The future looks bright for Beiseker's new subdivision, The Grasslands, on the west end of the village.![]()
Opened in May of 2014, the proposed 71 lot neighborhood underwent delays until it was restarted in the fall of 2015 by Aquilla Homes.
"We've got two houses, I think, pretty much completed and one house, they're building as we speak," reported Beiseker mayor, Ray Courtman. "It looks like we've got one or maybe two more are being excavated and hopefully will be started shortly here."
Despite the downturn in the economy and the weak Canadian dollar, Courtman thinks this may actually be the ideal time to build.
"People are realizing that in these tough times, getting crews to build a house is much easier than it was a few years ago," he told 99.5 Drum FM. "People are willing to build a house for a more reasonable rate than they were a few years ago when people were clamoring for housing."
Courtman believes The Grasslands could be a godsend for his community as it struggles to cope with problems facing all of rural Alberta, particularly smaller towns and villages.
"We don't expect a huge influx of people and a huge population jump in the next 18 months or something, but we like to see a slow and gradual growth," he explained. "If you can grow a little bit, then a lot of the funding, a lot of the {other) things come a little easier."
The village's population was 785 during the last census, taken in 2011.
To learn more about Beiseker and the Grasslands, follow this link.