Cities Civil and Municipal July 2024 Public Sector

The Town of Gibbons, Alberta

July 29, 2024

The Town of Gibbons, Alberta

Gibbons…The Hidden Gem of Sturgeon County

Economic developments and community-focused initiatives prepare a bright future.

The Town of Gibbons, Alberta under the leadership of Mayor Dan Deck, and Councillors Loraine Berry, Amber Harris, Willis Kozak, Jay Millante, Norman Sandahl and Dale Yushchyshyn, is a shining example of what great leadership, collaboration, and preparing the groundwork for a great future looks like. By actively engaging with regional stakeholders—including businesses, residents, and governmental bodies—this gem of a community provides exactly what its residents need while looking down the road to further growth potential.

From an economic perspective, diversification is deemed essential by Gibbons Town Council as they acknowledge the importance of attracting new industries, bolstering local enterprises, and nurturing innovation to establish a robust foundation for sustainable development. Additionally, regular investments in infrastructure such as transportation, utilities, and digital connectivity have been essential to the Town’s growth thus far.

Even with higher-level initiatives at play, awareness of the quality of life for residents is never forgotten by Council and administration. Developing affordable housing, maintaining public spaces, and ensuring access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and recreation can easily be constants among a variable list of community projects.

Above all, community engagement is crucial, as fostering a sense of belonging and participation through local events, volunteer opportunities, and transparent communication strengthens the social fabric and provides insight to Council for future planning.

Gibbons is steadily building itself up as a thriving, inclusive community where economic opportunities abound, and residents enjoy a high quality of life. With cohesive planning, robust infrastructure, and a vibrant community spirit, the Town has grown and is quickly becoming a model of sustainable, inclusive development. This vision of success embodies a place where everyone feels at home, and every initiative reflects a commitment to community excellence.

A Community Rooted in Family and Collaboration

The community of Gibbons is deeply rooted in the concept of family. “We promote a culture where families are invited to be there, so we formulate a lot of events, facilities, and services that we offer that allow families to feel like they matter,” says Gibbons Chief Administrative Officer Farrell O’Malley. The aim is to create an environment where families feel valued and supported regardless of their age or stage of life. This approach is central to the Gibbons growth strategy, ensuring that as the community expands, it keeps family-centric values at the forefront of its planning.

Promoting community spirit through events is a key tactic to assist this endeavor. Although the community hosts numerous noteworthy activities, its bigger yearly displays are what really set it apart. The second weekend in July marks Pioneer Days, a festival celebrating the Town’s history and future with various events that bring the community together. Gibbons Community-wide Garage Sale held on the second Saturday in September, attracts between 10,000 to 15,000 visitors each year, reinforcing the community bonds while providing a platform for local businesses and residential entrepreneurs to thrive, and the Home Town Christmas Weekend held in November offers numerous festive family activities throughout the weekend including a Light Parade and a Seniors Almost Christmas Dinner and Dance that sells out every year.

Separate from its event planning, Gibbons prides itself on fostering economic development through strong partnerships with local businesses. “We’re prepared to work with any [company] that wants to grow. We are very open, and we practice that,” O’Malley says, explaining how the Town maintains several key relationships with local businesses to improve their impact on the community. Notably, Gibbons Motor Toys has been a significant community supporter since its inception, expanding its operations over the past 30 years and contributing to local employment. Another key player is Surerus, an oilfield pipeline company from Fort St. John, BC, which has become a mainstay in Gibbons, providing critical jobs and supporting its economic infrastructure. These businesses and others like them, alongside various local restaurants, and grooming services, form the backbone of the Gibbons economy.

Fortunately, the Town does not just focus on its local partnerships; regional partnerships are also vital to promoting the community’s many amenities and leisurely quality of life. To enhance its visibility and attract investment, Gibbons partners with Edmonton Global, a regional marketing group that promotes communities within the Edmonton area globally.

Developing Infrastructure and Community Projects

The other partnerships that Gibbons maintains are related more to its infrastructural growth and community development. “We’ve been working with Landrex Inc., one of Gibbons’ major landowners / developers with over 52 years of experience in building successful projects and have had significant impact in each chosen community. To maximize positive outcomes, we have been working hard to develop key residential and commercial projects with them,” O’Malley confirms. These partnerships help Gibbon’s market its community effectively while simultaneously driving residential and commercial development, ensuring that it is prepared to meet the oncoming demands of the economic seeds currently being planted.

