First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE)

First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE)
FULL PICTURE
Village of Arthur
Township of Wellington North
Community Tool Provided By OMAFRA
1
I t d ti
Introduction
to
t Mitchell
Mit h ll Team
T
ƒ Mitchell Team consisted of 8 members, from
broad range of backgrounds:
ƒ Member of Municipal Council
ƒ Member of Municipal Staff
ƒ Business Owner(s)
ƒ Retiree
ƒ Young Parent(s)
ƒ Industry
I d
R
Representative
i
2
I t d ti
Introduction
to
t Exchange
E h
ƒ Mitchell Team visited Arthur on Wednesday
November 9, 2011
ƒ Weather was cloudy, about 10 Degrees
Celsius
ƒ Team spent approximately 6 hours in the
Community
3
Before the Visit
What was your first impression of the community
b f
before
your visit?
i it?
ƒ “I knew nothing about Arthur –I looked at the website and was
impressed with the recreation/leisure opportunities”
opportunities
ƒ “Sounded like a nice, small community”
ƒ “My first thought was that it is not a destination place, but rather
a means to somewhere else. I have stopped in Arthur for Tim
Hortons and gas. I had no recollection of the downtown or even
how to get to it”
ƒ “I have no expectations and I’m unsure how the day will play
out. Arthur is a community we drive through frequently”
ƒ “A lot the same as Mitchell”
ƒ “Small town - known for Sussman’s”
4
Before the Visit
How easy was it to get information?
ƒ “Great
“G t website
b it for
f recreation/leisure”
ti /l i
”
ƒ “Difficult to find Business Information...Need to know that
Arthur is in the ‘Township of Wellington North’”
ƒ “I was unsuccessful finding sites under ‘GOOGLE’ for “Arthur,
ON”’
ƒ “’Safari’ couldn’t open ‘Arthur and Area Info’. I have an I-Pad
and I-Phone, so I need to use ‘Safari’
Chamber of Commerce website was GREAT!”
GREAT!
ƒ “Chamber
Comment on the community’s online materials and
information:
ƒ “Butter Tart Trail Brochure – Very Cool!”
5
First Impressions
Comments:
ƒ “Sign going in catches your eye”
ƒ “Driving through downtown – nothing significant jumped out at you”
ƒ “People seem to be driving through [on Highway #9] and not going
downtown”
ƒ “My First Impression was that the Town looked tired. It didn’t attract my
attention or make me want to stop”
ƒ “There were no directions to the downtown business area”
ƒ “The flags should be changed. It is disrespectful to fly a faded or aged flag”
ƒ “The cenotaph area is beautiful, but there was no indication of any
November 11th service”
ƒ “Large older homes (diverse housing stock), lots of small businesses
d
downtown”
”
ƒ “Vehicles around the coffee shops- must be good places!”
6
E t i
Entering
the
th Community
C
it
Signage:
g g
ƒ “Good signage coming in from the south. Not much to look at from
the east to the west on Highway #9”
ƒ “’Ontario’ directional signage coming in from the south- only
entrance that has this”
ƒ “Entrance Sign – bright and big – well done!”
ƒ “Other than the Arena sign, not a lot of other signs through
downtown
downtown”
ƒ “Could not see a sign [on Highway #9] indicating downtown”
7
Housing and Residential Areas
Positive Feedback:
ƒ “Good mix of apartments, townhouses, semi-detached and single
family dwellings”
ƒ “Many
Many multi
multi-unit
unit housing options”
options
ƒ “Good mix of older and newer homes in the same neighbourhoods”
ƒ “I noticed
ti d th
thatt llott sizes
i
were good”
d”
ƒ “Lots of housing backing onto green space”
ƒ “R
“Roads
d were in
i good
d condition,
diti
as wellll as sidewalks.
id
lk Sidewalks
Sid
lk were
nice and wide”
ƒ
“I spoke to a lady who said neighbours are needed, and used. She
said there was a taxi, but it was unreliable and wouldn’t recommend
using it”
8
H
Housing
i
and
d Residential
R id ti l Areas
A
9
H
Housing
i
and
d Residential
R id ti l Areas
A
Perceived Challenges:
ƒ “There is a range of housing types for sale, but supply of housing for
sale seemed to be limited”
limited
ƒ “I noticed that new, well maintained homes sat side by side with
unmaintained and run-down properties”
ƒ “The use of a property standards by-law should be considered for
some properties”
ƒ “A lot of old, run down, houses”
ƒ “There were no sidewalks in some residential areas”
10
Education
Pre-School/Daycare:
ƒ “There
There did not appear to be a public daycare
daycare. I was told by a parent
that a large majority of parents seem to either stay at home, or use
‘in home’ daycares”
Pi
Primary/Elementary/High
/El
t
/Hi h School:
S h l
ƒ “Competition between Catholic School (new building) vs. Public
School (older building) - one resident commented going to the
Catholic school is more appealing for some due to being newer”
ƒ “The separate school has had more dollars to spend on its facility- It
is obvious when looking at both school buildings”
ƒ “I found both schools, but there was very little signage other than
‘crosswalk’ signs”
ƒ “I was told that it is difficult, in that students cannot stay in Arthur to
go to high school, which is hurting the community”
11
Health and Social Support Services
Health:
ƒ “There appears to be an ‘older’ and a ‘newer’ physician/ dentist
office in Town.”
