THERE’S a lot to question when it comes to the role of the public sector in overall society but any casual drive around Terrace nowadays will be revealing.
The overhaul of the aging trades building at Northwest Community College is well underway with a price tag in the $18 million range.
The City of Terrace’s aquatic centre is behind construction fencing as work accelerates to a complete overhaul of the facility at a cost of more than $8 million.
A new departure area at the Northwest Regional Airport is nearly ready for an unveiling, another project valued in the millions.
On Haugland on the southside, plans are advancing for an affordable housing project in the $13 million range. Another housing project, this time converting the Cedars Motel, is to eventually get underway.
And soon BC Hydro will start replacing its transmission line between Terrace and Kitimat, a project somewhere north of $150 million.
What joins these projects together is not just the economic activity each brings to an area. Each also represents needed spending to provide foundations for the decades ahead.
The college will be well-positioned for trades training, the aquatic centre as a recreation base to serve area citizens, the airport expansion will solidify its position as a regional economic driver and the housing projects will improve the quality of life for low or fixed income people.