Visitors to downtown Belleville can expect to see some changes happening over the next few weeks as planning for Al Fresco gets underway.
Executive Director of Downtown Bellevillle BIA, Marijo Cuerrier, tells Quinte News the “end goal for Al Fresco is to ignite” the downtown and make it a destination for local tourists.
Cuerrier says the parklets that will be created in about 10 parking spots will attract people but not crowds.
She continues, “Each weekend we’ll be creating experiences in the downtown core that will attract people but not crowds. The parklets are part of that. Allowing people to have places to sit, places to eat, places to hang out. The patios will be open and it really becomes a destination for people to say, “Hey, let’s go and spend a couple of hours downtown where this is going on. Creating almost like an urban park.”
Part of the summer plan is an audio/visual show stretching along front street. “The largest one, which is the one that we’re trying to get – it’s like a big huge slinky from Bridge and Front to Campbell.”
If they are successful in getting the huge “slinky” audio/visual show it will be for four weeks in August.
Downtown Belleville has asked the city for $22,000, which will be considered in the upcoming budget debate.
Cuerrier indicated they will be looking for sponsors as well.
She added, “We’ve started today to build parklets. We have to do a lot of things to get to that end vision but you’ll start to see activity early next week in terms of the build, but we still have to get some of the hoops figured out, in regards to the city. They’re willing to work in a different way than they usually do … by the end of June parklets will be established and restaurants are going to be using them.”
