August 16, 2022 11:11 a.m.
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is leading efforts to recognize challenges and explore possible options for revitalizing downtown Lambton County.
The City of Petrolia recently announced a public survey regarding a new revitalization project.
However, the City of Forest is also taking part in the initiative.
SLEP manager Chantelle Core said that although Petrolia and Forest are two different communities, the structure of the program and the types of data collected are similar.
“Both communities have their ideas of what they think is the vision for the community and what they think is needed, but ultimately the reason we’re doing this research on downtown revitalization is to make sure everything is backed by research and data,” she said. .
Core stressed the importance of having public feedback through polls in order to have proper data moving forward. The surveys do not have a specific end date at this time.
“Currently, all investigations are open. We review certain targets to ensure that they are statistically relevant. We want to have really solid data to drive this process,” Core said. “The survey data we are collecting will inform implementation plans for the downtown revitalization project, which is expected to begin in early 2023.”
Core said there are many phases involved in downtown revitalization and it will take some time before the actions are actually implemented.
For now, the initiative is focused on Petrolia and Forest, but Core said there’s definitely an opportunity to explore downtown revitalization projects in other Lambton communities as well.
There is a separate survey for business owners in Forest which can be viewed by clicking here.
