It’s been almost seven months since Dean Trumbley took the role of Chief Administrative Officer in Greenwood and while his original plan was to retire, he’s been enjoying his new role since he agreed to take it on.
Originally from Falkland B.C., the plan was for himself and his wife to move to the city and open a wildlife museum. However, when he learned about the struggles the city was having in finding a permanent CAO, he reached out to the city, in turn, City administration also approached him for the role, he said, as he has a 25-year background in administrative-type work.
“It just kind of all connected and since we were already moving here to retire, it would also be in my best interest to dedicate the last part of my career to helping the City of Greenwood get back on their feet and move forward on things,” he said.
Once he was hired, it was truly hit-the-ground-running, with budget plans already underway. On top of that, there’s a lengthy list of projects and plans going back 10 to 15 years. His job has been to get the work done in-hand, he said, including getting appropriate work done and sent to the province, as well as identify issues as they arose, prioritize them and get a plan together to tackle them.
“One of the big downfalls of small municipalities is they are underfunded and as a result of that, you still have all the responsibilities of a big municipality, but a fraction of the budget,” he said. “So that means a lot of sacrifices have been made and it’s become apparent to me there’s been a lot of sacrifices that have negatively impacted the community.”
A strategic plan is coming, he said, which he’s come up with after a series of training and interviews with city administration, staff, Mayor John Bolt, councillors and the community. He’s identified with a Committee of the Whole meeting coming in Sept.
He came up with three top priorities. The number one concern is fire protection, meaning they need to upgrade the existing Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department, do more recruitment, higher levels of training and getting proper equipment in training. This is critical on several fronts, among them to keep the city’s insurance coverage, said Trumbley. Without it, the city’s future prospects for growth and development are grim.
Another is the water system. The city is dealing with a network of aging infrastructure, Trumbley said, adding since he’s been CAO there have been around half a dozen water main breaks around Greenwood.
Sewage treatment is another priority, with Trumbley pointing out they city’s facility is up to standards, but it’s a maxed-out system.
“In order for us to grow, we are going to have to look at addressing sewage,” he said.
Once the strategic plan is presented, it shouldn’t surprise anyone, Trumbley said, but it will give everyone a clear vision of where the city stands, where it’s going and how it’s going to get there.
Once the corporate strategy is approved and released to the public, the city will develop an operational strategy to help move forward on those key issues. There is also a presentation on a full asset management tool that will help the city understand the costs and what will need to be done to finance solutions, as well as terms to get ahead on those issues.
Beyond the workload, Trumbley said he is fully settled and happy to call Greenwood home. He explained he and his wife visited the city about six years ago and knew then they were going to move there to retire in the foreseeable future.
“I found it almost ironic that we moved to an identical small town from the one we were living in,” he said. “We purchased a home here and we are really enjoying our time.”
