The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The new City of Flin Flon budget is chalk full of infrastructure investments. A total of $1 million has been set aside to cover projects ranging from storm sewer replacements to soccer field development. And while all that work is either important or necessary, it may be time for the powers that be to consider opening the coffers to downtown renewal. When I say "downtown renewal", many of you will think I'm talking about the Main Street business sector. I'm actually referring to both the businesses and dozens of homes located above the hill. Downtown (or uptown, if you prefer) is the older part of town, and it's showing. You don't need 20/20 vision to see that quite a few homes haven't been kept up. Some appear to defy the laws of gravity by not collapsing. Others are abandoned and prone to vagrants and vandalism. Sights like these deter from the aesthetics of our community every bit as much as a pot hole-strewn road or graffiti. And the problem isn't just about outward appearances. Consider the Broken Windows Theory of noted criminologists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. The pair sum up their hypothesis best with this example: "Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside." I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge all of the work the city has done to demolish some of downtown's derelict homes. However, they can't haul out the wrecking ball on a whim. Unless a building is turned over to the municipality, acquired in a tax sale, or determined structurally unsound, there's not much that can be done. It's true that the provincial tax assessment system deters home improvement. If you fix up your house, its value goes up Ð and your taxes aren't far behind. It's also true that if somebody is perfectly happy living in something that looks like the Beverly Hillbillies left behind, that's their prerogative. But what if the city offered an impetus? What if tax incentives encouraged the enhancement or, in extreme cases, demolition of homes that don't measure up? What if downtown residential lots were sold at huge discounts? It's amazing what even one new home can do for the overall look and feel of a neighbourhood. What about Main Street? Plenty of ideas have been bandied about on how enhance the shopping district. Though there are nice buildings on Main, maybe incentives are in order for some exterior work. Maybe funds could be set aside for a small picnic area or historical display. The obvious problem with a downtown incentive program is that people from other parts of the city would no doubt want a piece of the pie. There will be complainers, but there are complainers no matter what decisions are made. I see nothing wrong with saying we're going to focus on renewing a section of the city in need and leave it at that. How practical are my ideas? I honestly don't know. I do know that it's time to at least start this discussion. Downtown is deteriorating, and it would be a real shame to see the oldest and most historical section of our community slide any further. Local Angle runs Fridays.
