are two of the critical calling cards we have for Prescott,” says Dana Valentyne, the town’s Economic Development Officer. “It’s truly one of those undiscovered gems, and that’s what everyone says, whether you’re a visitor or a longstanding resident or a new resident or business.” The town’s strategic advantages include its position between Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, five minutes from the US border via the Prescott-Ogdensburg International Bridge, and direct access to major distribution channels through Highway 401 and the Canadian National Railway. Mayor Dr. Gauri Shankar acknowledges the transformation underway. “We’ve always been considered the little brother of Brockville and now we’re becoming more part of the family,” he says. The shift reflects tangible progress: the town’s first branded hotel, a 69-room Quality Inn & Suites, opened in 2024, while the Community Improvement Programme has reduced downtown vacancies to fewer than half a dozen properties. “It’s really amazing to me that Prescott hasn’t really taken off the way some of the surrounding communities have,” Valentyne says,“and I think it’s finally becoming our turn.” REVITALIZING THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CORE Prescott’s downtown transformation began with a calculated investment strategy that has delivered results beyond expectations. The Community Improvement Program, launched in 2018, has channeled several hundred thousand dollars in matching grants and loans to property owners, spurring multimillion-dollar private investments along the historic main street. “We’ve invested along with private property owners in that downtown area,” Armstrong explains. The program welcomes established businesses and newcomers, with more than half of applicants being new enterprises. “Anybody that is a business owner or a new tenant can apply to the program just as current property owners and tenants can,” he says. “We’re helping to support them get off the ground and make those leasehold improvements that really take their toll on the first several months or in the first year of a new business.” The Main Street funding program amplified these efforts, securing $150,000 in provincial funding that the town matched for a total $250,000 investment in downtown improvements. Mayor Shankar points to visible changes throughout the district. “We’ve got some wayfinding signage. We’re doing a nice big downtown mural that will have a business directory on it. We just built a Riverwalk waterfront patio that has handicap accessibility,” he says. The new waterfront patio features picnic areas for 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 PRESCOTT, ON
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