ƒ “Good
Good size retirement/nursing homehome nice ‘setting’”
setting
ƒ “Residents said they are very thankful for facilities”
Social and Support:
ƒ “Local Service Clubs/Organizations ‘board’ at entrance to
Town...No contact information or meeting locations/times were
seen””
ƒ “Church groups hold dinners (ie) Baptist Church invites all of
the community to a turkey dinner”
ƒ “Historical society is very active and as one lady said to me,
‘we have fun’”
12
Emergency Services
Fire:
ƒ With the Fire Station on the main street, more signage should be
in place to warn motorists/pedestrians that fire station is there for
when the trucks leave the station”
Police:
ƒ “Small OPP ‘room’ in the downtown- saw a police car there”
ƒ “Visited the one person police station- had a good conversation
with the officer”
ƒ “Even when I was directed to where the OPP office was located,
I still had to look for it - A well kept secret!”
13
Downtown
ƒ Window Displays:
“Many stores commented that they were waiting for Remembrance
Day to be over to change their window displays [for the Christmas
Season]”
ƒ Ease of locating the Downtown area:
“There was no signage
g g [[on Highway
g
y #9]] indicating
g where the
downtown business section is”
ƒ Potential for the Downtown to play a greater
role in Tourism:
“There are some wonderful stores in the downtown areaSussman’s
Sussman
s, the bakery
bakery, the Plumber’s
Plumber s Wife
Wife, gift stores - all could
entice increased spending if promoted as specialty shops to
encourage those driving by to stop and shop”
14
D
Downtown
t
Parking:
ƒ “The parking lot at rear of TD Bank could be better utilized”
ƒ “Line marking was missing for some parking spots, making it
hard to know where to park”
ƒ “Parking was a ‘free for all’!!”
ƒ “Parking isn’t friendly. I was confused without designated
parking spots [“boxes”- on the main street], and only knew how
to park given how everyone else had parked. I would
recommend
d th
the ‘‘single
i l lilines’’ ffor parking
ki spaces, as it would
ld
prevent someone taking up two spots”
p p
parking,
g, but a sign
g saying,
y g, ‘parallel
p
p
parking’
g on
ƒ “There’s ample
the main street would help those of us that are a little challenged
and need guidance”
15
R t il
Retail
Mix/Variety of shopping and Overall appearance:
ƒ “I had difficulty when walking past stores to know what exactly
they were selling”
ƒ “Little highway commercial activity, other than Tim Hortons and
the gas station”
ƒ “Th
“There are a variety
i t off stores.
t
The
Th overallll iimpression
i Ih
have iis
that it’s looking a little tired and in need of refreshing”
ƒ “Stores
Stores were NOT stroller friendly!”
friendly!
ƒ “Real Estate office(s) not readily available”
16
R t il
Retail
Goods that local residents appear to need to travel
to surrounding communities to buy?
“Groceries
Groceries- Need a ‘modern
modern day’
day grocery store”
store
“Children’s clothes/needs (ie Toys)”
“Beer Store”
“Home Appliances”
“Shoes”
“Sports Supplies”
“Basic business supplies”
“Farm Supplies”
“Work clothing”
“Fabric or sewing supplies”
17
Retail
Customer service:
ƒ “Very friendly people”
ƒ “Very
Very Friendly! I was referred to the ‘Plumber’s
Plumber s Wife’
Wife without
prompting, and was referred to ‘Brenda’s Bakery’ when I asked
about a good place to eat”
ƒ “I received good customer service from attentive clerks/sales
associates”
ƒ “II found the people open, warm and eager to talk about their
community”
ƒ “I had great service from Roger at Sussman’s”
ƒ “Great service at Brenda’s Bakery”
18
Industry
Comments:
ƒ
“I was impressed with the industrial base of the community
and the size of the manufacturing plants”
plants
ƒ
“The Municipal Office was not aware of any available
industrial land (CAO and Economic Development Officer
were away that day)”
ƒ
“At Musashi, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot,
which I assume means they are busy (a good sign!)”
sign!)
