downtown news to'feel good' about - cobourg internet news to'feel good' about...

Downtown News to 'FeelGood' About

Promotional Video for Downtown Cobourg Viewed Almost 5,000 Times on YouTube Business Feels Good. This Downtown Cobourg tagline embraces both an informative web portal (www.businessfeelsgood.ca) and a promotional video on the Town of Cobourg's You Tube channel. Officially launched on April 2, the web portal and video were an initiative taken on by the Downtown Business Attraction Working Group, a subcommittee of the Cobourg Economic Development Advisory Committee. The Downtown Business Attraction working group (DBA) was established for the purpose of accomplishing section 5.2 of the Downtown Vitalization Action Plan: “Begin a shift toward business categories that enhance the town’s economic strategy and promote the downtown vision”. It reports to the Cobourg Economic Development Advisory Committee (CEDAC) for advice and guidance. This informal group, made up of town staff, DBIA, Friends of Downtown, members of CEDAC along with members of the public has been meeting regularly to:

Identify targeted business categories based on vitalization research input Identify specific service/retail businesses and innovative concepts within these categories

Work with the marketing and communication team to develop a marketing strategy and promotional material that motivate targeted prospects` to set up in downtown Cobourg

The website/video also aligns and supports the DBIA’s “Win this Feel Good Space” contest. (More details included on this contest below.) We are switching gears on how we market Cobourg The website/video was created to promote Downtown Cobourg as a place of opportunity in the retail and service sectors. No longer do we want to market our town as a slow pace, low stress lifestyle but with a tone of excitement, vibrancy, opportunity and cutting edge. Our audience is the entrepreneur who has little or no awareness of our town. Website Portal: Used as a call to action to entrepreneurs that are looking to start a business. It’s a way of getting the entrepreneur to contact us so we can start talking. It needs very little effort, just complete the online business overview form which comes directly to Economic Development Staff. This form of contact is essential for the entrepreneurs as it connects them (with our help) to community services vital to the establishment of a new venture. Video: The video is not only a stand‐alone YouTube video but also embedded in the web portal. It is a 90 second video that depicts Downtown Cobourg in an energetic, vibrant fashion and a place of opportunity. It is supported with actual numbers such as annual transactions, total number of businesses, total employment and numbers on larger events that support the merchants. As of April 29, the YouTube video has been viewed 4,191 times! This website and video content is needed to support our business attraction initiatives. When overtures to potential out of town successful businesses or those thinking of starting a business are generated, this site can easily be pulled up on an iphone, tablet, etc (any device with data) to demonstrate the excitement and rational for opening a business in Downtown Cobourg. Change is in the air and new ideas are being implemented. For more information on the Business Feels Good website portal or video contact Julie Savard, Business Development Researcher at The Town of Cobourg by emailing [email protected] or calling 905‐372‐5481 ext. 4131.

"Win This Feel Good Space" Receives more than 30 Submissions

COBOURG, ON ‐ Presented in partnership by the Cobourg Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), the Win This Feel Good Space contest aims to encourage the development of new sustainable business and will award $12,000 towards the first year of a new lease in a vacant space within the Downtown. Since its April 2 launch date, Win This Feel Good Space has received more than 30 submissions from interested applicants from the local and surrounding community! As the April 30 deadline is upon us and the submission period draws to a close, members of the Judge’s Panel will begin to review all submissions in preparation for the three business development workshops that will be offered through the Business Advisory Centre Northumberland. These workshops will aim to develop the overall business model, focusing on three specific areas: marketing, finance and sales. “Initiatives such as this send a strong message that Cobourg is not only open for business – we’re receptive to innovation!” says Kevin Ward, contest Judge and President and CEO of the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce. “I’m very pleased to be associated with this exciting project and I can’t wait to see the proposals that we receive.” Although there can only be one Grand Prize winner, Win This Feel Good Space will help to foster a thriving downtown market, in which both new and existing businesses will flourish. Following the review period, successful applicants will be contacted and further information will be made public. For more information on the Win This Feel Good Space contest contact Maggie Darling, Special Project Coordinator, Cobourg Downtown Business Improvement Area by emailing [email protected] or calling 905‐377‐8024.

