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Orangeville Council approves BIA’s sidewalk decal project

September 23, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The sidewalks in downtown Orangeville are getting revamped.

No – not reconstructed, yet, but reinvigorated with decals showing the business community’s appreciation to shoppers for supporting them through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Orangeville Council approved a motion 7-0 that was brought forward last Monday (Sept. 13) by the BIA asking to place a total of 25 removable, non-slip decals on downtown sidewalks that read “Thanks for Shopping Local.”

“That’s an image that we would like to share, and as you can see, it’s just to thank our community for shopping local, for supporting downtown businesses and really all local businesses during the pandemic,” said Alison Scheel, who delivered a brief presentation to Council regarding the project.

“The support that local businesses have had from our community during the COVID-19 crisis has been exceptional, and I think our local businesses recognize that and just want to make a declaration of thanks.”

The locations for the decals include 20 along Broadway between John and Third Street, two on Mill Street between Broadway and Little/York Street, one on Second Street between Broadway and First Ave, and one on the south side of Little York Street.

Scheel noted that the non-slip material used for the sidewalk decals is the same as what’s used by Canadian Tire or Tim Hortons since the start of the pandemic to direct and control pedestrian traffic in their business.

Deputy Mayor Andy MacIntosh said it’s important to stress that the “Thanks for Shopping Local” decals are non-slip, as he’s concerned people might get the wrong idea and take their concerns to social media, sparking untrue rumours.

Scheel said the Orangeville BIA was hoping to have the project done earlier in the summer, as they’re unsure if the decals will survive past winter, but noted that if they become unsightly or begin to wear away, they can be easily removed.

“This is really just a test run, and this is the minimum amount that we could print, … 25 is minimum,” she explained.

While Scheel made note of the possibility of trying the project again next year once the downtown sidewalks are replaced, Mayor Sandy Brown said his vote in favour of the project’s approval was a one-off for him.

“This is a very unusual circumstances with the COVID and I would not be voting again in the future for this to be a regular occurrence,” he said. “I just want to make that point clear, but I am supportive of this on a temporary basis to show our support to the community for helping and supporting our local businesses.” 

The motion for the project passed unanimously.

Orangeville Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 27. d

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