The turn of the decade presents an uncharted realm of intriguing mysteries.
What does 2020 have in store for our humble piece of paradise at the base of Big Hill in the Bow River Valley? Wait for it. We’ll all know soon enough.
In 2000 Dr. Tom Wilk opened Mountain View Optometry, then a 630 square-foot space on Fifth Avenue. His office phone number is 403-851-2020 and, well, he’s in the business of 20/20 vision. Wilk seemed like an ideal candidate to share his 20/20 vision for 2020 in Cochrane.
Two decades ago Wilk came to Cochrane to purchase a motorcycle from a couple he knew. He casually asked them about eye care in town. His friends told him there were a few places, but the majority of Cochranites still go to Calgary for optometry services.
Wilk looked around, liked what he saw and got in touch with a realtor. His office remained in the Fifth Avenue location until they outgrew the space in 2006. Mountain View Optometry moved to a spacious bright office in the heart of Historic Downtown Cochrane at 404 1st St. W. Wilk and his wife also operate a practice in Crowfoot in Calgary.
“When we came to Cochrane the population was just over 11,000,” Wilk said.
“It had been that way for awhile. Within the last 10-12 years the population doubled so much so that Cochrane was considered the fasted growing community in North America.”
He said the population in 2006 stagnated while negotiations between the town and Rocky View County - over annexed land from the county - slowed down.
“There was a lot of developers chomping at the bit to build this community because everybody had the same idea — they wanted to move to Cochrane,” said Wilk.
“It was close to Calgary and within driving distance. Once the the MD opened up additional lands for development, boy things just skyrocketed.”
Wilk says his business has lived through - and thrived - during two cycles where development has peaked. He said between 2007 and 2008 the population ballooned. Despite the boom Wilk says the town still feels very rural even though it’s more urban now.
“The people of Cochrane are still the same as the people I started seeing way back in the day. They’re very, very friendly. Very genuine and very loyal if you give them a reason to be loyal to your business. They will certainly continue to patronize your business and give you that benefit.”
Based on his experience serving our community you’d be surprised to learn that Wilk lives in Calgary and commutes every morning to work. It’s a 20 minute drive from his Scenic Acres home in the city and he wouldn’t trade the commute for anything. Wilk used to ride his motorcycle, but after seeing deer and moose carcasses on Highway 1A he’s opted to give himself a fighting chance in a vehicle.
He attributes his affinity for Cochrane to his involvement in the town’s Rotary. Wilk was president of the organization in 2013-14 and at his inauguration celebration he learned about the spirit that is Cochrane.
On June 19, 2013 Wilk and other Rotary members were enjoying a celebratory dinner at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Wilk said one of the park’s employees approached the group and advised them of the devastation that the Bow River was wrecking on nearby areas. The group rose to action, changed their clothes, and helped sandbag the banks of the Bow River in Cochrane.
“That was a neat story to kick off my presidency at Rotary, but more than that it exemplifies the community spirit that exists here in Cochrane.”
“People are really willing to drop everything to help their fellow neighbour.”
He said when he got to Cochrane there were hundreds of community members boarding a shuttle bus and helping at the river bank. He added that some went as far as High River to help homeowners clean out their damaged homes.
“It’s difficult to find a town of this size or any size that has the depth of community spirit that Cochrane has.”
He notes that with the massive population growth Cochrane has had some challenges that will burden the town into the new year.
“Obviously infrastructure is lacking. We have a ton of traffic issues,” Wilk said.
“I think everybody had their hopes high that some of that was going to be solved relatively soon, but with provincial cutbacks, the municipality isn’t getting their share of the funding to make this happen.”
He points to the Highway 1A/22 interchange, Centre Avenue upgrades and Jack Tennent bridge project and says when those projects are complete Cochrane will be a different community from an accessibility perspective.
“We’re going to get past these challenges. We’ll see a new and improved Cochrane before we know it.”
In the meantime Wilk will continue to immerse himself in charities. In addition to Rotary he’s been involved with the Kimmet Foundation, Optometry Giving Sight and Operation Eye Sight. The latter charity is working to build a hospital to do cataract surgeries and primary care facilities that can handle eye glass needs and community health in Malawi in east Africa.
“I think it’s important for us that work with sight loss on a daily basis to continue to remove barriers for access.” He notes that more than 80 per cent of learning is visual with children and in some places in the world a pair of glasses is out of reach.
Wilk’s Cochrane office is planning a top secret thank you celebration for his longtime and valued customers in the new year. As for his future, he says his business is still growing and they’re not planning to change locations anytime soon. As he enters 2020 with the rest of us, Wilk looks back at his time in our town and remarks that his love for our community has grown.
“I feel like a Cochrane resident. I feel like this is my community.”
