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2006-11-06_Supplemental Agenda Packet--Dossier de l'ordre du jour supplémentaire City of Saint John Common Council Meeting Monday, November 6, 2006 Location: Common Council Chamber Supplemental Agenda 8.1 Presentation - Crescent Valley Survey Action Team 8.2 Presentation - Heritage Development Board City of Saint John Seance du conseil communal Le lundi 6 novembre 2006 Emplacement: Salle du conseil communal l'ordre du jour suppJementaire 8.1 Presentation - Crescent Valley Action Team (equipe d'action sur l'etude du quartier Crescent Valley) 8.2 Presentation - Conseil d'amenagement du patrimoine Crescent Valley Survey Common Council Presentation: Monday, November 6/6 Script for Powerpoint Presentation (30 slides) Introduction GAIL/SLIDE 1: Crescent Valley has been an engaged community since shortly after Vibrant Communities Saint John started our poverty reduction initiative in February 2005 and began meeting with a variety of partners interested in exploring positive change in this neighbourhood. Provincial funding for a comprehensive community survey was announced by MLA Trevor Holder and topped up by CMHC and the essential first step to community mobilization was under way. Residents have been deeply involved from the beginning and the community has gathered momentum over the months because of their readiness to face change, put in the work, show up for meetings and trainings, and participate in visioning for the future. This Thursday there's a day-long event at Somerset Community Centre called a Speak Out to carry the survey results forward into a vision and action plan that will involve residents and community partners. (Presenters today are from the CV Survey Action Team: Janet McLaughlin, Lisa Duplessis, Anne McLeod, and Bev Thibodeau... Bev...) BEV/SLIDE 2: Welcome to Crescent Valley where an extensive Community Survey was conducted early in 2006 and residents got involved in a big way by participating in focus groups and meetings, training to become survey facilitators, and then participating in the survey - 54% of the community responded! BEV/SLIDE 3: Our community consists oftwo main boulevards - McLaren and Churchill - divided by Somerset Street and branching off into many crescents and courts. Altogether Crescent Valley covers more than 11 hectares or 27~ acres. There are 388 households for a total of over 1000 people. 65% of households have children under 18 - it is estimated that there are over 600 children and youth in Crescent Valley. Of all adult females in Crescent Valley, 42% are single parent mothers. 2 Most residents have lived here between 1 and 5 years, with a significant 22% here for over 20 years... One survey respondent said they had lived in Crescent Valley for 41 years. BEV/SLIDE 4: Many residents rated Crescent Valley on an average day as either Good (42%) - or Fair (44%) with a significant 39% saying they did not want to move. BEV/SLIDE 5: A striking indication of the community's readiness to work together for positive change was the response to this question: If you had your choice, would you rather move out, stay and leave things as they are, or stay and help create change? ... to which an overwhelming majority of 66% said they wanted to stay and help create change! BEV/SLIDE 6: For the survey team - and for residents and potential partners for change - this little pie chart shows one of the biggest and brightest results of the whole survey: 85% of those surveyed said a resounding YES! - to the question, Can residents work together to make Crescent Valley a better place to live? This community is clearly ready to join hands and go forward together! BEV/STAY ON SLIDEii Weare recommending to Common Council that Crescent Valley be represented on a permanent committee of provincial and municipal senior managers to allow for residents to make a continuous input as experts on the quality of life in their neighbourhood. ... Janet... Crime & Safety JANET/SLIDE 7: In Crescent Valley most people surveyed said there is a problem with crime and safety... JANET/SLIDE 8: If you look at the declining rate of safety in the bar graph, it's clear that people feel the most safe at home during daylight, and the least safe outside after dark. 2 3 JANET/SLIDE 9: Which crimes have affected residents over the past two years? The top 3 have affected approximately one-third of the neighbourhood - vandalism, physical attacks outside the home, and bullying of children. However, the other rates of response are also considered significant. JANET/SLIDE 10:The theme that runs through all the answers of how crime impacts the everyday lives of residents is fear. This kind of fear affects the health and well-being of everyone in the neighbourhood. Threat of retaliation is most often mentioned as a barrier to greater cooperation with police. JANET/SLIDE II:In answer to the question of how safety levels have changed over the time a resident has lived in Crescent Valley, 51 % said it had stayed about the same and 31 % that it become less safe. JANET/SLIDE 12:A majority of residents said that police were either "somewhat responsive" (47%) or "very responsive" (27%) to community concerns. There is a strong desire in the community to work more closely with police. The survey asked how residents could work with police toward positive change and they mentioned such things as stronger trust and respect