Join the BIA Board of Directors

The Downtown Prescott BIA will be holding an Annual General Meeting on January 31st to elect a new Board of Directors.

Are you a Downtown Prescott business or property owner? If so, you may be eligible to attend and help select the next BIA Board.

RSVP for the AGM

All BIA members are eligible to attend the Annual General Meeting and vote for the next Board of Management of the Downtown Prescott BIA.

Members nominated during the Nomination Period ending January 4th will be on the ballot and eligible for election to the Board of Management.

You can find the Agenda along with the list of nominated candidates here.

The AGM will be held on January 31st, 2023 at 6 pm at the Canadian Coast Guard Prescott Base, 401 King Street West, Prescott.

You must RSVP to attend the event. You can do so at the link below.

If you have any questions, please contact the BIA Coordinator.

RSVP for the AGM

About the BIA

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is a “made-in-Ontario” innovation that allows local business people and commercial property owners and tenants to join together and, with the support of the municipality, to organize, finance, and carry out physical improvements and promote economic development in their district.

Established by Town of Prescott by-law, the Downtown Prescott BIA supports and invests in the identified BIA Levy Area (The RiverWalk District) to help revitalize and energize our historic Downtown core.

The BIA is funded through the BIA Levy, a special assessment on all commercial properties in the BIA Area. This assessment is separate from and in addition to commercial property taxes paid outside the BIA Area.

The Downtown Prescott BIA supports downtown beautification and place-based tourism and economic development by identifying needs within the BIA Levy Area and allocating Levy resources to address the issues.

The BIA also organizes and supports downtown events, business promotions, and destination marketing efforts for the RiverWalk District.

You join the Downtown Prescott BIA by being the owner or occupant of a commercial property that rests within the BIA Levy Area.

Businesses/Commercial Properties located within the BIA boundaries automatically become members and pay the BIA levy along with their property taxes. Commercial property owners are responsible for collecting BIA levy fees from their commercial tenants and remitting them to the Town.

The BIA Levy helps fund beautification and business-support efforts within the BIA Area.

Every four years, elections are held for the BIA Board of Management, which is selected from eligible BIA Members. Nine Board Members are elected, who then meet at least monthly to discuss BIA business.

If you're interested in joining the BIA Board of Management, you can complete the self-nomination form available here and return it to bia@prescott.ca by Wednesday, January 4th at 4:30 pm. All nominated candidates with confirmed eligibility will stand for election at the Annual General Meeting on January 31st, 2023.

Interested in learning more about BIAs? Here are some resources to help!

BIA Coordinator: Justin St. Pierre

Email: jstpierre@prescott.ca

Telephone: 613-925-2812, ext. 6222

What does the Downtown Prescott BIA do?

Place-making & Beautification

The Downtown Prescott BIA invests in Place-making and Beautification activities in the RiverWalk District to make the area a more vibrant and inviting place to visit and do business. During the 2018-2022 Board term, examples of this included the seasonal lighting installations, new benches and cycling infrastructure, and summer greenery. As well, the Downtown Prescott BIA was pleased to support the RiverWalk Promenade, a unique public space project that included public markets, art, buskers, live music, and a new downtown park area on the Canada Day and Civic Holiday long weekends in 2022.

Events & Activations

The Downtown Prescott BIA supports projects and events that help activate the downtown core and increase visitor traffic to our RiverWalk District. They have been active supporters of the reintroduction of the Prescott Farmers' & Crafters' Market, providing sponsorship for the RiverWalk Stage, which hosts live entertain every Saturday during the Market season.

Marketing & Promotions

As an area marketer, part of the Downtown Prescott BIA's mandate is to market the downtown as a whole as a destination to visit, eat, and shop. As part of this, the BIA initiated the Rediscover the RiverWalk District program to help draw visitors back downtown following the initial Covid reopenings, with the campaign and branding continuing into 2022.

The Downtown Prescott BIA also helps plan and support marketing and promotions for the Downtown and participates in Town of Prescott-wide promotions. These include Christmas 2021 and Summer 2022 Passport programs, the I Love Local 2021 Valentines promotion, and the Spring into the RiverWalk scavenger hunt.

As well, the BIA seeks to attract new demographics and visitor groups to the Downtown. As an example, the RiverWalk District has been certified by Ontario by Bike as one of 15 Bike-Friendly Business Areas in the province, and actively encourages members to become certified Bike-Friendly Businesses.

Area Business Support

The Downtown Prescott BIA is an active partner is helping retain and expand our business community. This includes actively engaging with existing businesses, identifying potential new businesses, and helping ensure businesses have the resources they need to succeed. For example, the Downtown Prescott BIA partnered with the Town of Prescott, the Township of Augusta, and the Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal to deliver the Digital Main Street program in South Grenville, which over the past two years has assisted over 40 downtown businesses and has invested over $30,000 in our RiverWalk stores and services.