Spruce Grove has come a long way since 1891 when it was a hamlet with a general store, livery stables, blacksmith shop, hotel and Catholic church. By 1955, Spruce Grove was a village, a town in 1971, and a city in 1986. Perhaps no one has been more instrumental in making Spruce Grove the prosperous city it is today than Ken Howery, who served as a town councillor and, from 1971-77, as its fifth mayor.

According to one former colleague, Ken Howery was the one person most responsible for having the vision necessary to bring our city out of a slumbering existence to become a town with a positive future.

Spruce Grove’s growth under Ken Howery’s leadership was astounding. The town became a member in the Parkland Water Board and built the first water line from Edmonton to Spruce Grove. The Serplex community school was developed, bringing Spruce Grove the province’s A.V. Pettigrew Recreation Award.

Plans were made for major roadways and to ensure that there was land and utilities for expansion. Development agreements were completed for Brookwood, Woodhaven and Millgrove subdivisions completed, and school sites were secured. The town negotiated a very creative agreement for the development of land that would become Grove Meadows. It provided Spruce Grove with 25 per cent profit sharing as well as title to 60 acres of parkland, far more than the normal land requirements.

While the value of these agreements would not be well known to the average resident, Spruce Grove would not be nearly as prosperous if then-mayor Howery had not been so vigilant in his preparation of these early agreements.

Mr. Howery played a most significant role in leading the then Town of Spruce Grove during its more explosive period of growth and change. He was the thoughtful guardian of balanced, controlled growth. He worked diligently to ensure that the decision makers fully understood and managed the planning and development process. Ken had both the skills of leadership and the technical and managerial skills to oversee administrative processes.