Regina mayor delivers state of the city address with focus on downtown revitalization – Regina | 24CA News
Regina mayor Sandra Masters gave her state of town handle Thursday, marking the 55th annual handle within the Queen City.
Many Regina business leaders had been in attendance to listen to how Masters feels concerning the present state of Regina together with previous metropolis failures and future initiatives.
Read extra:
Catalyst committee 707-page report met with combined reactions from Regina residents, councillors
On the heels of the catalyst committee proposing quite a few initiatives for metropolis council to debate Wednesday, Masters was fast to share how she felt about the way forward for Regina.
“We need our city centre to be culture and entertainment and we need to create public value in our dirt fields and we need to stabilize and enhance our downtown,” Masters stated throughout her speech.
“We either plan for (these projects) and get ready for funding even if we don’t know when it’s coming or our old buildings are going to fail as we spend millions of dollars on duct tape.”
The 5 huge initiatives advisable by the committee embrace a brand new aquatic centre, the central library venture, the multi-purpose occasion centre, the out of doors baseball facility and the out of doors artificial soccer subject.
The query for a lot of nevertheless, stays the place town will obtain funding for the initiatives as every required at the very least 20 per cent of the full price to be coated by town.
Masters didn’t remark particularly on whether or not taxes will go up or different packages will probably be minimize, however stated she has been in talks with each the provincial and federal governments advocating for funding.
When the funding does come by way of, Masters believes will probably be an enormous step for town.
“These projects are going to be a godsend for our downtown,” she defined.
Some business leaders on the occasion informed Global News they hope the brand new initiatives assist to revitalize the Regina business sectors.
“It’s going to increase businesses, it’s going to increase entertainment options downtown and that will attract people to live downtown,” stated Tony Playter of the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce.
Others nevertheless, worry the downtown revamp will go away present residents feeling the pinch of their wallets.
“If we do not take good care of our city centre that tax burden is going to fall on the residents of our city and quite frankly they are not going to be able to keep up with the level of service that everyone currently enjoys,” stated Leasa Gibbons, govt director of Regina’s Warehouse Business Improvement District.
City council is anticipated to debate whether or not to maneuver ahead on the brand new aquatic centre on March 8, with the opposite initiatives scheduled to be mentioned on March 22.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
