Steady Growth For Vermilion As 1962 Dawned

For a town to survive from its earliest days through the next century, financial growth was vital.

While there were rough patches for Vermilion during its early years, especially when The Great Depression hit, the town always survived.

By the early-1960s, it was prospering.

At a meeting in February 1962, a group of taxpayers attended the annual meeting of the Vermilion ratepayers to hear reports of the town’s progress.

The first report came from Charles Thompson, a hospital board member. He reported that the hospital was doing well. Mayor Cliff McCormick then spoke and stated that the town had another year of steady growth and the assessed value of property in Vermilion had increased by $100,663.

New building in Vermilion for 1962 was going well, and was expected to do ever better than 1961.

Several accomplishments were listed including new stadium and recreational facilities. Mayor McCormick said that nothing could spoil the cooperative community spirit that existed in Vermilion.

Many extensions were made through the year to the water and sewer lines in the community, totalling 1.3 kilometres in total. These extensions were all for the new homes that were built in Vermilion the previous year. At the time, it was a record amount of extensions.

The largest project from the previous year was the construction of 7.3 kilometres of new curb and gutters in Vermilion. This also involved the rebuilding of the town’s streets, which included levelling roads, and giving the streets a new and tidy appearance. Sidewalk construction was also stepped up for several new blocks in the community.

While the town did have a deficit, it was financially doing well. This was the first time in many years that the town did not have a substantial surplus due to a lowering of the mill rate by three mills, and the many construction projects. Despite this, Vermilion still had a reserve surplus of $23,999 ($250,000 today).

With the town doing well, there were several suggestions for what to do with the money.

Former Mayor Morrison, who attended the meeting, said that the town needed to build a larger library, and an underpass at the CNR crossing. Mayor Cliff McCormick stated that what the town needed was a new city hall and fire hall.

As for the current Vermilion library, it boasted 6,140 volumes.

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