There has been an explosion of red-and-white patriotism in downtown Chatham.
A total of 60 new Canadian flags have been installed in the core.
Lucinda Harp, a board member of the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA, brought the idea forward.
“I was inspired by my hometown of Cobourg and neighbouring town Port Hope. Every year, businesses and residents show their patriotism by putting out Canadian flags,” she said in a media release. “I thought with everything happening in the world, it would be a nice idea for our downtown to do something similar. When I brought the idea to the board, there was unanimous support.”
JP Contractors was awarded the contract to install the flags.
“We do a lot of different jobs, but this one is definitely near and dear to our hearts as a proud Canadian company,” said Martin Horneman of JP Contractors.
Chatham-Kent councillor, and BIA board member Conor Allin described the initiative as a “no brainer.
“When I was asked to see if I could help with funding the project, it was a real no brainer. A project like this can really unite a downtown, and with the availability of the Hydro One grant funding, it was made possible,” he said.
“This is just the beginning of the projects we have lined up for revitalizing our downtown,” said Andrew Thiel, co-chair of the BIA. “The flags are just the first of many great things happening in Downtown Chatham, RetroFest is this weekend, we will be replacing the River Rock mural in June, and we have some amazing announcements coming up right up until the end of the year.”
Downtown Chatham businesses that were unable to participate in the initial round of decorative flags will have another opportunity to get involved. A second installation is planned for late June to early July, allowing additional businesses to be represented in this ongoing beautification effort.
