Expect some changes to downtown Okotoks over the next few years.
An open house was held at the Okotoks Art Gallery on June 18 to get feedback from residents and business owners on upcoming renovations planned for downtown.
"We think it's going to be about two or three years of construction for the deep utility portion of the project, which is from McRae to Poplar," said Mitch Thompson, senior engineer with the Town of Okotoks.
"Businesses are acknowledging that we do have very old infrastructure, like the buried pipes in the road, and everyone is on board with the work that is required to replace those," he said.
According to Thompson, the work will consist of replacing the deep utilities on Main Street and then restoring and improving the surface, which will be a faster and less disruptive process.
"As we move further west on Main Street, it's only surface construction... we're thinking that'll be another roughly three years of construction, give or take, kind of going block by block at a time."
Construction of a paved parking area on Daggett Street will begin later this year, while Main Street construction is set to begin in mid-2025, according to a timeline by the Town of Okotoks.
"I think right now we're just looking for feedback from people just to see how we can move forward with the project, and then we'll use that as we develop the design later in the year," said Thompson, adding the Town aims to minimize disruptions during construction.
"We also want to use money wisely and make sure that we're listening to everybody and taking feedback to have the broadest benefit possible," he said.
The ultimate goal, Thompson said, is to make downtown Okotoks more flexible for events and businesses while maintaining a charming and welcoming feel.
"We hope basically to increase vibrancy in the downtown," he said. "That's kind of the end goal: making downtown a destination that everyone wants to be in, which is good for businesses too, they get more foot traffic that way."
The Town said 106 people attended the open house, which ran from 4 to 8 p.m.
"It's about 50-50, businesses and residents," said Thompson of the demographics of attendees. "We've been hearing that parking is very important to businesses. That's probably something I hear from every single business."
According to Thompson, not doing "massive changes" to the road is another major priority for business owners.
"Businesses are acknowledging that we do have very old infrastructure, like the buried pipes in the road, and everyone is on board with the work that is required to replace those."
"We also hear that it's important, when construction is happening, that people can find the business that they're looking for and that they don't have to park blocks and blocks away."
The panels from the open house are available online here.
Residents are also invited to complete a survey, open until July 2, to share their thoughts on the upcoming project. The survey is available here.
