As you may have heard I have been chairing a project called Returning to Main Street – Busyness Means Business. We have held 18 targeted stakeholder meetings and two public meetings. The meetings were advertised via posters, fliers, emails and through the Guelph Tribune. The project is solely intended on making our downtown a place that all of Guelph will use. We are moving forward to ensure the success, and fully realize the fantastic potential, of a historically and architectural significant business district.
Although long is the history and complex are the reasons that have brought Downtown to where it is today, the project has targeted the two fundamental and controllable issues that play the largest causal roles in the current state of affairs.
At the public meetings the findings from the previous stakeholder meetings were presented and people were asked to fill out a survey that asked if they supported the initiatives of the project as detailed in the presentations. Ninety-seven percent of respondents support the proposed changes.
The most revelating part of this project is that the solutions to these two issues come with virtually no cost for one and a minimal cost for the other.
Contrary to recent ill-informed editorials, the pedestrian friendliness of the downtown will not be undermined in anyway by these initiatives and the project actually seeks to make the downtown a place where pedestrians are more comfortable to gather, work, walk, shop, dine and go about their business than they have been afforded in some time.
Soon you will be asked to deliberate on the initiatives outlined in this project. Because the issue is complex and the stakes so very high, I feel in it is imperative for you to have seen the presentation in order to make informed decisions.
I am offering special presentations for councilors at your convenience to ensure your participation in the project.
To date, the following from council have been present at previous presentations: Karen Farbridge, Bob Bell, Ian Findlay, Lise Burcher and Karl Wettstein.
Previously, I have received regrets from the remaining councilors due to prior commitments, to whom I invite a suggested time and date of your next availability so I might schedule a presentation at your convenience. An hour of your time is all that is needed. I am willing to make myself available during the daytime, lunch times or evenings.
The project now has 46 volunteers who are committed to assist in bringing you this presentation.
Thank you for your time and consideration. LC