on both sides of the relationship. They also said that police could get more involved in community events and form relationships with youth through recreation. The problem of being seen as a "rat" was raised by many residents if you cooperate with police. The need for strict confidentiality was mentioned frequently. Crescent Valley has the biggest concentration of Block Parents in Saint John and residents want to expand it even further. Everyone wants to make the community safer. JANET/SLIDE 13: The top suggestion for change ofthe whole the survey was, "We need something for our children". Residents understand that teens need sports and activities to keep busy and happy and out of trouble. Many residents indicated an understanding of the value of early services and activities for younger children, too. 3 4 JANE~ ~: We respectfully recommend to Common Council that using the same inclusive standing committee structure, residents be invited to consult closely with Police regarding issues of crime prevention in Crescent Valley, especially whether Police should share the renovated Community Resource Centre. ... Lisa ... Infrastructure 'S.,t\~ LISA (SLIDE 14): The survey shows that by far the majority of residents experience problems with housing and infrastructure concerns. LISA (SLIDE 15): You'll notice that 42% surveyed households say their units need upgrading, and residents listed many pages of specific complaints in the open-ended questions. LISA (SLIDE 16): This finding is among the most striking survey results.. The question invited residents to reflect on options for affordable housing they would like to see if some of the present units could be converted or replaced. The most people of any category - a full 47% - had a preference for home ownership with low- interest long-term mortgage and help with affordable down- payments. Another 35% were interested in non-profit rental, which would be a variety of styles and options for subsidized rentals.. . and 21 % said they would like a combination of mixed-income rental and home ownership. LISA (SLIDE 17): Priorities for improvements in the appearance of the neighbourhood are clear - percentages were very high for everything from garbage and litter control, to recreational space for all ages, to parks and green spaces, exterior renovations, and more gardens and walking paths. LISA (SLIDE 18): Neighbourhood appearance counts for a lot with Crescent Valley residents. The second most important priority in the whole survey was expressed best by one resident who said, "Get the slum look away". 4 -:.. LISA (SLIDE 19): 1/ ' (}.) r--\~ LISA (SLIDE 20): 5 The survey showed that this could be accomplished with better garbage control, well-lit and maintained outdoor recreation spaces for children and youth especially, and a wide variety of services. Because Crescent Valley is home to many single mothers with children, accessible, affordable, quality child care is also a priority issue. Because there are almost no essential services in the neighbourhood and many people do not own cars, transportation is another primary issue. Walking is how most residents get to where they need to go, and this bar graph shows that better snow removal and improved sidewalks with curbing are top priorities for most people. Close behind are improved street lights, crosswalks, and pedestrian trails. Many people surveyed added suggestions that covered everything from crossing guards to lower speed limits, better signage, rumble strips, and crosswalk lights. There is a lot of fear for the safety of children and other vulnerable members of the community because of aging and inadequate infrastructure. LISA (SLIDE 21): The most urgent recommendations to City Council are: (1) The Somerset and Sam Davis - Churchill Boulevard intersection splits the neighbourhood in two, and is considered dangerous to cross by most residents. Weare asking Council to seriously consider all possibilities of improving this intersection, including construction of a Pedway. (2) Rumble strips and better signage are needed for the interior of Crescent Valley; (3) The condition of streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks - as well as streetlights - needs to be improved. (4) Regular garbage should be picked up every week and the compo sting program left as it is with education and support to encourage more residents to compost. ...Ann... 5 6 R e ere a t ion: ANN (SLIDE 22): One of the most beautiful and practical assets of the neighbourhood is this lavish community garden. . . ANN (SLIDE 23): Communities with high rates of poverty also endure feelings of intense isolation that are made worse by stereotypes and judgemental attitudes. This slide shows that people have plenty of ideas about how to break the isolation, including a meeting place, programs for women, improved public transit, a bill- payment centre. They are very happy to see programs such as Story Tent and Story Wagon in the warmer months. ANN (SLIDE 24) Here are some of the top leisure and recreation needs expressed in the survey, which range from a community centre to improved parks and playgrounds, higher standards of maintenance, a variety of programs for children and youth especially, including sports... ANN (SLIDE 25): Other supports needed include support group for victims of domestic abuse... social events for adults... parenting workshops. .. skills development programs for those who are trying to find their way into training or work... and recreational learning such as cooking and nutrition. Residents are aware and caring about the needs of disabled residents and want there to be disability access for everything. ANN (SLIDE 26): We are asking the City to look at creating an extended recreational space around the playground already under construction. . . ANN (SLIDE 27): ... but also at the area shown on an aerial overview that is house-shaped between MacLaren, Taylor Avenue, and Belyea Street. You can see that there are several possibilities for innovative recreational space because of the unused land in this area, which incidentally includes a large hill that could be levelled to create even more multi-use land. ... Gail ... 