Image: Village of Keremeos
A slide from Keremeos’ open house on Oct. 11, showing where work will take place for a downtown enhancement project.
The downtown visual enhancement project in Keremeos is important for the community.
After recent news the town’s only bank will be closing, and that Greyhound may cut its bus routes through Keremeos, the project is particularly crucial to attract people and business.
“For every community, it is important to stay attractive,” Mayor Manfred Bauer said.
“A downtown core has a traditional value… but it also has an attraction component, where visitors will stop and are more likely to do business, have business and and bring business into the community.
“Those are the main components, apart from the actual visual enhancement that every resident can enjoy.”
One major visual enhancement expected with the planned project is the creation of a pocket park on 7th Avenue, the town’s main street which is also a section of Highway 3.
Bauer said a visual entrance to the downtown centre and other signage improvements are expected additions that would be noticeable for those driving through town.
“You’ll actually have a feeling, despite the highway, that this is a downtown core.”
He added that traffic-calming measures will also be put in place. A speed-reader has already been installed, and curb flares and extra crosswalks will be added.
Plans have been in the works to enhance the downtown strip in the town since last year.
Last week, the town hosted a second open house to show citizens how the plans look so far.
“We had over 50 people attending, which is a lot for a small town,” Bauer said.
He noted residents filled out feedback forms, and the findings from those will be brought to council soon to determine what the next step is for the project.
Council is hopeful work on the project can break ground in the early spring, beginning with putting in water main lines and basic infrastructure.
Bauer noted as well that some funding grants for work have been extended because the town hasn’t yet used them, citing a labor shortage from the spring and summer’s extreme weather.
“There’s a large variety of opportunities … The details will have to be flushed out by the community,” Bauer said.
“We don’t want this to be a council project, this is a community project.”
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