March 2015 BIA STREET BEAT

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1 March 2015 BIA STREET BEAT Bridge St. Carleton Place, ON K7C 2V Project Manager Cathie McOrmond BIA Board of Management meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are located in Town Hall at 7 pm. What is a Business Improvement Area? A business Improvement Area is an organizational tool that can help business people join together to build a stronger business area. While a BIA organization has much in common with other kinds of business association a number of features make it unique. It covers a specific geographic area, and can only be established through a by-law passed by the municipal council at the request of the local business community. What does the BIA do? The principal function of the Business Improvement Area is to improve business in an area defined by a local by-law. In addition to targeted beautification projects throughout the area, the BIA money is spent on specific marketing, advertising and promotional campaigns for the BIA area. These campaigns involve organizing community events, public relations programs and advertising campaigns to promote the area. This organization provides a structure that allows separate businesses to co-operate for the overall benefit of the area, and it establishes a mechanism for long-term and assured funding. Goals of the BIA: I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : BIA Free Comic Book Day. The Pickle Dish 2/3 2 The Bunny Run 3 Canadian Career Employee resource Message from Town of CP Public Works Business Information To draw a larger customer base to the BIA area. To develop and strengthen the business community to be a unified body. To be the voice of BIA businesses. To make the BIA area an enjoyable experience for each person who visits. To reflect the concerns and needs of the BIA business community to all levels of government. To maintain and increase awareness of the BIA to BIA members. Benefits of the BIA: Co-ordinated efforts that provide impact and profile in the community. Sustained funding that is ongoing fiscal and marketing management provides the ability to plan programs in advance. Is self-reliant which provides the mechanism to support useful projects within our area. Creates a positive public image through activities and infrastructure projects that enhance the BIA districts. The entire community benefits when the downtown business area is physically attractive, well marketed and successfully built. What does the BIA NOT do? The BIA is not responsible for economic development or recruitment of business to any part of the community. Although we willingly support and encourage these efforts. The BIA is a Municipally struck organization but is NOT a member of Town Council. The BIA does not have the ability to enforce or create by-laws.

2 M A R C H P A G E 2 2 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY MAY 2nd Deadline for Business participant registration March 15th The Carleton Place BIA, Reads Book Shop and Tania s Dance Studio are working together on FREE Comic Book Day set for Saturday May 2nd from 11-2 pm in downtown Carleton Place. NEW this year Tania s Dance Studio located on Lansdowne Avenue will be a second location for the pick-up. Comic Book Day is a national event and does draw hundreds of people downtown for the day. Superhero window displays are encouraged and special draws will be run at each of the pick and drop off points. If your business knows someone who would like to dress up and be a Superhero for your business invite them to join in on the fun. Participants will be given passports to encourage business to business exchange. This is an event that will increase sidewalk traffic. BIA BUSINESS PARTICIPATION is essential for the success of this event and is limited to the first 20 BIA businesses who register for the event. If your business would like to participate in this worthwhile event contact the BIA office, by March 15th so you can be involved, the sidewalks will be full of people so do not delay. Following the same pattern as last year the BIA paid for 50% of the comic books and the merchants paid the other 50%, the final cost has not been determined yet but would not be more than $50 to participate. Your business participation is important to the success of this downtown event. Deadline for Business participant registration March 15th, unfortunately late business registration cannot be accepted. cmcormond@carletonplace.ca or phone The PickleDish Quilt Shop on Bridge Street Quilters Poker Run Visitors will Hop and Shop in Downtown Carleton Place. The PickleDish Quilt Shop located at 113 Bridge Street is part of a Quilters Poker Run Shop Hop. This is an annual event and will be held between March 20 st and April 4 th. It is expected over the event period that 100 or more woman from the following communities of Navan, Chesterville, Hawkesbury, Kemptville, Perth, Orleans, Rideau Ferry, Nepean, Arnprior, Vankleek Hill, Brockville, Almonte, Richmond, Kanata, and Ottawa will travel to downtown Carleton Place. How will the BIA support this coordinated quilters event: A poster welcome poster will be created for each downtown window. A prize draw will be sponsored by the BIA for the quilt shoppers? Continued on page #3