6 7 Con c Ius ion: GAIL (SLIDE 28): The most precious asset in Crescent Valley is a powerful sense that working together as a team of neighbours, friends and family with willing outside partners in government and other sectors will create the kind of changes that affect quality of life for everyone. As you'll see by the sample comments, people want to create a vision together, as a community and form partnerships with people who care. As one resident put it, Anything is possible if we all come together. GAIL (SLIDE 29): The momentum driven by residents is unstoppable. Such a lot has been achieved in Crescent Valley already and now the neighbourhood is looking to partners such as the City of Saint John to keep this momentum going. Vibrant Communities Saint John has learned through nearly 2 years of community development work that this is the synergy that's needed to connect people across sectors for sustainable change. And so the "asks" to Common Council have been chosen with residents to reflect the hope of sustainable cities: (1) Representation of Crescent Valley residents on a permanent standing committee where roles and responsibilities of government will be clarified and residents are treated as quality of life experts in their neighbourhood. (2) Residents will be invited to consult closely with Police regarding issues of crime prevention in Crescent Valley, including whether Police should share the renovated Community Resource Centre space in the Valley. (3) In consultation with residents to design an extended multi- use recreational space around the playground under construction. ~ (4) To enhance neighbourhood pride and safety regarding garbage collection, streets and sidewalks, lighting, crosswalks, and particularly to treat the Somerset/Sam David - Churchill Boulevard intersection as priority and study the possibility of building a pedway. 7 GAIL (SLIDE 30): 8 In a sustainable city, neighbourhoods are robust places where people care about each other and residents are engaged with governments, business, community agencies, and the faith community to access resources and expertise to improve their quality of life. The survey asked a question about how people wanted to work with partners, and high percentages indicated their willingness to work together with local government and other partners. I'll give the last word to the resident who said: That would be awesome... the more partners are involved, the more options you have! 8 Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3 Good evening your Worship, Deputy Mayor & Councillors Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you on behalf of the Heritage Development Board. Before I begin I would like to recognize the.presenoc of JecU~~... c~ Heritage Development Board members:.....s t; ,I--CJ ~. In this presentation I will: Update Council on progress made on recommendations of the Heritage By-Law Review Committee; Discuss the recommendations of the Heritage By-Law Review Committee that have budget implications; Ask Council to increase the Capital Budget for the Heritaqe Conservation Grant Proqram as recommended by the Review Committee; and Respond to any Questions you may have. Slide 4 Slide 5 The Heritage By-Law was approved 25 years ago and the 151 Heritage Area Trinity Royal was established. Orange Street was designated in 1990 and parts of Douglas Avenue in 1992. Shortly after the last municipal election Council appointed the Heritage By-Law Review Committee. That Committee (with its members noted here) presented 17 Recommendations to Council. The Heritage Development Board concurred with all 17 of those recommendations. In recognition that a number of the recommendations had budget implications the Heritage Development Board suggested we would examine the recommendations from a business perspective. We would then return to Council with a demonstration of the benefits of the Heritage Program. That presentation was to happen during preparation of the 2007 budget and is what brings us here today. Slide 6 Slide 7 Slide 8 One of the By-Law Review Committee recommendations was to hire an additional Heritage staff person. This was implemented a few months ago when Jeff Gauley was hired, with funds approved in 2006. Jeff is a local architect with demonstrated interest in Heritage Conservation. Jeff is in chambers tonight. Another recommendation from the By-Law Review Committee was implemented when the Province of NB established the Property Tax Abatement Program. The City of Saint John participates as an equal partner for buildings in our city. However, only 3 projects in the entire province have participated. The Heritage