Kendall looking forward to mayor's role

Rodney Kendall said that he is looking forward to his four-year term as mayor of St. Alban's.

"I want to help the community move forward during the next four year period," Mayor Kendall said. "There are some very positive events happening here now in aquaculture, and I feel that this is a prime time to help St. Alban's turn an economic corner and to gain some positive prosperity for the community."

Mayor Kendall said that the new aquaculture veterinary diagnostic clinic that will be located in St. Alban's and the potential salmon hatchery in the community will help create more jobs and stability for St. Alban's and the Coast of Bays in general.

Mayor Kendall said, "While the development of the clinic and the hatchery will create some added employment for the community, the two facilities will be great supports for the aquaculture industry in the region.

"I view the two facilities good news for St. Alban's in particular, but they're also good news for the entire region as they will add stability to the industry now and help aquaculture grow here in the future."

The Town of St. Alban's is seeing positive events happening that are stemming from the jobs being provided by aquaculture in the area.

Mayor Kendall said that a new housing subdivision is being developed now and lots should be ready for sale early in 2010.

"I guess it's easier to be mayor when so many positive things are happening and employment is on an upswing," Mayor Kendall said. "Things are certainly looking good for us right now."

However, Mr. Kendall said that his council will have to address some serious issues in the coming months and years.

He said, "Probably our biggest challenge will be not to forget what needs to be done for the long-term benefit of our town. One of the key issues moving ahead will be to address our outdated infrastructure in the older areas of the community.

"For example, for the past two to three years there has been a water supply issue in the higher areas of the community especially in terms of water pressure issues. This problem has been worsening in recent months and needs to be addressed immediately.

"We will be proposing some projects to address this issue in the coming months."

Mayor Kendall noted that while aquaculture growth is positive, putting all your eggs in one basket can lead to issues and concerns.

"While aquaculture is great, we also have to develop and expand our tourism industry. We have a strong business infrastructure that we have to keep developing as well.

"We have a decent mix in the community with aquaculture, NALCOR Energy and the business sector, but we just need a few more pieces to put into the puzzle to keep people here. We have to keep getting a good mix of things going to help us through the rough times as well."

Mr. Kendall said that being mayor of St. Alban's today may be different than it was in the 1960s or 1970s but growth also brings its own challenges and issues.

"There will always be issues to address," he said. "However, I have a good council with me. I'm looking forward to working with council, with the residents of St. Alban's and with residents and councils of other communities in the Coast of Bays to help my community and the entire region move forward positively in the future."