3 M A R C H P A G E 3 3 The PickleDish Quilt Shop on Bridge Street Continued from page #2 If your BIA business wishes to participate in the $100 BIA Buck draw cmcormond@carletonplace.ca no later than March 11 th at noon to be listed on the poster. Reusable Carleton Place shopping bags. Information will be made available at the PickleDish for example maps, Downtowners. How can your business benefit from this event? Post the Welcome Quilters poster in a visible location in your window. Offer coupons, brochures and/or information on your business Create an incentives for shoppers such as show your Stash and Dash Poker Run card and automatically get 10% off. (this would have to be promoted in your business flyer). Inform your staff we will shopping visitors in our downtown. If your business would like to contribute a quantity of 100 flyer or coupon for the shopping bags cmcormond@careltonplace.ca no later than March 11 th at noon. (There is no cost to the business to include flyers and promotional items for this bag). The 8 th Annual Bunny Run Hosted by People First of Lanark County In Downtown Carleton Place Saturday April 4 th from 11-3pm. Downtown Carleton Place will be hopping as the Easter Bunny makes its 8 th Annual Bunny Run throughout the BIA district. Family, friends and visitors can meet the Easter Bunny at the Moore House at 11am across from the Town Hall. Participants will be able to take their own memorable picture with your young ones on the Easter Bunnies knee. The Easter Bunny will begin his travels at noon and travel through the downtown core with a trail of young and old searching for Easter Eggs. The Bunny hop will end at 3pm. All businesses can take full advantage of the increased sidewalk traffic on the day of the Bunny Run. This day will allow you the opportunity for more marketing by bringing your products/ services onto the sidewalks, in front of your business location. For more information on participating in this worthwhile community event please contact Kory Earle, Bunny Run at or koryearle@peoplefirstofcanada.ca

4 M A R C H P A G E 4 4 THE CANADIAN CAREER ACADEMY S EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE CENTRE 92 Bridge Street WHAT GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE CANADIAN CAREER ACADEMY S EMPLOYMENT RESOURCE CENTRE Two of our programs that have our attention at this time are: the Canada-Ontario Job Grant and Summer Jobs Service. Don t stop reading here find out how these two programs can help your business through: developing your existing staff or hiring new staff while contributing financially. Our staff has been busy with the launch of the new Canada-Ontario Job Grant. The word is out and it has started to create a stir. We have applications in process and another large one in the works. We are very excited here at CCA to have access to these grants and programs and to get the benefits of them into our community with our employers and their employees. EMPLOYERS the benefits are simple: Canada-Ontario Job Grant program provides direct financial support to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their workforce. Employers choose the individuals they would like to have trained, and the training that meets their workforce needs. Training can be up to one year! Have you ever wished that you had some extra money to provide training to your employees? Do you desire a more highly skilled staff? Studies show that the level of skill of your employees directly relates to the bottom line of your business. Want more business? Then maybe it s time to up the training. Don t miss out. Call us and find out how you can benefit from this program. (BTW: We ended last year with 98% of our Employers and Clients giving us a 5/5 Recommending our Services to Others on Government monitored Satisfaction Surveys. If you haven t partnered with us yet maybe that survey statistic will help to convince you.) EMPLOYEES the benefits are simple: This is an opportunity for you to acquire career development. Share this information about the COJG with your employer. If this is something that your employer sees as a need for his/her business then have your employer contact us. We are getting things rolling for the launch of our second year of offering Summer Jobs Service. This program assists students between the ages of that are planning to return to school in the fall in the pursuit of summer employment by offering a $2 hiring incentive to an employer. We will be hosting Registration and Information sessions at our centre. Students must attend to register. Follow us on Facebook or check out our website to see the dates. Last summer we proudly committed the monies attached to this service to helping our youth with summer employment. EMPLOYERS the benefits are simple: By hiring a summer student through our SJS program we inturn offer a $2 wage subsidy for up to 16 weeks. Your participation allows a student to gain valuable skills as well as allows the student to get a feel for your profession. PARENTS OF STUDENTS the benefits are simple: We know that lots of businesses plan on hiring summer students. Logic says that although businesses plan on hiring students they will hire the students that come with a wage subsidy first. Watch for our Registration and Information dates either on Facebook or on our website. We will be posting them soon. Canadian Career Academy, Employment Resource Centre 92 Bridge St HELPING EMPLOYERS ACHIEVE BUSINESS SUCCESS

