'It gets busier and busier every year and it's fantastic': Kensington ready to keep on growing

The signs of growth are easy to spot in Kensington. There's a new business park, restaurants are bustling, and few buildings are empty.

Mayor Rowan Caseley says the boom the town has seen over the last 15 years shows no signs of stopping. The population went from around 1,300 people back in 2009 to a projected 2,400 by the end of this year, and will likely reach 3,000 by 2030.

"We've had phenomenal growth in residential developments. We've issued development permits just in the last two months for 78 housing units," the mayor said in an interview.

As more people move to Kensington, they add to the need for services as well as housing, of course.

"We have an idea of what we need to do, where we have to move forward, and all we need is money," Caseley said.

In June, the town was part of a provincial announcement to spur development in rural areas of P.E.I., through a new Municipal Infrastructure Fund.

Caseley said the town recently had a study done to evaluate how its infrastructure, water supply, and waste water disposal system will stand up to the higher population. 

"We're probably good for the next five years," he said. "We do have to take a look at over the next five years to be able to handle the increased growth beyond there."

In Kensington's business park, Island Structural Systems Inc. makes wooden roof trusses, floor joists and other types of structures for the construction industry. Its owner, Matthew Bowness, said it took about a year of planning and six months of construction to get his shop open this year. 

"It's been busy. It's great. The need is definitely there and the need is going to continue for the years to come, which will help make this business even more successful," he said.

Bowness said finding workers wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be, given the experience of other Island construction companies over the past few years. He has 21 local employees and expects to keep them all occupied.

"There's building going on everywhere, which is a big help to keep us busy and get us going," Bowness said.

A few minutes away from the business park is Island Stone Pub. Server Jesse Jenson has worked there since it opened in 2015.

"It gets busier and busier every year and it's fantastic," she said, adding that the pub has had to hire more staff to deal with the increase in business.

She said the area has seen more food businesses open up nearby, like The Willow Bakery and Cafe and C & B Corner Cafe. At the same time, there are more and more customers. 

"We see the same locals every week and we love our summer clientele as well. We have our cottagers that come back April, May," said Jenson.

'We always have an officer on'

Kensington is the only town in P.E.I. with its own municipal police and fire services. Only the two cities, Summerside and Charlottetown, have those as well.

Caseley said it is costly to run the forces, but taxpayers are willing to pay for it because it gives them "a good sense of safety."

The mayor said one of the goals of Kensington's council was to have the town be a safe place to live, where people feel comfortable at any hour of the day or night. Despite the population growth, Caseley said there's no need for extra staffing for the emergency services at this point.

"We do have policing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So we always have an officer on… Whether there's 3,000 people or 2,000 people, it's costing the same amount," he said.

Two years ago, the town was able to create a part-time fire chief position, to run a department that provides services to the nearby Rural Municipality of Malpeque Bay as well as a stretch down toward New London and an area extending to the Summerside border, Caseley said.

Empty buildings attracting attention

Expansion and upgrades seem to be in the air throughout the town. For example, in the past year, Credit Union Centre got a $2.3 million renovation to its rink; the building also hosts an outdoor pool and a fitness centre.

There are plans for the Provincial Credit Union to expand. The company bought land at 23 Broadway St. S. and the first reading for re-zoning that site went through council on July 8.

We're not interested in growth at any expense. We want to have controlled growth.— Kensington Mayor Rowan Caseley

This will leave another building empty in Kensington, but Caseley doesn't think it will stay vacant for long.

"People probably have their eyes on it already and they probably got some plans," he said.

Kensington's Scotiabank was one of three Island bank branches that closed earlier this year, with all those accounts moved to Summerside. The building that used to be a Scotiabank, near the corner of the main intersection, is vacant — for now.

Caseley said council had considered purchasing it rather that letting it sit empty, "but we had a pretty good feel who we thought might be looking at buying that." 

He won't say who that would be because nothing's official yet, but Caseley said the planned use will fit in with what the town needs.

"We're not interested in growth at any expense. We want to have controlled growth," he said.

"We would like to continue to maintain that small-town feel… and we think we will."