MAPLETON – Launch of a new farmers market and promoting community investment through the municipality’s CIP program highlighted a busy year for Mapleton’s economic development department.
Economic development coordinator Aly Hill provided a review of 2021 activities at the Jan. 25 council meeting.
Hill told council efforts have been made to enhance the municipality’s presence on social media and “get more engagement on all of our platforms.” She pointed out the township picked up 235 followers on Facebook, 76 on Twitter and 158 on Instagram in the past year.
“We focus on Facebook; that seems the main social media platform that people go to for our news and information,” Hill noted.
Through the CIP (Community Improvement Program), the township provided $16,722 in grants, with two applications for 2021 that are still pending completion.
“And there was a result of $542,000 invested in our community,” said Hill, adding much of it was spent on exterior upgrades for businesses in a strip mall along Wellington Street South.
A “Make it Mapleton” website was launched in conjunction with the Mapleton Chamber of Commerce.
“This year 16 businesses signed up to sell gift cards. Twenty-four gift cards were purchased and that totals $1,350 in community spending that was spent (through) this website,” Hill reported.
A North Wellington jobs and housing portal was also launched in 2021, in cooperation with Minto and Wellington North.
“It’s getting well utilized and lots of local businesses have been posting on it and hopefully lots of jobs have been found,” said Hill.
Unable to host Mapleton’s usual big celebration on Canada Day, Hill explained the municipality instead gave out Canada Day bags “with lots of goodie and little treats.
“These were very well received,” she stated.
A campaign to distribute “Drive Slow” signs to raise funds for the local food bank was also successful, said Hill.
“We had 200 or so signs that were given out …. and we did see a lot of them in the community. Non-perishable foods were received in donations for the signs and a large food bank donation was given,” she explained.
A new Mapleton Farmers Market was launched in the municipality’s downtown parking lot. Hill said the four markets held between July and September attracted 14 vendors and “tons of people” passed through the markets.
“It seemed like it was a great event,” Hill said.
New signage is in place at trails around the municipality.
New entrance signage was installed at Moorefield and new trail signage was also installed in 2021.
Hill noted the trail signage “was a little bit delayed” due to pandemic-related issues with supplies and materials, “but they are up on all the trails.
“We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on them and people really love them,” she added.
“We also have photo booth installations in one in each of … the communities. So it makes the communities a little bit more Instagrammable, as they say now,” Hill pointed out.
A decorative lighting project was completed in Alma with the assistance of Rural Economic Development funding from the federal government.
“We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on these lights and I know the other community seemed a little jealous of them now,” Hill observed.
“I want to congratulate Aly. She’s done a lot of hard good hard work on this,” commented councillor Dennis Craven.
Mayor Gregg Davidson agreed.
“It’s incredible the amount of work that has gone into to it …” he said.
“Thank you so much for the hard work you put in to make us look good and make this community work and look good.”
