Sylvan Lake’s new top public servant has been on the job for two-and-a-half weeks now.

Chief administrative officer Wally Ferris says he’s been getting acquainted with the Municipal Government Act, the provincial legislation that lays out municipal powers, as well as learning how the town’s council and committees work.

Ferris’ career in public service spans close to 30 years, most of it spent in Ottawa, before moving west to Fort St. John.

“They were building and developing and things were booming out west. Whereas in Ontario, I spent most of my career cutting and doing more with less. It was an exciting opportunity for me and an easy one to make. I wanted to get out of a big city and into more of a small town,” Ferris said.

Ferris said he once had family live in central Alberta and had kept an eye on job openings in the area. As somebody who enjoys the outdoors, he calls central Alberta the “Mecca,” with access to the backcountry, places to fish, hunt, quad and golf.  

He said major projects he’ll have to tackle will be the Sylvan Lake wastewater transmission system and waterfront redevelopment.