The Gateway is getting another facelift this year thanks to a big investment from a local group.
The Gateway Business Improvement Area is investing $329,750 to spruce up city-owned land in the neighbourhood. The money is pooled by 17 nearby properties.
“We charge the businesses, in total, $100,000 a year and the city collects that in addition to our property taxes. We use that money to beautify the city’s property,” says Chair John Enemark.
In doing so, the group has changed the Gateway’s reputation over the years. Enemark says it was referred to as “the hood” before the GBIA began improving the 17th and Victoria area. It has paid for better street lamps, flower baskets, the Connaught Youth Centre mural, and other improvements over the years, and will get new Gateway signs, enhance lighting and artwork, and install new banners in 2017.
In addition to all of this, Enemark asked city council for $372,000 at Monday’s meeting to replace the current lamp posts with black ones.
“Red fades over time and the coding faded so we had them re-painted about seven or eight years ago, and then it faded faster. So the city has advised us we should go to black poles.”
Council will consider it during February’s budget discussions.