The town of Biggar, Sask., about an hour west of Saskatoon, is celebrating after securing federal funding to complete phase one of four in its revitalization project.
“It’s a chance to celebrate Biggar. It’s a chance to celebrate our history and where we come from, where we’re going. It’s a chance to beautify. It’s a chance to welcome people into a new look for our town,” Mayor Jim Rickwood told Global News.
“We want to welcome people to our town to either visit, hang around downtown, enjoy our restaurants, enjoy our stores, and call Biggar home. Come back, come back and see us. Perhaps make your future in Biggar,” he added.
Since 2021, the town has been fundraising to revitalize the area to improve accessibility and make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
The funding is going towards upgrading outdoor spaces and creating green infrastructure.
According to a statement issued by the town, the Biggar Revitalization Project consists of four phases to re-design the Business Core, Transition Zone, Gateway, and Grand Central Park.
The cumulative cost of all four phases is estimated to cost $7.5 million.
The Canadian Community Revitalization Fund through PrairiesCan is providing $750,000. According to the town, this will cover nearly three-quarters of the cost for phase one, the Business Core, estimated at $1.6 million. The town is covering the remaining quarter.
The statement read that the Business Core phase will consist of thermoplastic crosswalks, accessibility ramps, trees, benches, and bike racks.
The mayor said he would like to thank residents for their patience as supply issues and the pandemic have delayed the progress.
“It’s not a finished, polished project, by no means. But we are close and it’s looking phenomenal. And this is just a celebration to come together as a community,” Mayor Rickwood said.
To celebrate, the town is hosting a street dance Friday night in the downtown area.
“We’re going to have games for the kids. We’re going to have things for adults to do. We’re going to have food, music, a live band, the street dance. It’s going to be a party to celebrate Biggar,” he explained.
The mayor welcomes anyone to attend.
Phase two, the Transition Zone, is set to be completed this fall.