The chief administrative officer in Ashcroft who has spent 34 years working in the village is retiring this summer.

Michelle Allen has spent most of her time working as the chief financial officer, before taking over as CAO in 2008.

“I started with the village in January of 1985, and I came in to help them get caught up on a backlog of typing and accounting. And one thing led to the next, and I’m still here, 34 years later.”

What’s the village’s biggest feat in the past 11 years?

“I think the biggest accomplishment is our water treatment plant is just wrapping up, I’m hoping that it’ll be done before I leave. It’s an $8-$10 million-dollar project that will give us state-of-the-art treatment and good water, that’s been almost 10 years in the making,” she says.

“We’ve upgraded our sewage treatment plant, done our OCP on our zoning. We’re working on our subdivision servicing bylaw. So I feel I’m leaving the village ready to move into the next step of development and progression.”

The village will be advertising the CAO job opening ahead of Allen retiring on August 2.