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Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-07-29, Page 7Wednesday, July 29, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 Reunion a prime opportunity to promote Ripley Square Troy Patterson Kincardine News Ripley is at the outset of millions of dollars in devel- opment, and David Brown wants to see the village revived as a destination in southern Bruce County. Excited for the 2015 Ripley Reunion, 'All Roads Lead Home' has given Brown, one of the largest property own- ers in the community, an opportunity to showcase what he wants to do and hopefully inspire people who have come back to town for the reunion, to get on board with it. Partnering with the Town- ship of Huron -Kinloss and Cobalt Connects, Brown said the painting and mural work on what will someday be 'Ripley Square' - Courtney's Grain and Seed block across from Lewis Park gives the Reunion a chance to show- case Ripley's history, and celebrate it. The block features a num- ber of three-dimensional murals of historic photo- graphs of people in the Rip- ley area, showcased along the historic hotel, old store- fronts and granary buildings, which could be expanded to other buildings in the future. "I think it looks terrific," said Brown. "I thought it was really important to get the historical aspects of the community portrayed on the mural and it's something that can be left here, or transported to another building. There's no telling what you could do with this going forward." Brown also provided office space to the 2015 Ripley Reunion committee at one of his storefronts, and described the 2005 reunion he attended as an "incredi- ble experience." Ripley has a unique place in his heart and his family's history. His grandfather came to the community in 1900 and married his grandmother from Wingham about 1908, living in Ripley until about 1919 before moving to Kincardine. "I remember Ripley as a thriving hot spot when I was a kid and I think we can have that happen again," said Brown. Changes in the granary's paint colour, restoration of the facade and new windows have improved the look of the building, but is only a "step towards the final look" "Some of the stuff that's not original is going to be brought back with the final version of the building, but for now I wanted something that's attractive for the reun- ion," he said. "There's a ton of work to do inside. But it's like I have a blank canvas here to work with. There's a lot of different opportunities for the Ripley Square project." But Brown said "millions" are needed to finance the residential and commercial investments in the proper- ties he owns downtown, as well as another new subdivi- sion he's planning over the next couple of years in the southeast corner of town. "When I first got the idea I thought this would happen a lot sooner than it did, but then there seemed to be a downturn in the economy and high vacancy rates and the timing wasn't right for it. But I think we're getting closer and I'm hoping next year we can get started on it." The last 10 years has seen Brown approach the com- munity with plans to create about 160 residential units, with plans to build addi- tional storeys on the historic downtown buildings, or the equivalent of about 20,000 sq. ft. of commercial area and 56,000 sq. ft. of residen- tial space within the approxi- mate $10 million develop- ment that has been floated around since it was intro- duced to the community about seven years ago. "The next 10 years we want to put them all into action," he said. Brown said in order to bring back a strong commer- cial presence to the village, an 'anchor' is needed as a "major draw" that can pro- vide jobs and support other opportunities for new busi- ness within the community. FOR MOVIE INFORMATION... waw.mavielinks,c a u Nd.,, -,01-800-265-343.8 "It can happen in here," he said. "If other players want to step up to the plate with ideas on what they can put it on it. But failing that, it'll probably be up to me to do something." Brown said his farmer's market and business incuba- tor ideas were met with lim- ited success, but the Ripley Small Business storefront continues to offer a starting point for small business in the community, with room for more as a chance for a free "test run" their busi- nesses for a short time, or $100 a month after. But to support a long-term commercial plan, the village and region need to help sup- port the initiative and help promote the idea of a rein- vigorated community, offer- ing products and services people will be willing to travel to Ripley to get. "People are going to want to come here to get an expe- rience," he said. "There's great food here in Bruce County, but nobody really knows about it:' Brown said making the community a "culinary tour- ism destination" is one idea to draw the public, as well as other community -oriented establishments that will bring people in and support various commercial establishments "My gut feeling is this building is going to be a driv- ing force for the community down the road," he said, adding that linking the com- munity food -producing ele- ments could be a unique opportunity for a restaurant. "With the beef, corn and other products we've got, this place as a restaurant could really showcase that and provide an experience Troy Patterson/Kincardine News Developer David Brown is proud of the touch ups done to what will be the Ripley Square project, which currently features three-dimensional murals of historic photographs of people in the Ripley area. for people coming to south- ern Bruce County." Brown said financial insti- tutions can be skeptics when they look at large rural pro- jects, so community buy -in is key alongside other finan- cial investments. "Ripley's so far off finan- cial institution's radar screen," he said. "Once it's thriving and up and running and very successful, they'll all be jumping to get on board with it. But in terms of assisting in making it hap- pen, it's a small community and it's had its struggles the last few years from a com- mercial standpoint. So banks are hesitant to jump into something like that." From a housing standpoint, with a Bruce County shortage Friends, family and neighbours are invited to the wedding reception of Bradley Hodgkinson and Ashleigh Shaw Saturday August 1, At the Knights of Columbus Hall in Wingham starting at 8p.m. of affordable housing, the pro- ject could offer new places for people to live, if job opportu- nities are available. "It could take the pressure off affordable housing and hopefully create jobs for people," he said. Establishing spin-off busi- nesses is also essential to the long-term viability of the project. But in the short- term, Brown said keeping interest and attracting inves- tors is of utmost importance if they are to move on the project sooner than later. A lot of money is to be spent, but the biggest hurdle for Brown is finding the right time and support from the community itself. "If you have the right idea people will come to it," said Brown, who is passionate about the revitalization of Ripley's business commu- nity. "I think this could be a huge draw for the entire area, not just Ripley. It's a huge nut to crack:' If people have ideas to share, or want to be involved, Brown said infor- mation on the project will be handed out during the 2015 Ripley Reunion. For more information e-mail meatconsultants@ rogers.com. �TOWNS F HP OF scheduled Council Meetings for August & September 2015 have been changed as follows: Tuesday, August 11th Tuesday, September, 8r'' Tuesday, September, 22nd Mark Becker Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh