An American consultant on business development says Moose Jaw has a wonderful story to tell about downtown recovery and themed tourism.
Tom Tresser of Chicago and 22 delegates to an international business conference, were in Moose Jaw Tuesday to pick up hints on how to bring prosperity to their communities.
"The wonderful city of Moose Jaw has used the arts and culture quite extensively," said Tresser, whose development credits include the Chicago arts-based downtown revival.
Part of the fascinating Moose Jaw story "is people are coming here to try to figure out how they can take what you've done and apply it in their own communities."
He described the use of tourism - spa, tunnels, casino, cultural centre - as an anchor to create jobs, as brilliant.
"Pictures of the downtown from the '90s show a sad-looking business area. Your community leaders could have just given up and said we don't have any reason for putting an economic development plan in place," said Tresser.
But a key core of leaders with vision saw potential, never gave up, rediscovered geothermal mineral waters and pursued development, he said.
"Soon it became hundreds and hundreds of people. If you think in a collaborative way - not, it's not my business - you can work together."
To those who claim tourism is seasonal, Tresser points to 230 year-round jobs at the spa as well as the casino, the impact of 150,000 annual tunnels visitors and other operations.
Moose Jaw is just in the second chapter of exciting development, according to Tresser.
Plans for the multiplex and spa expansion are a start, he said. Events like the Festival of Words drawing 2,000 visitors annually "just grow and grow until you have hundreds employed."
The former actor-director turned development consultant especially praised leadership that preserved the Capitol Theatre.
"Many communities have jewel assets like that and throw them away. If you have a great asset like an old vaudeville place, you need to do something to save it," said Tresser.
"It could have been pulled down for a parking lot. Notable performers playing there have lauded it."
Once communities have chosen a theme like Moose Jaw's old buildings, they need a plan to keep construction in line with existing buildings, he said
"We don't want somebody erecting an ugly structure right in the middle of our beautiful downtown."
Ron Walter can be reached at 691-1264.
Consultant says Moose Jaw is a good tourism model
Consultant says Moose Jaw is a good tourism model
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- Published on June 6th, 2007
- Published on July 10th, 2009
- Ron Walter
An American consultant on business development says Moose Jaw has a wonderful story to tell about downtown recovery and themed tourism.
Tom Tresser of Chicago and 22 delegates to an international business conference, were in Moose Jaw Tuesday to pick up hints on how to bring prosperity to their communities.
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- connie
- - September 18th, 2009 at 17:43:16
Yes, a core of leaders did a GREAT! job at revitalizing downtown and Moose Jaw has become a wonderful city for visitors and tourists.
Now, if only educational and medical services could be elevated to the same level, we would have the perfect city to live, work and raise a family as the Saskatchewan slogan goes.
Educational and medical services for children and youth in particular seem to be lacking, especially for children/youth with special needs.
While Moose Jaw is a really GREAT! place to visit is it going to be a great place to raise children.
Looking at the bigger picture and the future, is MJ going to be a place where people just pass through or a place where people want to raise their children?
Is the scale already tipping towards being a great tourist city but not a good place for children/youth? -
- Kirk
- - September 18th, 2009 at 16:48:41
I agree that Moose Jaw has a wonderful story to tell about downtown recovery and themed tourism.
The Moose Jaw story was recently selected by the American Institure of Architects as a case study to feature as part of their on-line series Built Works: Architects demonstrate the Value of Community Design Readers interested can view the introductory article at: http://www.aia.org/liv_rudat_archcommunity and read the Moose Jaw piece at: http://www.aia.org/liv_rudat_moosejaw1992
This is a post mortum of the 1992 R/UDAT study that Moose Jaw initiated.
Moose Jaw does have a wonderful storey to tell. -
- Ron
- - September 18th, 2009 at 16:17:00
What does he think about knocking down some of the old buildings and maybe putting a hockey rink right in the middle of downtown?
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- Concerned Citizen
- - September 18th, 2009 at 15:40:15
The Tunnels are not just tunnels, they are mines ...... gold mines . Give the Tunnel folks credit, they worked hard and did it mostly on their own. They should be expanded and there is no reason they shouldn't get some public funds to do this....like the Spa did and MultiPlex probably will.
The whole corner of River and Main needs to be resurected and the City should chip in a few of the MultiPlex dollars to do it. Even $2 million of the $15 million would be lots.
I am not so sure a new Hockey/Curling Rink in this area is a tourist attraction that would draw daily tourist crowds downtown no mater how it gets dressed up.
Some people seem to think that's what it would do.
