Downtown merchants have made it known they want to revive the core and bring it back to life.
In correspondence to council Monday entitled "The New Direction of Downtown North Battleford," council received a letter from Rhonda Shepherd of the Downtown Merchants Association as an update on some of their activities.
Shepherd indicated some of their plans over the next six months. One is to form a Business Improvement District, or BID, in the downtown.
The group plans to extend invitations to such essential members as a representative from the RCMP, city administration and council to sit on that BID board. Once the BID group is developed and passed through council, they plan to create programming and take action to improve the downtown.
Some key areas and programs they want to pursue were also identified.
"Safety, beautification, variety and parking are all areas we will include in our programming," Shepherd's letter states. "Different phases of our program will include façade improvement projects, improving current bylaws and ensuring they are enforced, implementing a tax levy, developing high standards for vacant buildings, a clean-up crew and consistent RCMP/security presence, to name a few."
They are proposing a six-month campaign to roll out the changes, with plans for cleanup activities and the creation of an environment for investment. Among the ideas talked about were streetscape projects and outdoor décor, as well as more police presence downtown on foot.
Director of Business Development Denis Lavertu gave councillors a summary of some of the plans outlined in the letter.
The proposals were praised by Councillor Ron Crush, who was recently on a fact-finding tour to see how Moose Jaw had revived its downtown.
He was encouraged by the early enthusiasm he is seeing from downtown merchants interested in turning the core around.
"I'm encouraged by the energy that the downtown is getting," said Crush. "It's now got a heartbeat."
