More local businesses will be getting a facelift thanks to local grants from the Town of Minto.
The most local grants awarded were to Harriston Bakery. The facade improvement grant of $3000, was to improve the exterior of the main street Harriston business, while a second grant of $679 will improve sign for that building.
Minto’s business and economic manager Belinda Wick-Graham said the applicant will be following the sketch provided through the free demonstration sketch program offered last year. The improvement will take place in three phases.
Wick-Graham provided diagrams of the proposed work on the facade of the Harriston Bakery building. She noted this is the first application that has actually followed the entire process designed for the work.
“This is following the guidelines to a T, and that’s what we want to see.”
She added, “Once a few projects get up and running, the program really picks up takes off.” She said this is the first project in the downtown core following the full guidelines.
Mayor David Anderson said he believes the colours used in the application will blend in to colours to be used in successive projects.
Wick-Graham said the guidelines identify different colour schemes that should be used in addition to sign criteria.
She cited the changes to the car wash. “People can’t just pick random colours and still get the grant.”
Later in the meeting, council agreed to become an event sponsor of the coming first annual Minto Business Achievement awards, at a cost of $100.
Wick-Graham said the awards will take place May 13 at the Pike Lake Golf and Country Club. Awards presented that night include: business community service award; business innovation award; employer excellence award; and, outstanding organization award.
Members of the economic and development planning committee had hoped to be an awards sponsor “but they all got grabbed up,” she said. “They proved to be very popular.”