Gibbons is actively engaged in several infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing community amenities. One major initiative is the Heartland Station development, a 4.5 acre commercial site featuring a new Loblaws Independent Grocery Store, Tim Hortons, A & W Restaurant, and various other businesses. This project alone is set to create between 200-300 jobs and significantly boost local property tax revenues to over $250,000 annually.

Another critical project is the $14.2 million underground utility project, which will support the Heartland Commons development, a 50-acre, $90 million investment poised to create 400 jobs and generate a substantial $1.335 Million annually in property taxes at build out. These two developments will derive long-term economic benefits for the Gibbons community.

To accommodate the growing population, Gibbons is, of course, also focused on expanding housing options to meet the various levels of affordability and demographic needs. “We have several projects in the Heartland Commons areas that we are in the process of finalizing, and that will translate to about 2950 new residents. That area alone will feature 1180 new households,” O’Malley explains. There is also The Heartland Meadows subdivision which is a 39-lot development, originally projected to have homes valued at around $350,000 but is now seeing homes reaching and surpassing the $500,000 level. The Wedgewood project, featuring 57 cost-effective homes, and Heartland Cabins slated to host upwards to 182 units, targeting military families and young starters, are also key initiatives that are set to break ground in 2025.

These projects are being combined with others such as the 51-acre Homestead lands which is set to house 200 homes and 900 new residents, and the 36 lot Heartland Cottages development which will offer a variety of housing options for young families, working adults and those looking to right-size their lives in retirement.

Gibbons on the Horizon

Looking ahead, Gibbons has several more exciting projects on its list of action items.

The Heroes for Eternity (HFE) project, a mixed-use building combining commercial and residential spaces, is one such initiative aimed at supporting our community’s heroes (residents) who played a key role in building Gibbons and looking for rental accommodations that are designed to meet one’s changing lifecycle stages and challenges.

The Town is exploring strategic partnerships to build a training hotel for the hospitality industry and various light industrial and agricultural projects to further diversify the local economy. In a collaboration with Sturgeon Public Schools, Gibbons is in the exploratory steps of planning to build a new K-9 school integrated with a community recreation complex. This facility aims to replace our aging infrastructure, offering modern amenities and fostering community engagement. The shared use of spaces like gymnasiums/fieldhouses, ice arenas, library, and black box theatre, ball diamonds, and parking will enhance efficiency and provide extensive benefits to both students and the public. “We’re going to be able to look at as many efficiencies that we can to control operation and maintenance costs going forward, but also very importantly, the building construction,” O’Malley says.

As it develops, Gibbons intends to strive to become the first of its kind, a net-zero property tax community. “We want to be the first ever neutral property tax community. So… we’re looking to create partnerships, establish efficiencies and develop services in such a way that it either generates a residual source of revenue for our residents and/or limits the funds that leave the community having no lasting economic benefit,” O’Malley explains. By focusing on innovative development and sustainable growth, Gibbons aims to offer its residents a high quality of life and a vibrant, thriving community via strategies that take advantage of every avenue to get the job done. Opportunities the Town are investigating include establishing a Municipal Internet Service, Hydrovac Dumping Station, Environmental Filtration Trailers, and becoming an energy retailer. A further example includes developing a Town owned Municipal Credit Card program, otherwise known as the Empower Solution. This is a municipal credit card system that funds municipal infrastructure on an annual basis using a municipal control credit card that would pay returns to the citizens. It would be done in such a way that the citizens would set the project where the funds could go, and it would be used to offset the price, relative to the normal method of using property taxes.

At the end of the day, each one of these initiatives points to a single overarching truth about this small yet thriving Town in Alberta. It shows that Gibbons is a community that values family, economic growth, and sustainable development. Through strategic partnerships, innovative projects, and a focus on enhancing community amenities, Gibbons remains poised for significant growth in the coming years. Every day, community leaders are working diligently, creating a supportive environment for families and fostering a dynamic economic landscape to ensure that Gibbons remains a remarkable place to plant family roots not for just a year-or-two, but for generations and doing so not because they have to, but because they want to.