1. The discussion began around who was going to be included in Property Standard meetings. It was decided that the next meeting should include all Property Standards, Long Term Planning & the Co-ordinator committee members to combine the mission statements for the proposed “Downtown Neighbourhood Association”, and establish protocols for meetings and activities.
2. Discussion that followed was varied.
3. Councilor Jeff Lehman will be contacted for the list of names of people who signed up to get involved with this project.
4. These people will then be called and advised of where and when the meetings will take place.
5. They will be asked to check out the Barrie Property Standard website, so they can be informed before they come to the meeting, and therefore bring forth their concerns, ideas, suggestions and questions.
6. A person from City Standards & a Police spokesperson will be invited to speak to the group at the next meeting.
7. The main purpose of this will be to educate ourselves and to learn what it is we can and cannot do.
8. Stephen Riddell to set a time & date for this meeting.
9. Issues that were discussed:
10. More park benches, trees, & planters are needed on downtown streets, to encourage people of all ages to be comfortable downtown.
11. Public outdoor toilets, containers for cigarette butts and more garbage bins would help to keep the streets cleaner.
12. Can the lavatories in the bus station be open on weekends?
13. The City of Barrie has allowed Maple Ave. to go downhill, showing a distinct uncaring attitude. Things are deteriorating to the point of embarrassment. They need to take responsibility for the sidewalks & overgrown shrubbery on vacant lots.
14. A suggestion was made that a slush fund be created by local bar owners, to pay for damages caused by patrons. This would be to raise awareness that bad conduct will not be tolerated.
15. Can the city impose a liquor tax to pay for clean-up? Maybe ask if BIA can help in this matter.
16. Organizing a community walk to document & take photos of deteriorating properties would be a good way to illustrate our concerns, and to get a perspective of the downtown area.
17. It was expressed that we need to put a face on violence. It was suggested that if young people who witnessed kids doing damage to trees, and defacing public property downtown, would take photos, some kind of reward could be offered as incentive for doing so.
18. Trees could be planted with plaques, such as, “Sponsored By”, or In “Memory Of”. It would give them more meaning. These could be given to school kids to plant.• A two hour meeting will be set up for the last week of September, sometime between the 21st-25th, for finally establishing the mission statement, as well as the duties of the committee and presentations to committee.
19. The session adjourned at 8:30pm