Cash mob aims to boost loCal biz
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b.C. gas boom is real, all right
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senior b.C. minister Calls it quits
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a local animal group has moved a popular event in protest. See Page a3
wednesday
February 20 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
Some parking ‘underused’ Downtown: consultant Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
MarIO barTeL/NeWSLeaDer
rick Carswell, of the new westminster arts Council, and Faeine grant, of rethink real estate, are fully behind the idea of putting art by local artists in empty storefronts.
Sprucing up empty storefronts Arts council proposes program to put works in vacant shops Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
To Rick Carswell, seeing vacant storefronts is kind of like looking at a hockey player laughing. “A nice smile is marred by a missing tooth. And the smile of our shopping spaces could be marred by a vacant space, and we’re proposing to keep the smile,” says Carswell, president of the Arts Council of New Westminster. Carswell recently went to city
council proposing Store Front New West, an initiative to have local artists’ works spruce up empty storefronts until they are leased out. It’s a way for the arts council to get its works seen throughout the city instead of just at its gallery in Queen’s Park or its Starlight Casino satellite location. “We need to get out on the streets, having satellite galleries only does so much for us,” said Carswell. They’re modeling their initiative on a similar program in Seattle. Carswell said the group has already received positive response from Tourism New Westminster and
from his appearance at city council on Feb. 5. “Much to my surprise they all jumped up and down and thought it was fantastic,” said Carswell. Coun. Chuck Puchmayr has suggested city staff help Store Front New West identify owners of vacant storefront properties. “It’s all part of the plan to clean up the streets. I’ve always been a firm believer in economic development starting with places making people feel safe and comfortable when they’re there, and to provide an artistic nature to it,” said Puchmayr.
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The biggest obstacle is access. Carswell said the organization has been working with leasing agents, and it can often be difficult determining who owners are because many are not local. “They would keep the lease signs up, we’re just making it pretty in the meantime,” said Carswell. “I can’t think of too many leasing agents who wouldn’t want their properties [spruced up with art].” Initially, Carswell said, they would target Columbia Street to keep it as vibrant as possible. twitter.com/lonegrangerbnw
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In some cases the parking is there—just too hard to find. That was one of the points made at last week’s open house, part of a developing strategy to deal with parking in Downtown New Westminster. Harm Woldring of The Wine Factory, a vice-president on the Downtown Business Improvement Area executive, said some of the discussion at city hall last Wednesday was about something as simple as better signage. “There’s definitely been some acknowledgment of the need for better wayfinding,” said Woldring. “People can’t find parking in New Westminster because the signage sucks.” Senior city planner Mark Allison admitted there appears to be a need for signage to direct drivers to parking so they won’t have to circle the block. Attendees at the meeting also heard the city’s consultants, Urban Systems, discuss parking strategies to address issues that have plagued the area for years, including the fate of the Front Street parkade, which Coun. Jonathan Coté said continues to be the “lightning rod” issue. Please see ParkING, a10