Introducing the New Downtown Cobourg Coalition

The Town of Cobourg Council has approved the Terms of Reference for the Cobourg Downtown Coalition. The Cobourg Downtown Coalition is established to oversee and ensure the timely execution of the 2013 Town of Cobourg Downtown Vitalization Action Plan. It is intended to focus the efforts and the coordination of all stakeholders that are working to promote and vitalize the Downtown. The Downtown Cobourg Coalition members approved by council are:

Mayor Brocanier/Economic Development Coordinator; Councillor Rickerby/Parks and Recreation Coordinator; Randy Crossen, Chairperson, Cobourg DBIA Kevin Ward, President, Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce Venture Initiative Member (when in place) Wendy McQueen, Cobourg Heritage Advisory Committee Member T. J. Flynn, Chairperson, Cobourg Economic Development Advisory Committee Gina Brouwer, Cobourg Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Member Carol McCann, Friends of Downtown Cobourg Member CAO Stephen Peacock, Staff Adviser Economic Development Officer, Wendy Gibson, Staff Adviser Jodi Ware‐Simpson, Secretary

For more information on the Downtown Cobourg Coalition contact TJ Flynn, Downtown Coalition Chair by emailing [email protected].

A Message fromDowntown

Coalition ChairTJ Flynn

On January 12 Cobourg Council approved the creation of the Downtown Coalition as an advisory committee to council. The purpose of the Coalition is to oversee and ensure the timely execution of the 2013 Town of Cobourg Downtown Vitalization Action Plan. It is intended to focus the efforts and the coordination of all stakeholders that are working to promote and vitalize the Downtown. The Coalition has identified 12 projects that will allow them to complete the mandate given to them in their Terms of Reference. Though not all 12 projects have begun, here's an update on the ongoing work.

Project #1: Review and make recommendations on the consultant report for the Venture Initiative. Members of both the Downtown Coalition and the Cobourg Economic Development Advisory Committee (CEDAC) have met and discussed the draft report with the consultant and are now preparing a letter of recommendation to be presented to Council by the end of May.

Project#2: Review and make recommendation on the consultant report regarding the Tourism Asset Feasibility Study. Members of both the Downtown Coalition and CEDAC expect to receive the draft report by end of April and will make their recommendation to council sometime in June.

Project#3: Prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) and select an organization to complete the Downtown Master Plan. The RFP was released and eight organizations responded. On April 20, Council approved the selection of Dillion Consulting to write our Downtown Master Plan. The targeted date for completion of the plan is July 30.

Project#4: Create a Downtown Coalition (Directive from Downtown Vitalization Action Plan). This is now complete.

Project#5: Create a Downtown Marketing Partnership. The Terms of Reference for this important sub‐committee of the Downtown Coalition are currently being written, which will then be followed by membership selection. Terms of Reference and membership names will be brought to Council for approval by the end of May.

Project#6: Execute Signage and Property Enhancements. Wayfinding signs have been erected on main entries to the downtown and waterfront. Henley Arcade beautification will begin after Council's recent approval of artist Heather Cooper's proposal. The project is targeted for completion by mid‐August.

Watch for more information to come with a busy couple of months ahead.

Sincerely,

TJ Flynn Downtown Coalition Chair

City Streaks Works Hard to Preserve Heritage Building Preserving Cobourg's beautiful heritage is important to everyone. As we celebrate the cultural heritage resources in the Town we speak with Lorraine Harnden of City Streaks, located at 39 King Street West, about the work she has done to her heritage building in Downtown Cobourg. Q. What drew you to this building? A. The location. With a hair dressing business, we are lucky that our clients do tend to follow us wherever we move in Town. I knew I would be more likely to get additional foot traffic if we were in the downtown but ultimately I chose the location because of the appeal of being in the downtown core. Q. What amenities does your building include? A. My business runs on the main floor and we use the basement for our lunch room, office and laundry. We also renovated the upstairs apartments that have helped me offset the fees of owning the building. Q. What work have you done to your heritage building? A. When I purchased the building it had a tin roof. The nails in the roof were no longer strong enough to hold it so when a wind storm occurred it would cause damage. When we removed it, we found six layers of shingles from past roofs which all had to be removed. ‐We updated a lot of the plumbing. ‐We had to re‐cement the parapet walls between the buildings. There were old chimneys that were once shared between the buildings and the walls needed to be repaired. ‐We added bigger commercial grade eavestroughs that helped keep water away from the basement. ‐We replaced the windows in the front of the building on the street level. ‐Renovated the apartments upstairs.

