Revitalizing A Village - Valemount Completes Major Works on its Downtown
Friday, November 13, 2009

For the Village of Valemount it has been a busy and dusty summer that has resulted in a transformation of the downtown core and improved tourism opportunities.

“The Village had this project planned for a very long time, with the objective of creating the right conditions to attract new business and residents; to strengthen our downtown core and our marketing image,” said Silvio Gislimberti, Economic Development Officer Village of Valemount.

A $1.151-million task, the Village’s revitalization project encompassed major road work, electrical work, water works, pedestrian traffic redirection and beautification along its main street, Fifth Avenue, between Cedar and Dogwood Street.

“We know we have good traffic numbers on the highway, and we know that if we can even make 1-2 per cent of that traffic stop in our downtown and spend an hour, that will have a big impact on our local economy,” he explains.

Katherine Hamilton, CBT Community Liaison said she is excited about the completion of this project for the Village: “CBT supports strategic projects that can assist with strengthening a community’s sustainability and diversify its economy. The Village of Valemount has been working diligently on this revitalization project with those goals in mind. It’s taken years of planning and research, and we are happy to be able to contribute to their success.”

CBT has supported the project in total with $251,000 over three years through the locally delivered Community Initiatives Program.

“CBT played a big role in making this project happen, and the Village of Valemount realizes how important this support has been,” said Gislimbarti, adding that he felt without the funding support from CBT, the government funding might not have happened and this project would have been impossible.

Initial plans for the revitalization project began in 1999, but many more years of research and planning studies preceded the Village’s ability to take action. Gislimbarti said this period in the 90s was often referred to as the “study years” by the Village, when it seemed all funding was being given to planning.

“When the federal government announced its Federal Mountain Pine Beetle Funding and the Community Diversification Initiative in 2007 it seemed there was finally dollars for the real concrete, brick and mortar. That’s what we needed,” said Gislimbarti.

In addition to CBT funds, the project received support from federal and provincial government grants and the Northern Development Initiative Trust.

With the revitalization project complete, the Village hopes to change its industrial image to a mountain resort community with a mixed and diversified economy.

For more information on the Village of Valemount visit their website.