No one can deny Gerard Lamontagne’s commitment to, and love for, Snow Lake.
He left over a decade ago to make his way west to Alberta. After gaining success in that province, he came back and invested in the town he outgrew but never forgot.
One can tell that Lamontagne looks upon Snow Lake as a community that was good to him in his youth. And he is only too eager to return the favour.
Lamontagne is one of two owners of the Snow Lake Motor Inn, our community’s landmark watering hole. The other is his nephew, Dustin Lamontagne.
Since that investment and his subsequent return, Gerard has looked up and down the street his business sits upon – not with the sense of sadness and a shake of the head that comes from many, but with excitement and a firm belief in its underlying potential.
He envisions sidewalks where gravel currently sits, and buildings where there are vacant lots. He sees neon lights and facades and things that welcome potential customers, rather than leave them wondering where an entrance is or what’s inside a given building.
So what does a man with an idea do? Well, he talks to others who are like-minded. Those positive attitudes feed off of one another until ideas are hatched, plans are developed, and mountains are moved.
During a Snow Lake street celebration a while back, Gerard struck up a conversation with one of Snow Lake’s town council members.
Topics evolved, until the conversation touched upon a variety of street renewal projects he had witnessed while living in Edmonton.
Both Gerard and the council member thought a Main Street Renewal Project would be a great initiative for Snow Lake.
Gerard asked how one would go about introducing it.
“He told me to approach town CAO Jeff Precourt and propose the idea,” Lamontagne recalled. “That was basically the beginning.”
A group that has since come to be known as New Futures was the evolution of that discussion, and the hotelier says the concept that has resulted from their deliberations is a plan for the fundamental revitalization of downtown business and infrastructure.
“Some proposed projects also involve other areas of Snow Lake,” Lamontagne added.
Projects discussed at past meetings of the group have run the gamut from paving Elm (Main) Street and beautification of store fronts, to encouraging business development with incubators and incentives and a mining theme recognizing the town’s heritage and future.
However, Gerard cautioned that all projects are ongoing works in progress. As such they are conceptual and dependent on grants and so forth.
“So we would have to say timelines are unknown,” he noted. “We can only focus on moving ahead.”
Nonetheless, the group has applied for some grants and are in the process of applying for more.
“As we all know, budgets are tight right now, so perseverance is the key,” Gerard said. “Local businesses are putting in their own dollars on interior and exterior improvements, and the Town has also made known their commitment to repaving Main (Elm) Street and other areas around town. This is a great beginning, and exactly what we envisioned at the outset.”
Some might wonder why plans like these wouldn’t fall under the sponsorship of the new Chamber of Commerce, rather than breathing life into the New Futures group, but Gerard responds to that notion with some astute logic.
“The goal of both groups is to make Snow Lake a better place for all,” he reasons. “And two separate groups applying for grants, instead of one, can’t hurt.”
The current makeup of New Futures is Gerard Lamontagne, Margaret Yoder, Kim Stephen, and Dustin Mayer.
Gerard adds that the group receives a lot of help from the Town of Snow Lake’s economic development officer, MaryAnn Mihychuk.
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He says that their regular meetings attract close to 20 people and they plan to hold a public meeting once into the New Year.
“Beautifying our downtown and our town in general is essential in maintaining and attracting population,” Gerard says in overview. “Improvements in the appearance of local businesses and our infrastructure will be determining factors for potential families and employees considering Snow Lake as their new home. Everybody benefits from this and it will help make us an even better ‘sell’ than we already are. It isn’t speculation, it’s a fact; this model of renewal has been successful worldwide. The obvious advantage Snow Lake has is our existing natural beauty and our positive economic future.
“This is about making Snow Lake a better town. It’s about making those who live here happier in their surroundings and attracting those who are looking for a new home. Picture it as a Norman Rockwell painting – good people, good jobs, and a great town. We got it all, folks!”
My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
