By Angela Brown

Block parties, street mural incentives some of the highlights at N.B. open house

Apr 17, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The City of North Battleford hopes to make the community safer by helping residents get to know their neighbours better. To make it easier, it is trimming off some of the cost for two popular projects — block parties and street murals.

The city will discuss block parties, street murals as well as other projects aimed at making the city safer at a Community Safety Pop Up event Wednesday.

The city is encouraging more residents to create their own neighbourhood block parties. As an incentive it will be waiving the fee. 

“A big part of our strategy is to engage the community,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “We believe that the more people are involved in the process the more successful our efforts will be.”

Bater said block parties also serve a useful purpose in bringing neighbours together.

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“The most safe neighbourhoods are the ones where people actually know each other and communicate with each other,” Bater said. “We’ve been encouraging block parties for the last few summers. We’re doing that again; we’re waiving the fees for blocking the street.”

He said last year the city introduced street murals to the community. As a result, residents got involved in creating murals for two neighbourhoods. As a bonus, the city provides the cost of the paint and assists with the mural design.

“That was an opportunity for neighbours to get together,” the mayor said. “The materials were provided and they painted beautiful street murals which were not just a way for those neighbourhoods to come together. You’re working side-by-side with people working around near where you live. It was also a traffic-calming measure, getting motorists to slow down in those areas.”

Bater said if they created a mural at the same time as their block party was running it would be a good way for neighbours to engage with one another.

“It could be a nice day-long block party,” Bater said. “Do a street mural, have a barbecue to wrap it up and get to know your neighbours. It’s a pretty good Saturday in the summer.”

The mayor added the city has also introduced a variety of other initiatives aimed at making the city safer that will be highlighted at the open house.

The event will include information about community programs such as the Eyes that Care Initiative, the Security Camera Registry and Citizens on Patrol.   

“There will be people and organizations there to provide information on all these initiatives, and an opportunity for citizens to ask questions, learn more about them, and if they want they can actually sign up for them as well,” Bater said.

The city’s Community Safety Pop Up event will take place April 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Mary School’s library.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW