ARDA seeking input for a gateway strategy for Antigonish

ARDA and Ekistics Planning and Design have put together an online survey to seek community input on a gateway strategy for Antigonish.

“We’ve come into this project with no expectations,” says Jill Robertson, the project manager with Ekistics. “We’re looking to the community to dictate how this project will go.”

Ekistics was awarded the contract to develop a gateway strategy for Antigonish two weeks ago. Alisha Grant, a development officer at ARDA says the idea behind a gateway strategy is to minimize the impact of the new highway and maximize the opportunity it brings.

An online survey has been developed that will be available for the duration of the project. “We hope to have a final report in December,” says Grant. “The survey is structured to get even more input from the community. We’re looking for as much input as possible. The public will get to see the draft plan and will again have the opportunity to provide feedback.”

On Tuesday, August 10th, 2010, Ekistics was in Antigonish for a day of consultations. The morning consisted of one on one interviews with key stakeholders including community groups and business owners. In the afternoon Ekistics then met with the Gateway Planning Advisory Committee which consists of representatives from ARDA, the Town of Antigonish, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, St. Francis Xavier University, the Antigonish Chamber of Commerce, the Eastern District Planning Commission, and the Antigonish Eastern Shore Tourism Association. There was then a site visit of the proposed gateway and of the new highway. That evening a public visioning and design workshop was held to generate ideas for the gateway.

“This stage is critical in our project planning process,” says Robertson. “There was a great turnout and participation. Community members were able to give real input into the design process. Ideas and concerns regarding active transportation, wayfinding signage, public spaces, and control of commercial signage were just some of the things discussed.”

The online survey can be found here.

For more information, please contact:

Alisha Grant
Development Officer
ARDA
Phone: 902-872-1087
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)