Recent History – 2000
April 5, 2000
POUCE COUPE — In amicable village style, Mayor Jill Wonnacott and ex-mayor Joe Judge joined hands to officially open the new village office Tuesday. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was the highlight of the opening day of the new office and council chambers, built a bit east and across the street from the old village headquarters.
Judge, still the mayor when council made the decision to build a new office, said it was a tough decision then, but one that was worth it, when it became apparent the old office needed major upgrades.
“The more we looked at it, the cost of [repairing] the old one was at least half of what a new building would cost,” Judge said, adding that even then there were no guarantees how long the old building would be still usable.
The result of the decision spoke for itself Tuesday. A high-ceiling council chamber takes up a large part of the building, which in itself is only slightly larger than the old. The council chamber can be divided in three separate rooms for smaller meetings. Offices, storage and bathroom facilities make up the rest of the building, which has the comforts and quality of the 21st Century, but the log-style look of a pioneering village.
“We have something to be proud of,” Wonnacott said. “Everything’s very efficiently set up, so we can deal with the citizens the best way we can.”
Wonnacott said the building is so bright, it can not help but result in a positive working atmosphere.
Thanks to Fair Share, a provincial program that returns some of the oil and gas royalties to Peace municipalities, Pouce Coupe taxpayers won’t see an increase in taxes as a result of the new building.
“This is a great structure. It’s going to serve the village a long, long time into the future,” Judge added.