The committee tasked with actioning downtown revitalization projects has wrapped up, but that doesn't mean the work is finished, according to the mayor.
"Downtown, and in any downtown, will always be a neighbourhood that needs continuous improvement," said Shari Green. "It will never be finished - it will be evolving like any neighbourhood."
During Monday night's meeting, council voted to dissolve the downtown partnership committee, created five years ago as an advisory body to work on downtown revitalization with a variety of community partner stakeholders.
All but 12 of the original 69 recommendations on the work plan have been completed, with the rest in progress or re-assigned to the appropriate agencies.
"The stakeholders around the table were there to participate in, and be partners in, and have an ownership stake in real action-oriented improvement for the downtown," said Green. "And we all feel as stakeholders, the city included, that we've really done that."
Among the successes Green noted were the relationships forged between partner groups. Another was the downtown revitalization tax exemption program, which she said the newly announced Delta hotel and other private investments will benefit from.
In addition to dissolving the committee, council also approved that the almost $125,000 allocated to the group that was not spent be redirected to public art, additional tree planting and way-finding signage in the downtown area.