Board feels it is because only projects over $100,000 are eligible. During meetings in Fredericton last week we continued to recommend reducing the minimum eligibility requirement to $25,000. to attract more up-take on this new program. Slide 9 Slide 10 Recommendation #10 was to return the budget for the Grants for Heritage Conservation Program to its 1993 level of $150,000. A first step toward this was taken when Council approved an additional $50,000 at the end of Mayall of the approved funds for the year had been completely allocated. This had happened even though the Heritage Board had reduced or eliminated several project types from being eligible. The Board is requesting approval of $150,000 for the Grants for Heritaae Conservation Proaram from the capital budget for 2007. The By Law Review Committee recognized that structural work on buildings is quite expensive and is either poorly done as in this case, where bricks have been damaged with grinders, or Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 is not being done at all as seen here on Prince William Street where this building suffers a form of demolition by neglect... .or ... .on this building immediately across the street... . where a piece of sandstone fell through the awning several years ago. To address this demolition by neglect the By Law Review Committee recommended that the HeritaQe Conservation Grant ProQram should pay a higher percentage for exterior masonry projects such as this repointing project... .. Slide 14 Slide 15 Slide 16 or this stone reconstruction project at Trinity Church. The Heritage Development Board has agreed. ~r~qv.~ Windows are also ~ the subject of considerable discussion. Work is often not carried out on this important building element.... Slide 17 Slide 18 Slide 19 ... .As we see on this upper floor window, with no glass in either sash)again on our nationally designated historic streetscape - Prince William Street.... In order to implement the recommendation of the By-Law Review Committee, The Heritage Development Board plans to increase the percentage of eligible conservation costs for work on windows and masonry projects to 40% from the existing 20%, if Council approves the $150,000. as req uested. Property owners say: yes I understand that heritage is good for the city - but since I am doing the work which allows the city to prosper, I want more assistance to offset my costs - the heritage grant does that; People who will not apply for a Certificate or Permit, will apply for a grant. The grant helps property owners to afford traditional materials and maintain historic details on our older buildings. Slide 20 Slide 21 Benefits of Heritage Program . Tax Base Increase; . Social Housing; . Employment . Film Locations; . Reduced Demolition; . Reduced Landfill; . Community Pride; Unique Image; . Heritage & Cultural Tourism; . Increased Port Traffic; . Y outl'l Retention; As noted the Heritage Development Board agreed to provide Council with information on the benefits of the Heritage Program to Saint John, from a business perspective. I will now S9 OR te discuss each of thele benefits: It- ii's h~ hey~ While speaking to Don Gillis about his experience as a property tax assessor in the South End during the early 1980's Don noted: "Under normal conditions market adjustments are in the +4% to +6% per year, but Germain Street sales indicated an adjustment in the +15% to +20% per year range. After some research and in hindsight it was determined that designation of Trinity Royal as a Heritage Preservation Area directly lead to neighbourhood stability and in turn greatly enhanced market values. Neighbourhood stability gives the property purchaser the security that his/her investment in real estate will be safe and will appreciate." As property values go up so too does the amount of property tax paid to the City. Slide 22 Slide 23 Don went on to say: "This was re-confirmed when Orange Street was designated in 1990. Sale price for a property in 1989 - one year prior to designation was $55,000. Re-sale of that same property one year after designation in 1991 was in the $85,000. range. The only visible change was a coat of paint. An inquiry at the time to the person who bought in 1989 and then sold in 1991 revealed that the property was purchased with the knowledge that Orange Street was to be designated and there- for property values could only go up. This was obviously a smart investment."! _ 1 wcj plArC1\<~ This 6 unit ~ at Orange & Wentwort~1n 1993 at a cost of $18,OOO/unit. In 1998 a 5 unit building on an opposite corner sold for $32,000/unit. That same building will come on the market in 2007 at a purchase price of $75,000/unit Vd.Iv.eJ ""eN'! Cfl"'~'r"",14 \...:. \ + "1e~J. Slide 24 Slide 25 Slide 26 Increased investment in the heritage program can expect to pay similar dividends in the form of comparable tax base increase. If Council chooses to approve the requested $150,000. then additional areas that have requested designation, such as King Street East..... King Street West on the Lower West Side and Toryburn can be included as recommended by the By-Law ~view Committee. In the 15 year period from 1981 to 1996 the city wide tax base increased 85%. In the Heritage areas during the same period the increase was 127%. That is a net 42% greater in heritage areas than city wide. Slide 27 Slide 28 Slide 29 I_Tri~RoyaI-+-cltyVv'ide1 In the subsequent 10 years 