ƒ
“It looked like a lot of industry for a town of 2,000
residents”
19
Local Government Information
Convenience of Municipal office location:
ƒ
“Municipal Office was hard to find”
ƒ
“When I discussed the location of the Municipal Office [which is
15 minutes away] with a resident, she said very matter of factly
that if you don’t drive, you ask a neighbour and they’ll take you
t the
to
th office”
ffi ”
Chamber of Commerce:
ƒ “G
“Good
d tourism
t i
booth
b th att the
th Chamber
Ch b off C
Commerce- lots
l t off
brochures etc. available”
ƒ “Great Chamber of Commerce!”
20
Public Infrastructure
Comments:
ƒ “There is no public transit, not even a mobility bus. It would be
an asset to the community”
community
ƒ “Lots of big, old trees throughout town...Lots of leaves at the
curb, but no sign of a leaf/sucker truck coming around to pick
them up
up”
ƒ “I did not see a public restroom”
ƒ “Huge
Huge ‘All
All Treat’
Treat plant at the edge of town
town. People said it smells
in the summer”
ƒ “Street furniture was not coordinated/ uniform in the downtown”
21
Tourism
Strength of tourism sector:
ƒ “Motorists/
Motorists/ Vacationers
Vacationers- those hoping to discover small town
charm?”
Attractions/events that could be expanded upon/
developed:
ƒ “Arthur has been named Canada’s Most Patriotic Village. The
new entrance signs also state this. This is a great honour and
a whole industry could be built around this theme”
ƒ “Remembrance Day- war memorial/ Canadian
patriotism...Possibly a re-enactment of a particular Canadian
military
ilit
b
battle?”
ttl ?”
ƒ “More promotion of the Chamber of Commerce. It had great
pamphlets, maps and other information, but if I hadn’t walked
in there
there, I would not have seen anything”
ƒ “Butter Tart Trail”
22
Tourism
Restaurants:
ƒ “I noticed a Chinese food restaurant, a pub style restaurant,
and a bakery where I had lunch
lunch...II ate at the bakery
restaurant for lunch where I had homemade soup, and a
half-sandwich with homemade whole wheat bread. Truly a
gem and the food was excellent”
ƒ “No large restaurant where a meeting could be held”
ƒ “I was told about 3 places to go for supper. I was shocked to
be referred to the fish and chip wagon, rather than the 2
other eateries, which both had seating”
ƒ “A
A resident I asked spoke about a nice place to eat in
MOUNT FOREST”
23
Tourism
Visitors Centre/Chamber of Commerce:
ƒ “There is a wonderful Museum in the Chamber of Commerce. It is
an asset to the community”
ƒ “Excellent Chamber of Commerce!!”
ƒ “I was impressed with the Museum and really liked the ‘feel’ of it...I
was impressed to see the school children there for Remembrance
Day information”
ƒ “Because Friday is Remembrance Day, the elementary school
students visited the Museum at the Chamber of Commerce building
where pictures of fallen soldiers and uniforms are housed. They
each made a poppy and proudly wore it while leaving”
ƒ “Tremendous assistance provided by the staff at the Museum”
ƒ “Had a good talk with the lady at the Chamber/Museum about the
history of Arthur”
24
Recreation
Strengths:
ƒ “Typical small town Arena- very clean and appeared well
maintained
maintained”
ƒ “Outdoor pool was a good size for the community”
ƒ “Great Library- Beautiful!”
ƒ “Amazing to have a stand-alone curling club!”
ƒ “Great Recreation and Leisure Guide”
25
Recreation
26
Recreation
Opportunities for Improvement:
ƒ “Very
Very limited playground equipment for children
children...No
No swings”
swings
ƒ “Maybe consider upgrading the playground at the pool, and then
consider a splash pad?”
ƒ “Ball Diamonds were in fair shape- supporting infrastructure
(buildings, washrooms etc.) could be re-painted. Diamonds did not
appear to be suited for higher level teams”
ƒ “Tennis Courts facility adjacent to the public school- In a SERIOUS
state of disrepair”
ƒ “A
A sign indicated a picnic area and playground [to the west of the
downtown], but there were no picnic tables or equipment. It was also
too crowded with all of the trees to run or kick a soccer ball”
ƒ “At
At the ‘park
park and picnic
picnic’ area...there
area there was a vicious odour when I
opened the window. I’m not sure where it came from. I would not
picnic there”
27
Recreation
28
C lt
Culture
and
d Heritage
H it
Comments:
ƒ “The railway building was neat as it was effectively turned into a
home”
o e
ƒ “I noticed two beautiful old stone homes on nicely groomed
properties, which were very well maintained.”
ƒ “Churches all appeared to be very well maintained”
ƒ “Stained glass was a very nice feature that I noticed on the yellow
brick church”
ƒ “The church at the foot of the hill on the main street is a beautiful
piece of architecture and has a well maintained appearance”
p
pp
29
Welcoming Community
Comments:
ƒ “People in stores were VERY friendly”
ƒ “The residents that I encountered were verbally welcoming and
would encourage anyone to move to and stay in the
co
community”
u ty
ƒ “The Employment Agency/ Learning Centre had a hole and two
large cracks in main window. It was not very welcoming”
30
C
Community
it R
Residents
id t
Were residents positive/negative toward Community?
