It appears any upgrades to Altona's Main Street will have to wait another year.

The town has been negotiating with the province for several years for some much-needed improvements to the road surface on Main Street. Mayor Al Friesen says they were optimistic the situation would move forward this year, but so far Manitoba Infrastructure has made no commitments.

Even if the province were to commit to resurfacing Main Street, finding a construction company that would have time to take on the project at a competitive price would be challenging, according to Friesen.

As a result, town council has decided it won't wait around and will instead use some of the money they've earmarked for Main Street and invest it in some smaller construction and improvement projects around the community.

"We've tasked (Public Works Manager) Clint Derksen to come up with areas in the community that need attention. He's come up with a list of 17 projects that need be addressed. These are not huge projects, but they range in costs from $4,000 to $75,000. We think that's a good plan B and we're leaning in that direction."

A number of these projects involve repairing concrete street panels in town, asphalting several intersections along 4th Street SW to improve street drainage, and possibly replacing the downtown paving stone sidewalks with concrete.

Friesen adds, by tackling these smaller projects residents will see that improvements are being made in the community and that the town is paying attention to streets and infrastructure.

Most of these projects will be financed using up to $200,000 in federal gas tax funds that the town has in its reserves.