1996 to 2006 City overall has increased to 119%. Meanwhile the tax base in the Heritage Areas has increased to 195%. That = 76% greater increase in tax base in the Heritage Areas, than city wide overA 25 year>_ pel iod-: ..,t:t I~>t Leona Laracey President of Housing Alternatives shared similar comments as Don Gillis on price to purchase buildings on Germain Street in the early '80's and noted how times have changed. She went on to say: "I believe that designation has contributed to the stability of the area and helped reassure property owners that their investment will not be devalued. " Leona also noted: "Restoring the exterior of an older home creates a domino effect.. ..property owners want their building to look as beautiful as the one down the street and invest in their property when they see signs of a caring protected neighbourhood. " Slide 30 Slide 31 Slide 32 21 % of the budget initially approved for the Heritaqe Conservation Grant Proqram for 2006 was allocated to social housing projects, such as this one on Germain Street, seen here prior to work commencing. When constructing a new building 25% of the project costs is spent on jobs. Approximately $75 out of every $100 goes to capital costs which frequently go outside of our city. In rehabilitation of existing buildings on the other hand 50% of the cost of the project is spent on employment and that money stays in our community and produces spin-offs. Fixing up heritage buildings creates twice as many jobs as new construction, for the same amount of money invested. Slide 33 Slide 34 Slide 35 Since 1983 rehabilitation of existing buildings has outpaced new construction and is now responsible for more than 60% of all building construction jobs. Margo Flewelling of Film New Brunswick has indicated that ".. ...the Film Industry is an un- exploited market segment that could pay rich rewards to Saint John because of the timeless character of its heritage streetscapes. Saint John can easily be filmed to resemble other older cities and different time periods by using the appropriate era of signs, cars, clothes, etc." In short old buildings can be made to look current, but new buildings can not be made to look old. Slide 36 Slide 37 Slide 38 Reduce Demolition & Landfill Nationally 22% of buildings identified on the Canadian Inventory of Heritage Buildings have been demolished in the past 30 years; In the Heritage Preservation Areas of Saint John only ~ of 1 % of buildings were demolished in that same time. Nationally 1/3 of landfills consists of Construction & Demolition debris. In Saint John last year over 16% of all tonnage hauled into Crane Mountain was C & D. However, that does not include the dumped into pits privately owned by demolition companies. Heritage Buildings with their verandahs and public spaces, create opportunities for interaction with neighbours. This fosters Community Pride. Slide 39 Slide 40 Slide 41 As does presentation of our annual Heritage Awards.... Heritage areas are located where public infrastructure already exists... . no new water lines, sewer lines, streets, curbs or gutters are required to be installed, maintained or serviced; The Heritage Program provides a framework for development and rehabilitation of our older buildings. Slide 42 Slide 43 Slide 44 These rehabilitated buildings form an important part of a unique image for our city - one of proudly developing our existing assets for current needs and future uses - using traditional materials and details. Heritage & Cultural Tourism is focused on authenticity of experience. This can be best achieved in cities where buildings have been sensitively rehabilitated. Visitors in this sector stay longer and spend 1.7 times more per trip than other tourists. Thi3 vvas a 4 billioA' dollar industry in 2001. Margaret Totten, our Manager of Tourism Saint John says: Heritage Tourism is a growing billion dollar industry. Saint John, blessed with the most intact collection of 19th century commercial architecture in Canada and winner of the Prince of Wales Prize for exemplary heritage conservation, possesses a unique character and sense of place, that is attractive to traveling baby boomers. Our community will be set apart from the pack and become an authentic heritage destination..... " Slide 45 Slide 46 Betty MacMillian, Manager of Trade Development at the Port says: The history of Saint John is a very important component in attracting cruise ships to Saint John. We receive a lot of very positive feedback on the beautiful historic buildings. Proper development of these buildings is an important part of our marketing approach. Heritage architecture was the #1 reason cited for choosing to visit Saint John. We are providing the real thing not a Disneyland facade creation. According to Municipal World Maaazine: "Economic growth is moving from industrial-based, to knowledge-based hi-technology. Our former industries are being replaced by a new industry: heritage tourism." Slide 47 Slide 48 Slide 49 Peter Smit in discussing the development of the Brodie Building said: "We wanted to be in the heart of Saint John, in the Trinity Royal Heritage Area, its most beautiful and historic part. The Heritage Board was not at all difficult to deal with. The key is to use their assistance and expertise before you plan or MAKE changes to your building. The process was straight forward and staff were very helpful with an enormous amount of