had a similar evaluation performed. Sidewalks with high-trip potential will be addressed first with a focus on higher traffic areas often found adjacent to businesses and services.
Council is currently budgeting $15,000 per year for sidewalk maintenance. However, it may be carried over multiple years to keep costs of contractor travel down and/or due to contractor availability. Town waterworks have received a lot of attention recently. Pumps have been replaced at both wells, a distribution pump replaced, and variable pressure pump controllers installed to soon permit changing water pressure to match the town’s variable hourly usage demands. A 2025 Operating Capital Budget infographic was mailed to utility consumers which outline the above work expenditures and many costs related to town operations. Residents may pick up additional copies at the Town Office or view the info-graphic on the town’s website.
“We’re (released) that information before but it’s hard to communicate,” he said. Council will continue to work on how it can best communicate to ratepayers using online and mailer info-sheets. LePoudre points to the council’s priority of creating an assessment management plan. The document will be a living document, meaning that it is to be continued updated and revised as town needs evolve and main- tenance is performed or equipment retired. “The Asset Management Plan says, ‘this is what we’re doing in the future,’ so people know what we’re doing,” he said. “It’s an actual plan.” LePoudre explained the challenges the town has faced with a recent project on Enterprise Lane. The high-traffic gravel service road, utilized by many businesses, residents, and Highway 11 travellers south-east of town, has been a sore spot for years. The town has tried multiple years to address the challenges of resurfacing the road, but were met with uncertain plans from the Ministry of Highways and contractor availability. “We finally got them to admit that they need to do it by 2027,” he said. “This whole project will be put out for tender in November 2026.”
He was pleased to say that the ministry will pay for a portion of the update due to its restructuring on the Highway 11/Enterprise Lane intersection and the ratepayers will enjoy a reprieve from the earlier forecasted costs. Additionally, the ministry will help the town in securing contractors for the project. Residents are invited to attend the next Meet with the Mayor for more information or to discuss any other issues.
