Past Sturgis mayor Don Olson was acknowledged for his dedicated years of service as a councillor from 1991 to1997 and mayor from 1997 to 2016.
Mayor Alan Holmberg presented the award to Don Olson at the Town of Sturgis town office on December 12.
"It is a huge honour to be presented with this award," said Olson. "Things have changed over the years since I was a councillor. When I first started, Saskatchewan was in dire straights. The economy was in bad shape. There were budget cuts and everyone did what he or she could to just survive. Rural Saskatchewan really suffered.
“In the 2000s we saw a turn around," he said. "In the year 2005 is when we saw an increase in program and infrastructure grants. We took advantage of those available grants to modernize our water and sewer. All our streets are paved and the $1 million project helped us build the town and show growth and improvement.”
"The town built a $2 million state-of-the-art community hall," he said. "Two of my three goals were met, but the third one of having a grain terminal fell through. Maybe it can be revisited in the future.
“I am still on a few committees for the Town and will keep sharing my knowledge and experiences with council when they request it,” he said.
"The future looks bright for the Town and with the great facilities, we look forward to the future," said Olson.
