Natasha Baldin/News Staff
Local businesses, office workers, city staff and council took to the streets Tuesday (June 27) morning with brooms, cloths and rubber gloves to freshen up parts of the downtown core.
The first-annual scrub-up event, hosted by the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association, is part of the city’s new OUR DWTN revitalization program, which will see close to $1 million invested to refresh and activate downtown areas.
“It’s the sort of thing you’d do to your own home to make it more comfortable. We’re treating the downtown as our downtown home,” said Mayor Marianne Alto, who participated in cleaning initiatives at the event.
Scrub-up kits containing a bucket, cleaning spray, rubber gloves, cloth rags, a wire brush and information brochures were available at seven stations scattered across downtown for local businesses and other registrants hoping to freshen up their corner of downtown.
Alto said the initiative is an important opportunity to support the many businesses that call downtown Victoria home.
“We’re branding this as our downtown, but it’s also the businesses’ downtown. They create the buzz, they create the opportunities, they create the interactions and the places people go and work with one another and be part of that type of community, so we wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” she said.
Kaleidoscope Theatre was one of the businesses to pick up a scrub bucket, bringing their whole team out to freshen up their building’s exterior.
As the theatre company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, artistic and executive director Pat Rundell said the scrub-up was an important opportunity to give back to the community that has supported them for so long.
“We’re showing we’re all in this together and that we’re all part of the thriving business community that is downtown, and it’s fun to be able to bring our entire team out and create that sense of community,” Rundell said.
One of the city’s new, accessible and high-capacity waste bins that will be installed across downtown starting in the fall was also on display.
The new bins hold 120 litres of waste, more than double the capacity of current bins, reducing the number of times they need to be emptied each day. Side openings also improve accessibility for those using mobility devices.
OUR DWTN initiatives will continue throughout the year and include more cleaning initiatives, new retail experiences, pop-up culinary options, as well as recreational and cultural programming.
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