Martial arts business Control Jiu Jitsu will receive a municipal grant to install a new sign at its new home, even though an advisory committee recommended against providing the funding.
During its July 8 regular meeting, city council voted 5-2 to provide the martial arts business with $3,010 so it could purchase an LED sign for its new location at 244A River Street West. This funding is to come from the Downtown Façade Improvement Grant program.
Councillors Brian Swanson and Scott McMann were opposed.
The municipal heritage advisory committee originally recommended denying the grant application due to the lack of any heritage aspects to the project. However, council voted 5-2 to defeat that recommendation, with Swanson and McMann in favour.
Council also voted 6-1 to approve an application from Simplicitea Boutique and Tea Room at 50 Stadacona Street West for $5,000 for outside improvements, also through the Downtown Façade Improvement Grant program.
Swanson was opposed.
Martial arts presentation
Control Jiu Jitsu co-owner Donald Booth explained to city council that the organization had recently moved into its third location, on River Street West, which is an area identified as part of the warehouse district.
The non-profit group’s intent was to install a simple backlit box sign, he continued, but then it heard there was an improvement grant available and decided to pursue a 3D LED sign. However, the heritage advisory committee said it should not be eligible for the grant funding since it wasn’t a heritage building.
After reading the policy and downtown design guidelines, Booth believed his organization’s application was still applicable even if the building wasn’t a heritage structure.
“The heritage committee wants the grant to go to heritage projects. We get it,” he said. “But commercial signage is specifically listed as eligible for the grant.”
The downtown design guidelines specifically discourage box-style designs and encourage a range of high quality 3D designs for modern infill buildings, Booth pointed out. The point of the grant and design guidelines is to increase the quality of designs downtown. He believed this grant would help the martial arts business do that.
Booth added it didn’t make sense to award the grant to heritage buildings only since the grant and guidelines apply to all downtown buildings.
Council discussion
This application doesn’t have any heritage basis, especially when compared to the application from Simplicitea Boutique, said Coun. Crystal Froese, a member of the heritage advisory committee. The sign might look good, but it has no historic value.
She noted the heritage committee looked at the application from a heritage appeal aspect.
This is the Downtown Façade Improvement Grant program; its policy doesn’t say anything about heritage value, said Coun. Heather Eby. She didn’t think council could deny the application since it fits within the grant policy outline.
This grant program has created more bureaucracy, paperwork, and friction in the community simply to help owners enhance their businesses, Swanson said. Council is now picking winners and losers as it hands out small amounts of grant funding.
“We should leave it to individual business owners to take care of their businesses … ,” he said. “Now we going through these hoops to create work for people who have a whole bunch of other things to do.”
The next regular council meeting is July 22.
