The deadline for the three-pronged plan to bring Bracebridge into a new technological realm is fast approaching for the Business Improvement Area (BIA).

After more than a year of research and work, BIA president Mae Brazier, at the annual general meeting held recently, said they have hit all their marks to meet the plan’s deadline for review by Bracebridge’s administration and finance committee in January.

The BIA recounted its achievements for 2007 such as the marketing push that included a jingle contest, work with the Town of Bracebridge economic development department and other groups to bring a complementary mix of businesses, more programs that directly impact the general membership, like the façade and signage programs, and the creation of a welcoming sign to the downtown area.

“We did well at meeting our goals,” Brazier said.

The BIA finished the year with revenues of $247,844.78, with a surplus of $117,216.01. Brazier said there are still a few outstanding expenses not accounted for such as the upcoming February Blowout, but added they still expect to have a “surplus.”

With this in mind the past year’s total expenses, $130,628.77, were well under the budgeted $247,553.13. This total was because of the aforementioned unaccounted event, and an event that never got beyond the planning stages.

Money from the “reserve fund” is expected to pay for the installation of the fibre optic Internet connectivity, web cameras and speakers that are expected to be handled by Ontario-based Indiginet Corporation. Members will not be required to pay any additional fees for this service and the earliest it is expected to be ready is summer 2008. This is all pending approval from the Town of Bracebridge.

Brazier believes the proposed fibre optics plan will usher the Bracebridge downtown into a brighter future.

“If we want to grow and move forward we need to be doing things that larger companies are doing such as marketing more aggressively. Everybody goes to Google if they need to find something and just having our website has been an improvement. As far as the fibre optic . . . I don’t know if it is crucial, but it’s very important to the growth of the downtown,” she said.

The BIA has budgeted $30,000 for the implementation of the plan, but that can change Brazier said. She added installation of the fibre optics isn’t likely to cause traffic problems since the hardware will be installed at the back of the buildings off Manitoba Street.

“We knew that we wanted to do something with a long-term benefit. This isn’t a short-term fix. This is something long term. Every single business on the street and in the BIA area will benefit from the fibre optic,” she said.

Currently there are 210 BIA members who will be directly benefiting from the plan that includes Manitoba Street and all streets connected to it in the downtown.

Unlike the original idea to have a “hot spot” — a mobile connection to the Internet — in a general area such as Memorial Park where users would never have to make contact with retailers, the hardwiring of fibre optics in the BIA buildings forces those people interested in using the service to come into downtown stores. While on the Internet the user will be immediately brought to the BIA webpage for further promotion of the current initiatives.

Brazier envisions Bracebridge as a destination for tourists yearning to escape the city to a place brimming with exquisite country charm and rural possibilities for new experiences with the services expected of any contemporary centre.

“If we can keep moving forward by standing out of the crowd, being different and also offering to people not just an event that you can spend money on but that is informing and educational,” she said. “If you brought up a busload of people from Toronto — just using Toronto as an example, there’d be lots of places you can bring them from — they may bring their children that have never ridden in a horse-drawn wagon on snow, having Christmas music playing. That is the atmosphere and tone we want to set.”

She hopes this kind of an event with a similar feel and atmosphere could apply at other times of the year.

Town staff and the BIA continue working on the plan to answer questions from the town’s administration and finance committee up until the deadline. This initiative must be in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). It is expected the written report will include statements by representatives of the local OPP detachment regarding the installation of the web cameras.

Signs will be posted to alert the public of the installation of the web cameras.

This plan will also include recommendations for policies on the proposed wireless speakers intended to be used for special events.

Brazier said this plan is made financially possible because of the co-operation with Lakeland Power Ltd. It’s common for large developments to have it, but for small businesses it is extremely cost prohibitive so this circumstance provides Bracebridge a unique opportunity.

The next step for the BIA is to continue educating its membership about the benefits of this proposed plan.

“We want to work toward educating all of the members on how this fibre optic will work,” she said, adding they have started the education process. “There is still so much more to educate people on.”

Another pilot project is expected to resolve the snow removal issue from the downtown core. Last year snow was pushed to the curb where mounds accumulated, making it difficult for people to get across when stepping toward the road. Additional problems occurred when this mound froze, turning it into solid ice.

This year the project has merchants pushing the freshly fallen snow off the sidewalk and onto the street parking spaces where district and town truck plows will clear the snow away in the evening, between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m., once it reaches a height of 30 centimetres.

“It’s actually going to cost us less to do this than what we were doing,” she said. Different machines at a separate time were needed to scrape the mound of snow, she explained.

Although the BIA has little control over what comes to the downtown, it ideally wants a mixture of complementary businesses.

“We are still drawing. We’re still bringing a mix of people and when you take a look at what’s open like La Dog House. It’s really unique, it’s different to the downtown,” she said. “We need a mix of services and retail because services will bring people.”

There were more than a dozen new members that joined the BIA last year representing clothing, houseware, food and service sectors.

The BIA budget for 2008 is $36,000 with a town reserve of $5,000.

After more than four years as BIA president Brazier is optimistic for the future and believes she has advanced the downtown core since she started.

“I feel I’ve made progress and that is all that really matters. You take a look at it at the end of the day asking am I making a change and is it positive? The answer is yes. I do believe it’s positive,” she said.