Goderich Looking for Input from Residents on Downtown Revitalization

by Bob Montgomery

Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet says they want to hear what residents would like to see in the downtown revitalization.

Bazinet says the infrastructure under the pavement on the main street around the square is over one hundred years old and needs to be replaced.  He says it's always difficult to decide when to replace it but he says the longer they put it off, the more problems they're likely to encounter so now's the time to get it done.

The Goderich Legion is hosting all-day events throughout November 28th to December 1st for businesses, stakeholders, property owners, residents of the community and the town of Goderich to come out and have a voice in what the downtown should look like in the future. Bazinet says they've hired a landscape architect and during those four days the architect will be drawing up a plan based on what he hears from the people. The architect will return to council with the draft plan in March for council to look at and possibly approve.

Bazinet says they've been informed that they can do it one quadrant at a time, so they won't have to tear up the whole road at once. They're hoping to start in 2025 and their target is to have everything done by June of 2027, in time for them to celebrate their bicentennial by opening up their new downtown.

Bazinet says, aside from replacing the infrastructure, they'll also be looking at a few cosmetic improvements. He says one of them will be new sidewalks and they're looking at what kind of material they want to use. They're also going to be looking at the downtown through more of an active transportation lens. He says more people are happier now walking and riding bikes rather than using their cars, so they want to create a safe place that everyone can enjoy.

Bazinet says as inconvenient as this will be in the short term, it really is an opportunity to create something that could last for the next one hundred years so they do want to make sure that everyone's voice is heard. All of the Goderich businesses and residents have now received a schedule and he's hoping lots of people will show up.

A full meeting schedule can be found at here.