5 M A R C H P A G E 5 5 A Message from the Public Works Department As the temperature finally begins to rise and the days get a little longer the Public Works Department has begun shifting our focus from winter maintenance activities to warm weather activities. The Public Works Department has been comprehensively planning this year s construction activities to which there is no shortage of projects for this year. The projects identified for this year s road reconstruction and rehabilitation program will include Park Avenue from Peter Street to Nelson Street East, Lake Avenue East from Bridge Street to just past the former railroad tracks, Arthur Street from Napoleon Street to Lansdowne Avenue, and Thomas Street from High Street to Herriot Street. The Town will also be adding a left turn from Franktown Road onto Coleman Street to improve the flow of traffic at the intersection. The Town has also developed an Arterial Streetscaping Plan to improve the aesthetics of the arterial roadways within our community. This includes the addition of new heritage style street lights, interlocking brick at crosswalks, and landscaping on arterial roadways in the Town of Carleton Place. This year s improvements will be as part of the construction at the intersections of Lake Avenue and Bridge Street and at Franktown Road and Coleman Street. In addition to the activities identified above, crews will be returning to complete the exterior painting of the Water Tower. Public Works will also have several smaller projects such as replacing approx. 6 trees within the downtown core, repainting fire hydrants, and replacing the interlocking pavers with rubber tree surrounds within the downtown core. 7 Beckwith Update at the Market Square The Carleton Place Public Works Department continues to exercise due diligence regarding known underground contaminants at the south end of the Town-owned 7 Beckwith Street property. Regular ground water and bedrock testing is ongoing at and around this site, confirming that these contaminants (mainly tetrochlorethylene or dry cleaning fluid) remain contained and immobile. These past and present findings provide assurance that there are no existing or impending human health hazards or significant environmental effects because of this contamination. In addition, Carleton Place is proceeding with the design of a Pump and Treat remediation system which, when operational, will accomplish our long range goal of eliminating much or all of the contamination at the southern portion of the 7 Beckwith site. Further, Carleton Place is now applying to the Ministry of the Environment for a Record of Site Condition (RSC) for a newly created lot on the north half of the 7 Beckwith Street site. This RSC will assure potential purchasers (developers) of this new lot, that this property meets environmental standards and provides the lot with greater zoning use flexibility. If you have any questions or concerns regarding 7 Beckwith please contact our Environmental Coordinator, Wayne Fraser at

6 M A R C H P A G E 6 6 Volunteering can be Fun! The Carleton Place BIA is the host of many community events throughout the year and you can obtain your mandatory 40 hours of High School Community Service by volunteering with the BIA. BUSINESS SIGN SPACE AVAILABLE AT THE MARKET SQUARE Payment for your Market Square signage space was due February 28th. Business who have purchase a sign for only $226 each year with a five year commitment will receive one. There are a few sign spaces still available if your business is interested in purchasing one contact us today. Further information about the sign requirements, specifications and applications are available at the BIA Office. If you have any questions about the program or wish to obtain an application contact Cathie by cmcormond@carletonplace.ca or phone Welcome Wagon for NEW Business and Professionals Do you wish to reach new businesses and professionals as they are finding suppliers and establishing their buying patterns? Find out how you can do this easily and affordably by contacting LARA LAFRENIERE at or at welcomewagonlanarkcounty@rogers.com. Great way to promote your businesses to new businesses in Carleton Place, Beckwith, Pakenham, Almonte and Mississippi Mills! Check out our website at Accessibility - Does your business have Questions about Accessibility Guidelines for Ontario? or or visit ontario.ca/accesson Important web sites for your Business to Know! The BIA office is located in the Town Hall at 175 Bridge Street Cathie McOrmond Carleton Place BIA Project Manager Town Hall 175 Bridge Street cmcormond@carletonplace.ca