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What is the BIA?
The Carleton Place Business Improvement Association began in 1979. The business community requested that the downtown be designated as an improvement area through municipal bylaws and provincial legislation and the BIA was formed.
The Carleton Place BIA promotes the downtown as a business and shopping area, not just a group of individual shops, restaurants and offices. Our mandate is twofold; beautification and promotion. Our ongoing floral beautification, seasonal banner program, and decorative lighting, add to the vibrant streetscape. We use promotional activities and special events to keep downtown Carleton Place foremost in the public’s mind as an attractive, pleasant place to shop, to be entertained, to work and to live.
The formal designation of the BIA provides a forum for business members and property owners to participate, through a Board of Management and its committees. The BIA is a self-help mechanism funded through a special municipal tax, designed to assist the local business area. It allows for planned programs to be developed through an annual budget contributed to, by all its members. The ongoing efforts of the BIA attract and maintain customers, clients, and shoppers in the commercial area, as well as attracting new business to the community.
Goals of the BIA:
- To draw a larger customer base to the BIA area.
- To develop and strengthen the business community to be a unified body.
- To be the voice of BIA businesses.
- To make the BIA area an enjoyable experience for each person who visits
- To reflect the concerns and needs of the BIA business community to all levels of government.
- To maintain and increase awareness of the BIA to BIA members
Benefits of the BIA:
- Co-ordinated efforts – more impact and profile in the community.
- Sustained funding- ongoing fiscal and marketing management provides the ability to plan programs in advance.
- Self reliance- provides the mechanism to raise money to be spent on useful projects within our area.
- Restore pubic image- the activities of the BIA raise the profile of the area by raising money to be spent on useful projects.
- Community benefits- to build a business area that is physically attractive, well marketed and successful.
As revised by the new Municipal Act, which came into effect January 1, 2003 and in accordance to the Town of Carleton Place by-law which governs the BIA,
A board of management shall be composed of:
- one or more directors appointed directly by the municipality; and the remaining directors selected by a vote of the membership of the improvement area and appointed by the municipality.
The term of the board of management is the same as the term of the council that appointed them but continues until their successors are appointed. By-law 54-92 says the Board of Management should consist of a minimum of five members and a maximum of eight members plus a municipal representative (nine members)
A new Board must be appointed/elected for a new four-year term, coinciding with the municipal elections. The current board is as follows:
Carleton Place BIA Board of Management
Paul Sorfleet
Valley Design
22 Lake Ave. E. Carleton Place, ON.
Phone: 613- 257-1197 Fax: 613- 257- 1198
Email: valleydesigns@hotmail.com
Ben McNeely
Kelly Huibers McNeely, Chartered Accounts
9 Emily Street, Carleton Place, Ont K7C 1R9
613-963-1430 (p) 613-257-5722 (f)
Email bmcneely@khmpc.ca
Dennis Burn
25 Morphy Street, Carleton Place, Ont K7C
613-229-0019 or email dennisanddebbieburn@gmail.com
Dena Comley
The Granary
107 Bridge Street, Carleton Place K7C 2V4
613-257-5986 (p) 613-250-0484 (cell) or email dena@granary.ca
Petra Graber
Good Food Company
31 Bridge Street, Carleton Place
613-257-7284 or email goodfoodco@sympatico.ca
Aisha Toor
Read’s Book Shop
130 Lansdowne Avenue, Carleton Place
613-257-7323 or email aisha@concept42.ca
Jack Taylor
Property Owner of Bridge Street Apartments 157 Bridge St.
Mailing address 8520 Flewellyn RD, Ashton K0A 1B0
613-253-5249 (p) email jtaylor174@gmail.com
Councillor Gary Strike
Town Council
42 Nelson St. Carleton Place, K7C 3P5
613-257-8120 (h) 613-889-8120 or email garystrike@rogers.com
Cathie McOrmond
BIA Staff
175 Bridge St. Carleton Place, ON. K7C 2V8
Phone: 612- 257- 8049 or 613- 257- 8170
Email: info@downtowncarletonplace.com
cmcormond@carletonplace.ca