Paradise mayor sees progress on horizon

By Mark Squibb

Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett said that, as with any year, 2024 had both its highs and lows.

Bobbett, along with all members of council and the community, were saddened by the loss of councillor Elizabeth Laurie in February.

Laurie passed at 44 following several battles with cancer.

“She was a big figure in the town, and she is missed by everyone,” said Bobbett, who was a close friend.

Laurie, who was first elected to council in 2009, had been re-elected for her fourth term in September 2021, and had also served as Deputy Mayor from 2018 until 2021.

Following Laurie’s passing, Tommy Maher was elected in a by-election held on April 30.

The Town’s notorious lift station 10 — which previously made headlines in 2019 when it suffered a major malfunction that cost the Town millions — made headlines again in 2024 when it suffered another major malfunction in November.

Construction of a replacement lift station began in January 2023 at a tender cost of about $23 million, with the Town on the hook for the lion’s share of the project.

Bobbett said the new lift station, which was expected to come online this February, should be ready for service within the next three months or so.

“I wish it’d come sooner,” said the mayor. “But obviously it needs to go through the commissioning phases and make sure that everything works.”

Bobbett said additional fail safes – such as separate sewage chambers – have been built into the new lift station, which will have a lifespan of about 50 years. He’s certain the new lift station will be able to accommodate the town’s continued growth.

“People are still looking at Paradise as a place to call home and put down roots, and I think a lot of that is due to the ‘place making’ that we’ve done over the last number of years,” said the mayor.

To that end, Bobbett said council was glad to partner with Conception Bay South and St. John’s to help chair Advantage St. John’s, a regional economic development agency. Michelle Simms has been hired as chief administrative officer and Jocelyn Perry appointed as the chairperson of the board of directors.

He said that while the three municipalities will continue to focus on their own local economic development plans, the regional board will try to attract big business to the region as a whole.

Another major headline from 2024 was the provincial government’s promise to at long last build a high school in Paradise. Since the initial announcement last March, there has been little in the news about the high school, other than a complaint by PC Shadow Minister for Education and MHA for Topsail-Paradise Paul Dinn that the Province only allocated $50,000 for the project in Budget 2024.

Bobbett said the Town has provided the provincial government with four potential sites, all within close proximity to Paradise Intermediate School. The mayor said government is continuing to negotiate with private landowners and that ultimately, the Province will choose the exact location for the high school. He hopes the site will be selected soon. Government had initially planned to have a site selected last fall.

Still on the topic of big projects, Bobbett said that the announcement this past November of a new hospital at Kenmount Crossing just beyond the town boundary will have positive spinoffs for residents of Paradise, namely the construction of a new regional water tower and new interchange that could alleviate some traffic congestion in and out of Paradise.

Regarding the coming municipal election, Bobbett, who recently bowed out of a decision to run for Pierre Poilievre’s federal Conservative Party, has not yet committed to running for the mayor’s office again in 2025. The long serving mayor, who had already served two terms as a  councillor before winning the mayor’s chain of office in 2013, said election time is always an exciting period in the community, and he encouraged folks to consider putting their names forward for nomination.

Bobbett said he was proud council approved a balanced budget for 2025 that saw no new tax or mil rate increases and made provision for new snow clearing equipment, new trails, water and sewer installations, a feasibility study for a swimming pool, and the introduction of the private booster rebated program available for residents of Elizabeth Park.

Bobbett said he is also excited about the upcoming 2025 Canada Summer Games. Paradise will host Box Lacross and Beach Volleyball.

Council made headlines this past year when it made the decision to purchase $360,000 worth of volleyball grade sand to accommodate the Summer Games — in addition to the actual construction costs of the new volleyball courts.

“Everybody was talking about the sand in 2024, and how it cost so much money, but one of the key components of beach volleyball is the sand, no different than an ice surface for hockey or the artificial turf for box lacrosse,” said the mayor. “But I’m excited to welcome athletes, and parents, and coaches, from all across the country, to Paradise for the 2025 Canada Summer Games.”