New DBIA chair aims to mitigate COVID-19 impact
Architect Michael Gallant took over Wednesday as chair of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area association board of management.
“It’s nice that the other board members had the confidence to elect me to that position,” Gallant said Wednesday.
A design principal at Lett Architects on Simcoe Street, he succeeds Ashburnham Realty owner Paul Bennett as chair of the DBIA board. Bennett stepped down after serving on the board since 2015 and as chair since 2018.
Gallant said Bennett offered much leadership and vision over the years, and that DBIA chairs and board members generally devote a lot of time to volunteer projects to promote downtown growth.
Gallant expects the DBIA will continue advocating for a downtown location for the city’s planned new major sport and entertainment centre. City council is still debating where to locate it .
Gallant chaired the downtown vibrancy committee, which undertook:
Several “depave” projects (alongside partners at GreenUp, where paved areas were converted into gardens); á The new painted canoe installation (where Indigenous artist Tia Cavanagh painted a full-size canoe, installed outside Euphoria Wellness Spa); á The new painted paddle installation project (where paddles painted with artistic designs will be installed in the downtown starting next month).
Gallant said initiatives such as those will continue, as well as other projects to mitigate the challenges wrought upon downtown by the COVID-19 pandemic. One successful project has been the Boro gift cards, Gallant said, which are redeemable in all participating downtown businesses.