From painting benches and garbage cans to hosting car shows, the Downtown Moose Jaw Association (DMJA) continues to make that area one of the best locations to visit again and again.
The organization held its 2022 annual general meeting on April 13, where it highlighted its successes from last year, featured its strategic plan and objectives for this year, discussed its finances, summarized the results of a recent survey and nominated new directors.
The Downtown Moose Jaw Association was created in 2019; its predecessor was the business improvement district, which shuttered in 1988.
The downtown voice
“We’re really here to be the local voice for our business owners to try and beautify our city. Our objectives are 100-per-cent aligned with the local area plan that the city developed back in 2017,” said board chair Geoff Anderson.
Those objectives or pillars included visibility and awareness, communication, economic stimulation and downtown vitality/beautification.
2022 successes
The association was “out and about” several times last year promoting events, said Anderson.
This year’s second annual event occurs Saturday, May 13, while 350 tickets are available.
The association organized the Little Chicago Show and Shine last September, which attracted 220 vehicles and spurred plenty of economic activity downtown.
This year’s event occurs Saturday, Sept. 16.
Christmas in Moose Jaw has been around for years — it was the brainchild of businesswoman Yvette Moore — and is always a success, said Anderson.
The organization gave the city $25,000 so the latter could install new Christmas lights to help “knock our Christmas season out of the park, to get people really excited about this gem of a downtown that we have,” he continued.
“We have one of the most beautiful downtowns at Christmas. I think a lot of it has to do with her vision.”
The inaugural Snowtorious Family Day winter carnival this past February was successful and had a great turnout despite the cold weather that froze the condiments, Anderson said. The group will determine how to keep the mustard and ketchup from freezing next year.
The former St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church gave the DMJA a donation several years ago, which it will use to commission a sculpture to honour Ukraine, he continued.
Community artist Bill Keen has been working with the Ukrainian community to determine a suitable sculpture, while the public art committee will secure the location.
New directors
Current board members Gabrielle Belanger, Alex Carleton, Kelly Carty and John Iatridis were acclaimed for two more years, while Sunni Padfield — owner of With These Hands — was nominated for a one-year term.
Also, Sarah Simison, executive director of the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre and managing artistic director with the Festival of Words, was named an ex-officio member to represent the downtown’s non-profit sector.
2023 objectives
Some of the association’s promotional activities this year include:
- Second quarter: Communities in Bloom, flower pot program, pop-up patio program, community clean up on May 7, Greek Night
- Third quarter: Sidewalk Days, Little Chicago Show and Shine, Prohibition Days cross-promotion campaign, Ukrainian art installation
The DMJA’s objectives for 2024-27 are similar to this year’s, while new features include promoting: the winter festival, new downtown street signs, a walking art/history program that’s enhanced with augmented reality or videos, and a World Whiskey Festival.
By 2025 the association wants to become a full-fledged business improvement district, allowing it to impose a tax levy on downtown shops with the city matching funding of roughly $55,000, Anderson said. However, that levy is still just an idea.
“I can’t stress enough how many people I talk to who aren’t from Moose Jaw, that when they come to our downtown, they’re blown away … ,” he added. “But really, we want to keep that momentum going, and through those four pillars I discussed, we’ll be able to do that.
