The Cloverdale Business Improvement Association (BIA) will continue to step back from organizing large events such as parades or festivals and concentrate instead on “beautification” efforts, according to the BIA’s annual general meeting held last Monday evening (Feb. 26).
The BIA will spend twice as much on beautification than special events in the coming year, nearly doubling the beautification budget from $28,700 in 2017 to $60,500 in 2018. The special events budget has lowered from $44,500 to $28,200.
The BIA’s total operating budget for 2018 is $226,000. Office fees and wages total $129,800. Of the remaining $96,200, $60,500 will go towards beautification, $28,200 to special events, and the remaining $7,500 is split between communications, economic development and crime prevention.
Instead of hosting events, the BIA will focus on sponsoring events that community organizations undertake in Cloverdale.
In his opening remarks, BIA President Dean Moore said that in 2017, the BIA continued “towards more of global governing.”
“Because our budget is small, we continue to re-focus away from large special events due to increase cost needed to host them,” said Moore. “But we will continue to help organize and help fund through sponsorship the current calendar events.”
Moore identified “parking issues” as Cloverdale’s number one issue and he announced that the BIA will partner with the City of Surrey to improve three parking lots in the downtown business core in the coming year. The BIA’s beautification budget includes $20,000 to go towards re-painting parking stall lines, adding garbage enclosures and possibly fencing, increasing lighting and improving landscaping.
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner addressed the crowd to highlight residential, commercial and public amenity developments in Cloverdale that were completed or undertaken in the past year.
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Hepner pointed to residential and commercial developments as markers of Cloverdale’s success, including the 112-unit Hawthorne development currently under construction and two new multi-tenant commercial buildings that are expected to break ground soon. A single-storey commercial building at 5795 176 Street has recently received a development permit and a two-storey commercial building at 17568 58th Avenue is currently at third reading at city council, according to Hepner.
“As more and more people are coming to live and work in Cloverdale, it is important that we keep up with the public amenities to service the growing population,” said Hepner. “I’m happy to report that significant investments are being make on the parks, recreation and culture front. Not as quickly by the way as I or my council would have liked, but they’re on the way.”
She mentioned the $44 million Cloverdale Sport + Ice Complex, expected to be completed in late 2019; the opening of a $42 million Clayton community centre in 2019/2020, which will include a gymnasium, performing arts spaces, a library and more; and the fall 2018 opening of the $15.8 million expansion to the Museum of Surrey.
Hepner also highlighted improvements to Cloverdale green spaces over the past year, as well as discussing upcoming projects that contribute to the “enviable quality of life in Cloverdale.” She mentioned the new Bose Forest Park and the $5.8 million in improvements to Cloverdale Athletic Park, including its water park.
When BIA Executive Director Paul Orazietti took to the floor to explain ongoing projects, he also touched on parking and green space initiatives.
Orazietti said the BIA will continue to work on improvements to parking, green spaces, security and crime prevention measures and access to transit, as well as crack down on illegal dumping.
The BIA will once again be working to install gateway signs that welcome visitors and provide a sense of a Cloverdale identity, a “dream” that Orazietti said has existed in Cloverdale for nearly 30 years. The project has been delayed, and is now expected to be completed in 2019.
Orazietti said the BIA will also be looking to add public art installations and to improve existing green spaces within Cloverdale.
Although the BIA will focus on beautification in 2018, Orazietti said that Cloverdale residents can still expect a line up of familiar events.
The BIA will continue to support the annual rodeo parade, bed races and chili cook off, and continue to sponsor community events such as the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce’s Clovies Awards and the Cloverdale Art and Entertainment Association’s Market Days.
As every year, the Santa Parade will be “conditional” on sponsorship and participants that commit later in the year, said Orazietti.
Eleven board members were instated with no election at the AGM, as there is room for fifteen people on the BIA board. Mike Garisto of Kearney Funeral Services is new to the board in 2018, and returning to the board is Kent Archibald, Steve Bednash, Alex Charles, Freda Matern, Dean Moore, Michelle Moore, James O’Neill, Rob Paterson, Frank Redekop and Terry Stewart.
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