Streetscape What's Going On, Whats Going Up, What Can I Do?
Bench Sponsorship
As always, the MarkeTo District BIA is committed to the beautification and improvement of the district. One of the improvement projects we are working on as part of our master Streetscape plan for the area. One of the common trends for BIAs in terms of beautification is the installation of benches in their districts. These serve three important functions. Firstly, the most obvious is it simply gives visitors and pedestrians in the area a place to sit, relax, enjoy a food or beverage or simply enjoy the weather. Secondly, it serves to create a more visually appealing look for the area by choosing pleasant to look at seating. The BIA has the intention of installing wrought iron for a classic and sophisticated look, with iron shadow backing for an artistic touch. This of course leads to our third intention with these benches, which is to allow sponsors and community partners to not only provide financial support for beautification by sponsoring a bench, but also to add to their own promotion by having their logo incorporated into the design of the bench, for an impression that should last as long as the bench does.
As the BIA works in partnership with the city, some of the cost of the benches will be shared with them, allowing the BIA to work in tandem with our partners in the city as well as community partners for mutual benefit and overall improvement and beautification of the area.
The BIA is planning to install between 10 and 15 benches in the district. If you would like to sponsor a bench in the district and have your logo incorporated into the design, please contact the BIA coordinator’s office to discuss.
Fire Hydrant Renewal Program
As has been stated, one of the goals of the MarkeTo District Business Improvement Area is the beautification and cleanliness of the area. This can take many forms, and sometimes is just about the little things added up. Residents and visitors to the district would be hard pressed not to notice the chipped, rusted and worn out fire hydrants in the area. Although these utilities serve a safety and emergency purpose, there is no reason for them to act as a collective reduction in the visual enjoyment of the area.
To that end, the MarkeTo District BIA is working with the city to ensure all fire hydrants within the borders of the BIA (currently between Wingold and Lawrence on Dufferin) are clean, well maintained and freshly painted. Normally, the process for hydrant repair, maintenance or painting must be handled one at a time. However, by being able to leverage the collective weight of the BIA, the city has allowed for repair and replacement requests to be submitted in bulk for a faster turnaround time.
A request has been placed for a complete refurbishment of the more rusted out hydrants, painting to take place between July and October of 2018. It is the hope of the BIA that these continued adjustments and improvements contribute significantly to the overall look and beauty of the area.
If you have any comments regarding our ongoing efforts to pretty up the place, or notice something you would like us to look into, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Have a look at some of the hydrants in the district that have been reported for renewal:
Safe Crossing Initiaitve
One of the priorities for the MarkeTo district BIA is to not only make the district safe and accessible to local residents, but also to visitors. Although the district has the benefit of being located on Dufferin, one of the main north/south streets in the city, it has the unfortunate hazard of lots of high speed motorists. Not only does this tend to discourage pedestrian traffic, but can also be a safety issue as well. Long time residents and locals are all painfully aware of the lack of the needed number of safe crossing sites on Dufferin in the district, and considering the significant number of students and children who live, play and go to school in the area, this issue is certainly a priority for the BIA.
It is easy to see that having numerous east-west pedestrian safe crossing sites would allow for a smooth transfer of visitors, residents and general pedestrians across the street. The current shortfall tends to not only encourage jaywalking, but also does not serve as an effective break of the traffic that is traversing north-south, particularly around rush hour.
The BIA, its members, local businesses and community partners have all expressed their desire to rectify this situation, and have been working diligently with the local councillor and the city over the past few years to navigate the red tape and regulations needed to implement this needed safety adjustment.
The spots that were identified and that have received permits for new crossings were Wingold and Dufferin and Glengrove and Dufferin. The BIA is proud to announce that the Wingold/Dufferin crosswalk as of July of 2018 has been installed, with the secondary crossing at Glengrove to be installed in a few short months.
If you have any questions regarding the BIA, district safety or any safety initiatives or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Stay safe out there, and remember to look both ways.
