RDBID hopes for at least two new projects for Regina’s downtown
Breadcrumb Trail Links Local News Town Hall
“To the rest of the world, downtown represents the spirit of the entire city and even of the province. It is the representation of the spirit of this place.”
Tim Tompkins speaks at the Hotel Saskatchewan as part of the City Building Speaker Luncheon Series hosted by the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID), the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce and the Regina.Warehouse District Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader -Post the content of the article
Regina and New York City, there’s not much in common between the two, but as Queen City seeks to revitalize its downtown core, the Big Apple offers some clues.
advertising 2
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
During a City Building Speaker Luncheon Series hosted by the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID), the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce, and the Regina Warehouse District, Tim Tompkins, past President of Time’s Square Alliance, spoke about the improvements being made he helped Champion in New York’s legendary Times Square.
Regina Leader Post Headline News
By clicking the subscribe button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thank you for registering!
content of the article
When asked what he thinks downtown Regina needs, Tompkins highlighted a few things but felt the city already has “85 percent of what it needs.”
Catalyst Committee poll results show support for library and water center projects Bye-bye Brandt Centre? The aging arena is too small to attract bigger acts, says REAL
“There’s really good bones here in terms of the buildings, the spirit of the people, the culture and entertainment options, but I think you need some target drivers,” Tompkins said.
advertising 3
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
In a press release for the event, Tony Plater, CEO of Chambr, said: “If you look around the country, vibrant inner cities have multi-purpose event centers and new libraries.”
Judith Veresuk, executive director of RDBID, said the city center wants “reinvestment” in general and two of the five proposed projects being considered by the catalyst committee in particular.
The catalyst committee was formed to find efficiencies between several proposed projects in the city. The projects in question are a proposed new multi-purpose events center to replace the Brandt Center, an indoor aquatic center to replace the Lawson Aquatic Center, a multi-purpose outdoor baseball field, an outdoor synthetic soccer field, and the “modernization” of the Central Branch of the Library.
advertising 4
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
“We’re very focused on the multipurpose facility,” said Veresuk. “The central library is already here, and whether they are remodeling or moving here downtown, there needs to be investment in this building.”
Judith Veresuk, executive director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, hopes at least two of the projects under review by the catalyst committee are downtown. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post
While New York City operates its Metropolitan Transportation Authority with buses and trains, Regina Transit needs to improve its offerings as the city looks to increase usage and access to downtown, Tompkins said.
“Public transit and other modes of transportation are really important,” Tompkins said. Both Canada and America are very “car-centric,” Tompkins said, and as such there has to be time to give people time to warm to the idea and get drawn into using things like public transit.
“You have to make them comfortable walking around and getting on a shuttle bus, so it’s actually easier and more sensible to park their car in a parking garage,” Tompkins said. “You just have to do it yourself.”
advertising 5
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
Veresuk felt that additional projects and facilities downtown would help attract more people not only to visit but to live there.
While she said it could be “boring,” the planned work on 11th Avenue downtown will enable the city to have some real, tangible improvements that will encourage more downtown housing units.
“One of the challenges facing downtown residential areas was not having enough fill levels to flush 500 extra toilets at once,” Veresuk said.
Tompkins said while there is a good framework of people and existing infrastructure, Regina needs to improve on what it currently has in the city core.
“Downtown represents the spirit of the entire city and even the province to the rest of the world. It represents the spirit of this place,” Tompkins said.
The news seems to be coming at us faster and faster. From COVID-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be difficult to keep up. With that in mind, the Regina Leader-Post has created an afternoon headline newsletter that can be delivered to your inbox daily, ensuring you’re up to date with the day’s biggest news. Click here to login.
Share this article on your social network Ad 1
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Remarks
Postmedia strives to maintain a vibrant but civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to be moderated before they appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve turned on email notifications – you’ll now receive an email when you get a reply to your comment, there’s an update on a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments follows. For more information and details on how to customize your email settings, see our Community Guidelines.
