Ridgetown BIA On Its Way
The plans for a Business Improvement Area in Ridgetown are nearly ready after council approved them on Monday night.
As a result of Monday’s vote, a Board of Management will be established to look over plans for improvement, maintenance, and beautification of land, building and structures within the boundaries that have been brought forward.
Chatham-Kent Councillor Jim Brown has been appointed to the board of management and he was also involved in the planning of a BIA for Ridgetown.
Brown says it is great to see council support this motion even though there were some people who showed opposition.
“I think at the end of the day, we’ll be able to show those people that its really well worth the effort,” said Brown, “And I think it will fill in the gaps where this support is desperately needed.”
And Brown says they aren’t just looking at improving the downtown area.
“Our BIA encompasses basically the whole town of Ridgetown, so everybody is involved because everybody will benefit,” said Brown.
Now that the motion has been passed, there will be a 30 day appeal period, but once that passes there will be a formation for the committee and they will delegate directors.
Rob S
June 28, 2012 at 12:00 am
Hopefully, the BIA will breath some new life into Ridgetown, it is suffering terribly. The retail sector in Ridgetown is a virtual shell of what it once was. Blenheim has become the retail mecca for South Kent and it seems the more retail Blenheim gets, the worse off Ridgetown is.
People from Ridgetown need to return to shopping in Ridgetown whenever possible, otherwise your only choice eventually will be to drive to Blenheim. The more you shop in Blenheim, the less shopping choices you will have in Ridgetown in the future.
ridgetown resident
July 1, 2012 at 3:34 am
so why is this necessary? We already have a Chamber of Commerce – with almost nobody attending the meetings including our councilor. the horticultural society takes care of town gardens, plantings on Main Street, etc – plus some projects like the trees planted along Main Street – with NO funding from the municipality. and a group of residents started the Ridgetown Rejuvenation Group which got benches downtown and a local festival with art and entertainment – again without the support of our councilor. so how come these groups weren’t consulted on whether or not to have a BIA? And will representatives from these groups which have worked for years to help our community be invited to be part of the BIA committee as directors? I bet not – it will be the same old group doing the same old thing.
How do we appeal against this waste of time, effort and money?
Marlee
July 4, 2012 at 2:49 am
Actually I believe the Ridgetown Chamber of Commerce was involved in the move to establish a BIA in Ridgetown.
The suggestion of including a representative from citizen groups like the Ridgetown Rejuvenation Association, the Ridgetown Horticultural Society and others would a welcome move to make the BIA as inclusive as possible.
Great news!
July 5, 2012 at 11:53 am
It’s about time Ridgetown, way to go! There is a reason why almost all the other communities have BIA’s – they work. Hopefully they can get more grants now, and start filling in the empty spots. There are some great folks in Ridgetown, wish them all the best!
Ridgetown Resident
July 14, 2012 at 2:20 am
Soooo – a BIA in Ridgetown is going to transform the town – just the way the BIA in Chatham has helped it. Oh – but Dan Warrener and Rob Myers are no longer going to contribute to the Chatham BIA because as a committee which reports to Council it has no power so they are going to spend their money where they think it should go. they also suggest forming a volunteer group of citizens to do what the BIA should have been able to do through Council. Funny isn’t it that Ridgetown already has several active volunteer groups of citizens looking after flowerbeds around town, running a festival, etc, etc, etc. And where is the big announcement of who is on the board of management which is going to run the Ridgetown BIA. Oh, I forgot – it is the same bunch who sit in the coffee shop complaining instead of helping with the volunteer groups which already exist and they will nominate themselves again without consultation with the community. Same old, same old.