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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-05-05, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005. PAGE 7. Watford group delivers first impressions By Jim Brown Citizen staff' The Maitland River is one of the five outstanding features of the Village of Brussels, according to a group of six residents from Watford. The six Watford-area residents visited Brussels on April 1. as part of an Ontario First Impressions Community Exchange pilot project. The results of that visit were made public last Wednesday afternoon, during a meeting of the Brussels business group at the Mennonite Community Church. The river and its potential for the future was one of the outstanding features on their visit. Other features included the animal carvings from the old tree stumps; good recreation facilities, especially the pool for a potential beauty of the river and its assets that was the most outstanding feature of the visit, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. First impressions Twp. of Warwick councillor Wayne Morris, centre, presented his first impressions of Brussels at a meeting of the Brussels business group last Wednesday afternoon. He is flanked by Huron East business growth and economic development director Ralph Laviolette, left, and Huron East mayor Joe Seili of Brussels. (Jim Brown photo) community of this size; friendly, loyal and kind people; and the character of the downtown buildings and their great potential. According to Wayne Morris, was one of the six Watford-area residents who made the presentation, the highlight of the river area with ideas to bring in locals and tourists was an area of potential opportunity available to the community. Other areas of opportunity were to revitalize the downtown area, giving travellers a reason to stop and the municipality should visit the municipal’s property standards bylaw for improvement and enforce them. However, Morris said it was the In his opening remarks, he said the people of Brussels were open hearted and were great to talk to. As a result of taking a five-minute drive through town, the visitors felt the community was eye-catching it and the storefronts looked attractive, although many were vacant. Morris indicated they were impressed with the entrance signs coming from the north and the south, but were unable to locate any welcome signs when coming from the east and west. When coming from the south, they were greeted by service club information; new homes, with all homes being nicely landscaped and well-kept; a good community sign; Huronlea which makes a good first impression and a main street that is clean. However, coming from the north, a traveller would want to drive right through as the entrance is drab, with some areas being rundown. However, the electronic sign was well received and the river area was flooded so it was really hard to tell what the location was like. When approaching the village from the east, the group felt the stockyards needed a sign although it did look busy on the day they were there. There were also no curbs or gutters at the location. Morris indicated the homes were average, but they were well kept. Approaching Brussels from the west. Morris said they felt the nice farm entrance showed the community's roots, but felt some colour was needed in the horticulture park. They felt the river would be a beautiful area when the water level went down. He said the downtown area of Brussels has a lot of potential. Although they are obviously hurting due to the situation in the agricultural sector, Morris said the stores that are open are very well kept and those that are vacant should have to be kept up to certain standards. The architectural heritage of the buildings downtown is also well maintained. “1 couldn’t locate a business directory,” he said. “I think 1 found one at the newspaper office.” He suggested with a theme around the downtown businesses, it would be nice to get these vacant store to open up again, especially since many still have their interiors reminiscent of the 1950s or 1960s. They could then cater to the visitors from the large urban centres who can remember “what it used to be like”. Another area that impressed the visitors was the industrial park. Not only was it well situated, but the industries that were there were clean and well-maintained. Morris added they seemed to be leaning towards the industries that had 20 to 30 employees rather than ones that had a larger number of employees. Any future growth in the area would have to serve the immediate area as Brussels is not on a major transportation grid. Come and View the Wonderful Sights in our Greenhouses! lOOO’s of Geraniums. WOO’s of Hanging Baskets. WOO’s of Distinctive Plants. 15 Colours of Wave Petunias. Home of Ted s Tasty Tomatoes! 3.5” Potted Wave Petunia Also...All Mothers Shopping on those days will have their name put into a draw for A Large Shrub Tub! I , \Q0dtifch RETAIL & WHOLESALE 77688 Orchard Line, R.R.1 Bayfield While there were five positives about Brussels. Morris said there were also five major obstacles or challenges facing the community. These included convincing investors to support the community’s ideas for the future; a new medical centre with a doctor dentist and a pharmacy; attracting new small businesses, requiring better cell phone service and high­ speed internet; 24/7 ambulance service and stopping the village's dependence on agriculture as much for the future directions of the growth of the community. Morris said this program initiated by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is a good one, but noted it should be done later in the year, perhaps in June. He also felt some of the questions should be reviewed as some can only be answered with negatives and others are not suitable for a community with a population of approximately 1,000. Hours...Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat & Sun 9-6 Telephone Rd. I i A £ 4 CTe-Em uaForm B4V>k>M Cllnlen 482-3020 www.te-emfarm.ca 35% of Brussels businesses located outside downtown core Continued from page 1 been the traditional heart of the community with its civic spaces, public squares, town halls, libraries and meeting spaces, it is also a record of local history in architectural form, memorials and monuments, - the entertainment district and a residential area that is also the face of the community through civic pride. Morris pointed out that 35 per cent of the businesses are located outside of the downtown core. “Brussels is much like a neighbourhood mall in a large urban centre.” he said. Ragetlie said there are five key areas of main street revitalization integration. These include organization development, the encouragement of economic development, the guiding image of physical development, marketing and communication and the addressing of social issues. Following the presentations, the residents decided the most important item for downtown revitalization is the use of the vacant buildings for displays in the windows. Other important items would be walking trails and improved signage. Mcilu’t flay {Buffet Sunday, May 8 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sg95 (Children 1/2 price) Stickers Family Restaurant Auburn 526-7759 Watch out for The Citizen's Murder May 12th to June 30th, 2005 Where you the reader, will be asked to solve the case! A What room did the murder take place in? What was the weapon used in the murd&r? Who is the murderer? It is evening. Twelve acquaintances have all gathered at the home of Simone Montgomery to conduct a seance. They are all somehow connected to Simone's missing husband Riordan Montgomery who mysteriously disappeared on a boating trip 4 years ago. His body was never recovered. Simone is hopeful that her husband's ghost will contact her tonight so tnat she can finally be convinced of his death and move on with her life. Many in the room do not believe Riordan is dead. As Madame Devora is about to.begin the ceremony, the power goes out. There is the sound of frantic footsteps, doors opening, a scream, the faint sounds of a struggle followed by silence and the dull thump of a body hitting the floor. When the power is finally restored, Simone is missing from the room. The rest of the guests search foi her throughout the house. She is eventually found...murdered. Using fhe biographies of the characters present at the seance (that will be printed in the paper weekly) and the clues (that will be given out at participating businesses) your job is to solve the case by finding the answers to these three questions' Generously sponsored by local businesses. Call 523-4792 to become a contest sponsor!