The sophomore year of the Eagle’s Best of Cochrane event was a raving success.
If there’s one thing the community of Cochrane has it’s passion and the spirit of competition.
With just under 1,000 votes coming in, Eagle staff love to see Cochrane residents get excited about our Best of each year and take the time to vote for their favourite restaurants, shops, tourist attractions and community members in town.
Not only does it prove that our readership cares about where the best place to get a steak is, it shows that our growing community continues to offer a wide range of services to its residents…which it better, considering our population unrelentingly persists to move upward and has now grown to over 20,000 according to the 2014 Municipal Census.
With a population increase of 10.44 per cent just this past year, is it any wonder Cochrane mayor Ivan Brooker reaffirmed to Cochranites that despite the swell in population, residents could continue to expect great service from the town?
“We constantly review our plans so that we are able to meet the needs of the community regardless of our growth,” Brooker said following the release of the new census numbers.
Growth certainly does pose challenges for any municipality trying to keep up with an influx of residents looking for the type of quality services, like the ones voted for in the Eagle’s Best of Cochrane survey.
And, even though the Best of Cochrane is not a scientific poll – essentially, the final numbers are a combination of genuine votes combined with those from friends and family of those who are shrewd enough to get everyone they know to vote for them – media savvy business owners see dollar signs when the Eagle’s Best of Cochrane survey hits the paper each spring.
What better way to show those in the community, both long-time and new, that you provide a great service to Cochrane residents?
So, what does Cochrane still need now that our population is 20,708…nearly 3,000 more than this time last year?
Well, despite the challenges that some of these items may present, here is a list of just a few things, some mentioned in the Eagle’s editorials/columns of the past, that would be nice for Cochrane to see in the near future:
- More roads/innovative road engineering and planning (traffic in Cochrane was one of the top concerns for voters during last year’s election, and during the past three years has been an ongoing issue for many who feel the community suffers from traffic congestion.
- A twinned Highway 1A and 22, complete with intersection and bridge upgrades (out of the town’s hands and firmly placed in the province’s).
- A Mexican restaurant (who doesn’t love some enchiladas with a cold Corona from time to time?)
- More diverse rental options (a difficult thing to control, but with the building of condo, apartment and townhomes and subsequent purchase by investors, options should increase.
- Outdoor sports fields (Cochrane is a very active community and every year there are eager young athletes who get left out because there’s not enough room for them to participate. Fostering an active lifestyle is a fantastic example to set).
Is there something you think Cochrane desperately needs and should move forward on? Let us know.
