Published: August 25, 2007 08:15 pm         

What’s UP, Downtown?

Fall weather brings increased activity to Stillwater’s downtown. While the weather has not yet changed, the traffic is picking up, and fall themes and projects abound this fall season.

The city is creating excitement by beginning the new street light project, which you can see underway now in the 900 block of South Main. The new lights do a better job of lighting the sidewalks and storefronts with bright, modern lighting. When complete, the project will add to the previous number of lights and will make pedestrians feel safer when they are downtown at night. We are hoping that the whole project will be complete by the time you shop downtown for Christmas. It will help encourage downtown night activity and will encourage stores to open in the evenings for Christmas shopping.

Special thanks goes to the city council for their landmark approval of the Downtown BID district Monday evening. This project has assembled most of the elements that can be accomplished now and in the near future for the area. It is a larger area than the previous Downtown Stillwater Unlimited, which was comprised of 21 square blocks. The expanded area will provide for future growth of the core business district.

The BID represents investments by downtown area property owners which are significant to those involved, with potential for gains in property values and increased quality of life downtown for the whole community. There are a number of related downtown projects that the city is undertaking which will greatly increase the effectiveness of the BID district. The addition of a home for the Children’s Museum and the CVB are very important for the growth of the area.

Overall, the city council and city staff are making very significant contributions of time and effort to assure the success of the area. And the community will see several of the projects completed in the very near future, bringing immediate results. So if you see Mayor Roger McMillian or any of the other councilors, please take time to thank them for their very valuable work on improving the heart of our community.

Don’t forget the Pioneer Pep Rally at 5 p.m. in the BancFirst parking lot Aug. 30. The pep rally is important to the start of the Pioneer sports program each fall, and it is a lot of fun. Also, remember to mark your calendar for Sept. 11 at noon at Chris Salmon Plaza for the Sister Cities Concert.

More than ever, this fall …

… we’ll see you downtown!

     

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