Squamish may soon have a new addition a downtown square.
As a part of the municipality's downtown transformation initiative, District of Squamish staff are in the final stages of ironing out a space for of a temporary downtown square, municipal planner Sabina Foofat told Committee of the Whole on Tuesday (July 23).
We are so close to securing property for a temporary town square, she said, noting the location of the would-be square is confidential. We want to build a sense of arrival and pride to downtown.
District staff are meeting with community groups to ensure efforts to spiff up Squamish's heart aren't duplicated. So far they've met with the volunteer group Imagine Squamish that's focused on tidying up downtown and are in contact with the outdoor art exhibit Vancouver Biennale, which is slated to come to town next year.
Officials are moving forward an initiative started by Imagine Squamish, Foofat noted. They are looking at placing a driftwood bench outside of the Squamish's community policing office on Cleveland Avenue.
Signage throughout the community will be beefed up and staff are working with local heritage groups to bring Squamish's history into its neighbourhoods. Besides a downtown square, staff are examining developing a community pump track, bouldering feature and slacklines.
Because the budget is tight, this is an opportunity to think outside the box, Foofat said, noting staff plan to fund maintenance outside of the $150,000 downtown transformation budget.
Council passed a motion that the district waive purchasing policies for projects that are done in partnership with registered non-profit organizations. That paves the way for municipal staff to work closely with community groups, Foofat said.
Officials have contracted Shannon Lorenz to piece together a schedule for downtown events as part of the district's initiative, community and business services general manager Randy Stoyko said.
Lorenz will meet with local groups, such as the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, and draft a marketing plan. Within two weeks, district officials will a rough schedule in their hands, Stokyo said.
