Mostly positive reaction at unveiling

"Cabot Road and the Mill Road will stay the same, the dummy is still there, just a little bigger and with a more structured roundabout," explained Sarah Colven, in a one-on-one discussion with one of close to one hundred citizens that came to view the architectural designer's conceptual drawings on behalf of Tract Consulting.

Ms. Colven and contract manager John Boutilier, representatives from the firm contracted by the Town of Grand Falls - Windsor, made no formal statements or presentation on the sketches and prints revealing for the first time the visual design for proposed downtown development plan.

"We thought it would be more comfortable for everyone if it was less formal and then people could come up to us and talk to us as individuals," said Ms. Colven.

"I would have imagined a more formal set up would be more inhibiting but it seems like a lot of people were expecting something more formal. But the intent was not to stop people asking questions, we were actually hoping to encourage it."

If the reason for the evening was to generate discussion, it was fulfilled.

In addition to the wide and varied opinions, concerns, comments and questions fielded by the architectural designer and contract manager, pockets of discussion were happening throughout the room.

"The design is nice looking, but I am just wondering if they put any thought into if we had a hard winter, because of our issues now with snow clearing," said Dave Davis, who is the owner of KDJ Enterprises, a company that clears snow from commercial parking lots in the town.

"A lot of people have said over the years the snow is not cleared off High Street good enough... and this design would make it more congested," he said. "I think, it's going to make it more difficult because of the obstacles they have there and the sidewalks, with brick and cobblestone and this kind of stuff. It takes time to clear. I don't think it would be done very quickly without damages to that kind of infrastructure."

The visuals were designed to present "a new, classic, yet contemporary street design" with the implementation of a new faÇade program, details of which were made available to attendees in handout form.

The angled parking was a surprise to some who thought the Town would implement parallel parking on high street. The design does increase public parking by 35 stalls, most in the area of Scott Street.

Ms. Colven was quick to point out to those who had concerns that the sketches were not etched in stone.

"We have to look at this area more closely," she said in response to concerns over an area of reduced parking in front of one downtown business.

Most agreed the heavily treed design made the downtown look attractive.

"This is the first visuals so it's a little too early to tell yet, but anything to develop the downtown is good, it's all positive" said Colin Power, who own the cinema on High Street.

"I think the whole plan is great," said Lou Alteen, owner of Alteen Jewelers, located on the west end of High Street.

Paul Hennessey, a former mayor of the town of Grand Falls before it amalgamated with the town of Windsor, said he hopes the town's downtown can be made into the prominent area it was for almost a century.

"I hope it takes off the way we are anticipating it will. Any development downtown right now would be an improvement to what is there now, for sure."

Some were on the fence.

"This is too futuristic for me at the moment, it doesn't seem to hold the character of the place," said Grand Falls - Windsor resident Art Symonds, who was not caught up with contemporary-looking plaza concept of an outdoor rink and fountain replacing the area that now holds the Co-op building. "But, I'm not passing complete judgement on it yet. I'm up in the air about it."

Some were upset with the removal of older buildings.

"I do have real concern with the tearing down of the Co-op," said Barry Murphy, who has space in a downtown building ready to rent to a new tenant.

"I stand to be corrected but 10 years ago there was over a million dollars spent on the renovations to that building," he said. "Inside it looks deplorable, but structurally I challenge the council to prove that building is not structurally sound. It should have been part of this instead of being torn down. Each time you take another building out of Grand Falls - Windsor you take a bit of its soul. It's not just a piece of real estate."

Ms. Colven said many expressed a desire to retain the traditional look of the roundabout or "dummy," and many had questions about the riverfront development, which is not part of this phase and not part of her work with Tract Consulting.

The Town Council made it clear they would not be attending the open house, but one councillor did show.

"This was part of the contract of Tract Consulting, so they were representing council here, said Councillor Darren Finn. "All of the comments will come back to council and council will accesss those comments, but it was an individual choice for councillors to come or not to come. I was available and I am highly interested in seeing the reaction first hand."