MINTO – A celebration of revitalization in local downtowns was held here on Sept. 27.
The Town of Minto and local downtown revitalization committees Harriston Rising, All Aboard Palmerston, and Clifford Connects, welcomed residents, volunteers, and business-owners to celebrate the accomplishments in local downtowns over the past several years.
The event, held at the Harriston-Minto Community Centre, began with a presentation recapping the various events and projects made possible through provincial funding from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Rural Economic Development (RED) funding received in 2020 to revitalize the local downtowns.
Projects completed included beautification projects like pole wraps on Palmerston and Harriston downtown poles, wayfinding signage and community boards in each community, lights in Tannery Park, the Lions Heritage Park and Railway Museum, and downtown Clifford and Palmerston, nine different murals, updated downtown banners and numerous others.
Staff from the Town of Minto Economic Development Department thanked the province and OMAFRA, as well as community groups and local businesses which donated to the RED projects for their contributions, as well as all the volunteers who made the execution possible.
Afterward, Your Town Rising founders Leslie Fournier and Gregg McLachlan took the stage to re-inspire the community with new ideas for the coming years.
Downtown enhancements – Your Town Rising founders Gregg McLachlan, pictured here, and Leslie Fournier, centre and right, check out downtown enhancements in Minto, including a gazebo in Clifford’s Celebration Square and murals in Harriston and Palmerston. Submitted photos
In 2019, Fournier and McLachlan gave a presentation on “creative placemaking” and social media maximization to Minto staff, councillors and members of local downtown revitalization groups that helped spark interest in community improvement efforts.
Those interested in being a part of future downtown revitalization efforts are welcome to join the events and/or beautification committee in their community or sign-up for the “Sparkle Squad” to receive emails about one-off volunteer opportunities.
Contact erin@town.minto.on.ca for more information or to sign-up.
