Formed approximately one year ago, the Humboldt downtown Business Improvement District (BID) committee is ready to make its presence seen and felt on the streets of Humboldt.
"We just finalized today (Friday, February 22) a contract with the Chamber of Commerce to share administrative resources," said Dean Hergott, contact for the local BID committee.
"After a year, we came to the realization we simply could not do it all ourselves," he said. "That was a really big step for us. Having an administrative person to work with us, will allow our projects to move forward more quickly."
The committee has taken the past 12 months to discuss and set out the parameters of the group and how it can best serve the City of Humboldt.
One of the first items the group created was its mission statement that says "The Humboldt downtown BID provides a sustainable environment that retains and attracts both business and community."
The downtown core includes all businesses that are not only located along Main Street but also located within the block or two east and west of Main Street.
"We wanted to make sure to include everyone in the downtown," said Hergott. "
One of the items the committee identified early was the need for signage pointing visitors to the downtown area. Hergott noted that when it comes to increasing signage along Highway 5, there are government departments and regulations that will complicate the process more so than replacing individual street signs.
"Our streets are now all numbers," said Hergott. "But they used to have names. The suggestion was to go with a more historical look and possibly place both the current number and the former name on it."
With some money in place, BID is looking to the spring for the installation of the new street signs.
Another 2013 spring project is the placement of live flower pots in front of each business.
"The pots would be funded by BID money," said Hergott. "They would be planted, delivered and in the fall picked up. The only thing we would ask the individual businesses to do would be to maintain the pot throughout the spring and summer."
The community at large has offered some suggestions to the BID group and the committee is always looking for more input from both the businesses and private citizens alike.
"There are a lot of user groups in the downtown," said Hergott. "We are open to suggestions from any of them. The seniors group and the historical society are just two examples."
Another idea that has been brought forth, is the possibility of attaching information plaques to Humboldt's many historical buildings.
"There is a lot of history here and if the business owners agree, we would place the plaques so they are visible to tourists and residents alike," Hergott said. "Who knows, maybe a walking tour of some sort could be developed."
Because of the wide variety of interest groups in the city, BID is open to forging partnerships so the goals of the committee can be realized sooner rather than later.
"We've had preliminary talks with the Communities in Bloom people and there are many other groups whose mandates complement our mission statement," he said.
With some aesthetics already in place around the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery, it has been suggested that design and feel be carried throughout the entire downtown core.
"If you are familiar with the feel of Broadway and 2nd Avenue in Saskatoon, we would like to develop a similar environment here," said Hergott.
"Throughout this process we have learned there are protocols for getting things done," he said. "We just can't go out and do things. We have to follow the rules and regulations so some things may take longer to accomplish than others."
In the next couple of weeks, BID will meet with the new administrative resource they now have access to and determine how that person's time will be spent to best serve the needs of the committee and the community.
"By spring, the businesses and community should start to see some changes."
