jan-2018

66 67 AMHERSTBURG, ONTARIO leaders known for galvanizing initiatives in this am- bitious southern Ontario municipality.The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: Congratulations on high-speed coming to Amherstburg! Would you like to share the story? Miceli: “We certainly would. One of the pillars identified in our Strategic Plan as something that residents wanted delivered by Council was high- speed internet throughout the community.We are now excited to announce a private sector partner, Bell Canada, has agreed to connect every home in the municipality to high-speed fiber optic broadband within a 24-month window, starting in 2018.Work will start in the core and branch out from there. At present, we have a lot of young families who want to move here, but us not hav- ing high-speed internet has been a challenge. It will also facilitate the growth of small business. Providing high-speed in a home-based business environment will be a great opportunity from a costing perspective.We already have the lowest priced housing with the most amenities to offer in the region for a municipality our size.” DiCarlo: “This isn’t just about watching videos and streaming. It’s about communication. This project is a key economic driver for us. Amherst- burg will be one of only a few small towns with border-to-border fiber internet service, from the town core to concession roads.We’re happy, we’re excited, we’re proud to say that we were able to work with Bell and get, not just fiber to the home, but fiber to the farm. The bonus is that it will cost the town nothing, other than a willingness to help expedite the process by giving the company streamlined access to permits and city records.” BVM: More good news; we also hear that last year was a banner year for tourism in Amherst- burg? Miceli: “Huge. Our tourism has gone up 42 percent from last year. In 2016/2017, we hosted the Canada 150 event, where we had 80,000 visitors on one weekend.We are the premier destination in the southwest region, as it relates to Essex County, and we’re building our operating budget to support further expansion of tourism. We also purchased a piece of waterfront property to expand one of our biggest attractions – the 10.5-acre King’s Navy Yard Park. The proposed development entails an amphitheater, a festival plaza, and a transient marina with 56 slips on the Detroit River.We demolished the hotel and restaurant that were on the site, and we’re going through the environmental assessment and pub- lic consultation for that development now.” DiCarlo: “The town of Amherstburg used to be a major waterfront destination, especially for Americans right across the Detroit River. Our goal is to bring that back. I’ve been contacted by yacht and boating groups that have seen in the media what we’re proposing, and they’ve been very sup- portive. They see Amherstburg as a perfect des- tination for boaters. At the base of the proposed marina is our version of a ‘downtown’ shopping corridor. That’s what they find so appealing. They could dock their boat, and have the restaurants, stores, heritage properties, parks, all in walking