‐Over the last 13 years I have remade over the commercial building twice to keep it looking fresh and I always keep the entire building up to fire code. Q. What importance do you think the downtown has in Cobourg: A. It is important for the Town to have a vibrant downtown with lots of activities going on because it provides a place for people to interact with one another and get to know each other. Q. As someone who has done a lot of work to their heritage building what insights do you have for other owners who may be looking to do the same? A. If landlords are not putting the money back into the building then that is not in the best interest of anyone. With the profits I make I always try and put it back into my building which I feel is in my best interest as a business owner and the best interest of the Town and the people who live here. When buildings in the downtown are not being maintained it brings up a cost to all of us. Q. What initiatives have you enjoyed seeing in the downtown? A. I really appreciate the Downtown Revitalization committee. Having the committee shows that there are members of the community that see the importance of a dynamic downtown even in these tough economic times. It also shows the business owners downtown that the Town cares. Along with the Revitalization Committee, I also feel the Cobourg Police presence is positive for the downtown. I value the DBIA members who find the energy and time to put in the efforts that they can. Different businesses have different needs and there are a variety of issues all the time and I value the people who care to get involved. The Heritage Committee is very important to the downtown. I respect the energy and commitment that they have but some guidelines need to be more reasonable and attainable. As long as the overall integrity of the building is being maintained and key architecture is respected, a less zealous view about paint or specifications of materials used in replacing windows should be considered. A mix of integrity and common sense helps with the financial responsibilities of maintaining a heritage building. Q. What businesses do you think would benefit the Downtown if they were to be brought in? A. It would be nice to have the necessities that support residents in the downtown such as a hardware store, a meat market or a laundry. If there was someone who could oversee the weekly management, I think the farmers market should have a permanent location downtown and those vendors should be here all the time. I also believe we need more entertainment. We do a great job with plays but I think we need shared venues to host comedy acts and various recognized music bands, like country, jazz etc. We also need a hotel within walking distance of the downtown, with dining and rooms to attract conferences and weddings. A children’s clothing store would be beneficial as well. Q. What could help benefit the downtown for the future? A. It is important to stress the importance of shopping local. It would help all business and services if the citizens recognized that the current culture of spending their money at businesses that don’t charge tax just means that our taxes will continue to go up.

We need to deal with absentee landlords. Absentee doesn’t just mean geographically. Some of these landlords have had many prosperous years complements of Cobourg residents and it is time for them to give back. To start with the 30% tax break for empty buildings should be reversed. If you are giving tax breaks away, please give them to the landlords that renovate and fill their buildings and who constantly maintain the town’s assets, because these buildings should be thought of in those terms, as an asset to the town. Absentee landlords cost the town money and drive business away. We all need to fall in love with small downtowns again, and help make our downtown a place to safely stroll along brightly lit streets, be entertained, eat well, relax, shop, conduct business and exercise. We need more pedestrian traffic. A vibrant downtown will attract bigger business to the Cobourg area, which in turn brings employment. For more information on City Streaks visit the store at 39 King Street West, go to www.citystreaks.com or call (905) 373‐9339.

Downtown Business Owners Invited to Partake in Marina Welcome Bags

Cobourg's waterfront offers several opportunities to promote your business to beachgoers, campers, and boaters. Here are three easy ways:

1. By putting a coupon, insert or promotional item in their Welcome Bag program. 2. By putting up posters on bulletin boards promoting your events. 3. By placing rack cards, business cards and other promotional materials at the Marina and

Campground.

Please contact Julie at the Marina (905.372.2397) if you are interested in participating in the Welcome Bag program or would like to learn more about how you can promote your business at the waterfront!

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