Downtown could be spruced up
Clearview and its partners want access to provincial cash to improve Main Street in Stayner
Downtown Stayner could be in for a makeover if local officials have their way.
Last Monday night, Clearview Township council authorized municipal staff and members of the economic development committee (EDC) to submit a letter of interest to the Rural Economic Development Program.
The program funds downtown revitalization projects in small communities.
Should Clearview be successful in accessing some of the program’s cash, it would be used to pay for a full-time coordinator to help develop a downtown Stayner revitalization project.
The program requires that projects contain four components: economic development, community development, marketing and streetscape improvement. Year one of the project would focus on developing a plan for the downtown, while year two and three would involve implementation.
“This is a great opportunity for Stayner to pull together,” said EDC chair Doug Mills, who spoke briefly at the council meeting last week.
Council gave the EDC and municipal staff permission to go ahead with submitting a letter of interest to the provincial program after receiving a presentation earlier in the evening from EDC member Regan Gorman.
He gave an overview of the program, saying that EDC members learned of it through a presentation by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in mid-April.
OMAFRA founded the program in 2001 and through it has offered information and tools to help enhance rural development. The program’s funding component – dubbed Main Street Ontario – is new this year.
Stayner is the only community in Clearview that really qualifies for the program, Gorman noted.
According to provincial information, the program is recommended for communities with at least 50 commercial enterprises or 70 storefronts in the downtown.
The program will fund a maximum of 50 per cent of eligible project costs up to a maximum of $150,000 over three years.
The exact amount Clearview would need must still be determined but it would be a mix of private and public dollars in order to reflect the community nature of the project, say officials.
The EDC hosted a get-together on Wed., April 22 at Fud Main Street Bistro and Café in Stayner, to go over the program and see if there was community interest.
Gorman told council there was unanimous support, noting representatives from the Stayner Lions and Kinsmen clubs were in attendance, along with members of the Stayner Heritage Society, Stayner Chamber of Commerce, the Stayner Horticultural Society, EDC and the Clearview Township Ratepayers Association.
Mayor Ken Ferguson said last Monday night at council that he supports the project, in particular because it’s so visionary.
Officials are now working on putting together the letter of interest, which will include background data on downtown Stayner and the community in general. The material must be submitted to program staffers based in Guelph by May 5.
Clearview’s EDC has formed a sub-committee to oversee the project.
If Clearview is selected by the province to go to the full application process, information will be due sometime in June, although an exact date isn’t known yet.
Sue McKenzie, the township’s chief administrator, said in a report to council last week that the province is still developing the program application.
A panel will review the applications and successful applicants will be announced in October. The money will begin to flow in 2010.
Communities that are chosen to participate will receive ongoing coaching from OMAFRA staff and be required to submit an annual report card to gauge the progress of downtown revitalization efforts.
Clearview would also be able to consult with communities, such as Marmora, a small town northeast of Peterborough, which took part in a program pilot project.
