It always seems appropriate with the turning of the calendar to look back on the year that was.
And of course that is the easy thing to do.
In the case of a newspaper we can pretty easily turn through the 52 front pages of the past year and get a snapshot of the previous 12 months. In fact we have selected the top 10 stories on Page B1 this issue.
Reading through the stories you can see it was a big year in the city with a lot of good news for residents.
While the opening of the water treatment plant, the new skateboard park, and the rest of the top 10 stories are important in the annals of the city, they are also as we say, history. They are now stories of our community's past.
The better thing to do as we celebrate the new year is to think about what the new year will bring, for the future is all any of us have.
In Yorkton the year ahead promises to be one that sees continued growth in the city.
But it is growth we are poised to handle.
The City is moving forward to develop new housing subdivisions such as York Colony which should allow for the growth in population which comes with business growth.
And in business growth we see much of that.
While started in 2012, the year ahead will see the doors open on three new hotels in the city. That is significant when you consider the added room capacity positions Yorkton to handle ever-larger events.
With larger events tourism dollars rise, that creates jobs and expands the economic base of the city. These are positives to look forward to.
With growth in economy and population comes additional needs in a community, especially one that is already centre to the third-largest trading area in the city.
That may be the legacy of the new year ahead.
There are major projects in the works for Yorkton that, if they proceed, will be paramount to Yorkton's future.
The first is a new Trades and Technology Centre for Parkland College.
Much work has already been done in laying the groundwork for the facility, including a land donation from the City of Yorkton.
But for the project to proceed the provincial government must come up with a substantial amount of capital dollars. There is an expectation locally the government will at least announce the project in its 2013 budget, although the funding may be delayed beyond the new year depending on budget constraints.
While it would be a huge step in post secondary education locally to have the project started in 2013, even a statement of dollars on the horizon will make it a major project.
It is the same scenario in terms of a new hospital for the city.
There is a great effort being undertaken to lay the foundation for a new facility, but again the key element to allow the project to proceed will be provincial funding.
The hospital may be further out than 2013 in terms of dollars from the Province but work will continue in the current year paramount to the long term success of the effort to see a new facility in the city.
So as it always is with the arrival of a new year, we move forward with collective expectation, hopes and desires of a community.
May 2013 be all we are willing to make it as a part of that community.