ƒ “Store owners were very proud of the Town”
ƒ “Some store owners are concerned that Town will ‘shut down’, especially
since
i
th
the hi
high
h school
h l closed”
l
d”
ƒ “There appeared to be pride for the Town amongst some store owners,
who referred customers to each other”
ƒ “All of the residents I spoke with at length had great pride in the
community. They spoke with warmth and caring and certainly made me
feel welcome and wanted.”
ƒ “It was kind of like a visit with old friends- open, honest and informative.
One lady even went so far as to recommend a retirement community
outside of Arthur that she knew I would love if Arthur wasn’t
wasn t to be my new
home. I had an invitation to attend the historical society and even to
attend the Christmas dinner coming up”
31
Using Our Senses
Taste:
ƒ “Baked
“B k d goods...Butter
d B tt Tarts
T t were a whole
h l meal!”
l!”
ƒ “The Bakery- homemade soup/sandwich”
Smell:
ƒ “I did come across an odour, and not a pleasant one! Maybe coming
from ‘All Treat’?”
Si ht
Sight:
ƒ “Entrance Signs were good”
ƒ “The Cenotaph”
ƒ “The mural on the wall of the old building coming into town”
So nd
Sound:
ƒ “It’s a quiet, small town...except for traffic”
32
U i
Using
O Senses
Our
S
33
S it bl Location
Suitable
L
ti
For...
F
A Young
g Family:
y
ƒ “No- A lack of recreation facilities for children, and no high school”
A Retired Person:
ƒ “Yes- ‘small town feel’ was great, and there was a good retirement
facility”
ƒ “The warmth and friendly people make it great for seniors”
A Young, Single Adult:
ƒ “No- lack of entertainment/ nightlife
A Tourist:
ƒ “Probably
“Probabl not
not- I could
co ld find similar items/attractions in other to
towns”
ns”
34
P iti Things
Positive
Thi
Ab
Aboutt A
Arthur
th
ƒ Friendly people in stores
ƒ Churches
ƒ New library and family health centre
ƒ large
l
retirement
ti
th
home
ƒ New/unique looking houses
ƒ Chamber of Commerce/Museum
ƒ Not a lot of main street vacancies
ƒ Arena/Schools/Medical Facilities
ƒ Good shopping (gifts, baked goods)
ƒ Businesses making meals for takeout
ƒ Community Spirit
ƒ Retail Store- Sussman’s
35
P
Perceived
i d Challenges
Ch ll
Facing
F i
Arthur
A h
ƒ Downtown needs to flow
ƒ Surrounding towns
ƒ Find a way to make people go through (not around) town (traffic
going east and west
est [on High
Highway
a #9] do not stop)
ƒ No high school
ƒ Limited
Li it d sports
t ffacilities
iliti
ƒ Deteriorating old school building,
ƒ People travelling elsewhere to shop for ‘basics’,
ƒ Aging population and no transportation,
ƒ Municipal Office location
36
Perceived Challenges Facing Arthur
37
Potential Opportunities for Arthur
ƒ Increase ‘vibe’ in downtown
ƒ Increase amount of parkland/playgrounds...Skateboard Park?
Splash Pad?
ƒ Create tourism ‘draw’...Tourism based on Patriotism - ‘Spin-off’
souvenir business?
ƒ General public education using Powerpoint at the Museum
ƒ Fast Food restaurant
ƒ New Store - Farm and Country
38
Potential Opportunities for Arthur
Grant/Funding Programs:
ƒ OMAFRAOMAFRA RED Program: Downtown Revitalization/”Maintstreets”;
Revitalization/ Maintstreets ;
ƒ Trillium Foundation: Playgrounds/Park Infrastructure
39
What Arthur has that WE should consider…
consider
ƒ “We need a greater mix of housing opportunities developed (beyond
j t single
just
i l d
detached)
t h d)
ƒ “I enjoyed the openness/lack of clutter on the downtown sidewalks in
Arthur and how great that would be in Mitchell.”
Mitchell.
ƒ “I really thought the recreation and leisure guide for the Township of
Wellington North is a great resource that West Perth should consider”
ƒ “The bakery/restaurant with its homemade bread sandwiches,
homemade soup, tarts etc.”
ƒ “One business referring/recommending another (ie) the lady at the
Plumber’s Wife telling us to go to the bakery for lunch and to make
sure she got chocolate
chocolate-raspberry
raspberry scones
scones. Although they were not
making scones that day, the referral was excellent”
40
Final Comments
“This was a great day. The biggest
asset Arthur has is the wonderful
people, proud enough to ‘sell’ their
community”
41