knowledge, if people only choose to use it. Peter went on to say: There needs to be more incentive programs to encourage people to do the "right thing" with their buildings. For example look at masonry jobs on several properties recently "improved" on Germain and Prince William Streets. The city is full of poor work because particularly in masonry work it is too expensive to get the right people to do a good job. Slide 50 Slide 51 You know the heritage area has arrived when a Tim Horton's moves in accompanied by its fleet of armored cars. Darcy Murphy indicated "Overall we are pleased with how the project turned out. As I recall we had few problems with what was recommended for the front of the building. I originally had some concerns with the entrance but it turned out to be aesthetically pleasing and functional as well. We were a little disappointed with the amount of grant that we were eligible for given our investment in the restoration of the front fa<;ade." Darcy went on to say: "It is frustrating to have followed all the rules and then to observe that other developers ignore the rules with no repercussions. For improvements to continue the city needs to be more vigilant with these property owners. We have had nothing but good comments from our customers on the appearance of our store. Business on King Street has met our expectations and continues to develop. I would recommend the ~for other businesses. "IA__ . T'l'A1 f~ Ar~ Slide 52 Slide 53 I'A d\J4SS}()y\ V"~~ J()~(\ JrVI~) I\e. n~Aed ! "There was a turning point for me in understanding our city's heritage buildings. At the beginning I approached the development of our heritage block the same as I would any other property - use contemporary materials that meet building codes and are cost effective. Plain glass doors were my choice for the entrance from King Street so that people walking by could see into the lobby and glass would allow more light in. The heritage position was solid wood doors and windows. Then one day I was in Montreal on business and walked into an office building with its 19th century fayade restored. As I entered I was impressed by the imposing mahogany door with brass fittings. It belonged to Victorian Montreal and it looked right. And I thought, why am I fighting this? It is the right thing to do." "I came back to Saint John and discussed this with the Heritage Planner and the Heritage Development Board. Plans were revised, costs were reworked and we built doors and windows that suited 19th century buildings that still meet our needs. And do you know, the cost for our mahogany doors wasn't much different than glass would have been. Maintenance will be a little bit higher because wood has to be oiled on a regular basis. But it was the right thing to do" Slide 54 Slide 55 Slide 56 John went on to say: "Saint John has a real treasure in its heritage streetscapes. These wonderful old buildings need to be rehabilitated by crafts people using materials. It is inappropriate to use vinyl windows or molded synthetic decorative panels on a heritage building. It then looks like a movie set, not a piece of history. Once original heritage features are wiped out something is lost forever. Our community is poorer with every loss." Steve Carson at Enterprise Saint John says: "Our City's heritage architecture and our continued support of its' preservation has created a sense of place that gives us a unique ability to retain and attract innovative companies and a creative and dynamic workforce. It is companies like this that will enable us to retain our youth and repatriate those who left seeking better opportunities. " Stuart Baker True Growth facilitator says: "heritage is the culmination of what we are as a culture and a place. Understanding and celebrating our heritage, is one of the surest ways to influence our future." Slide 57 Slide 58 Most cities have an icon that is unique to that city and immediately identifies it. In New York it is the Statue of Liberty. In Paris the Eiffel tower. My colleague Alastair Kerr from Victoria BC was in town last week en-route to give a presentation to an advisory body of UNESCO. Alastair said: "When I visited Halifax last fall for the first time I spent 3 days walking around downtown, looking for but not finding the sense of place that was Halifax and made it unique." He went on to say: "I am amazed at how much you still have. I have only been in Saint John for a few minutes, but I already know that this is the heart and soul of what makes Saint John unique." In his book "Planning America's Communities", Herbert Smith notes that ""Small businesses and investors were lured to an area by the knowledge that their investments would be protected by strong standards." Slide 59 Slide 60 The $150,000. the Board is requesting for the Heritaoe Development Grant Prooram, will result in: Significant increase in the tax base; Increased employment; Reduction of landfill; Act as a catalyst for heritage & cultural tourism; Act as a marketing tool for the cruise ship industry; Act as an attraction & retention tool for technology companies; and most imOQrtalJtlY it will be a continuation of investing in our Sense of Place - the very thing that makes Saint John - Saint John. The Heritage Development Board understands that this would be considered by Council during the Budget Review Process. On behalf of the Heritage Board..... Thank You for your consideration.