City council was presented with a list of tasks that the city is going to undertake this year to add to the downtown experience in Moose Jaw. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city isn’t planning a clean-up blitz this year, but they are asking business owners to take responsibility for their property by sweeping sidewalks, picking up garbage, and pulling weeds. 

"The existing businesses do a good job. There's no dispute from us, we just want to support them the best we can,” said city manager Jim Puffalt.  

“There are also vacant properties that we all need to take a little bit of share and see if we can keep those up all the time, not just summertime.” 

Once the overnight temperatures are above freezing and the city’s street sweeping program is complete, Main Street is swept on a daily basis in the early hours of the morning. 

“One other additional thing that we do in the spring is a power wash. So, we'll power wash all the sidewalks downtown to give them that initial cleaning for the summer. That way they're easier to maintain for the shop owners and then street sweeping takes over from there for stuff on the street,” said director of public works and utilities Darrin Stephanson. 

Businesses are also being encouraged to use the city’s app to report anything that requires attention. 

The city is also planning to install the black street signs that go with the street lights in the second quarter of the year. The first year of the street sign program will begin with downtown and will move to other areas of the city where street signs need to be replaced. 

Flowers are expected to be planted at Crescent Park and the downtown medians by the first week of June. 

Coun. Heather Eby felt the looks of downtown will hopefully spill over into other neighbourhoods. 

“But I think as we really work on the downtown and with the downtown association, there will be other areas that don't get it right away, but I think it'll spill out because people will be excited and they'll see how great downtown's looking,” Eby said.  

“They'll take that kind of ownership into their own neighborhoods and then it'll just bloom from there. So, I think it’s great.” 

Mosaic Place is hoping to have a patio space facing River Street on First Avenue with music and the occasional live local band.  

Other downtown businesses are also going to be encouraged to play music at their downtown patios. 

“When I was in Nashville, for example, there's music playing all the time, and it just makes you feel like there's something going on everywhere,” Puffalt said.  

“So, it's that same type of concept to have people feel that ‘I'm just going to go down the street because there's something happening there.’ There's music playing and so again, it's more to give a little bit more ambience to the downtown.” 

Mosaic Place has also bought flowerpots for the east and west sides of the property and are looking into the idea of having a food truck festival one day per month.