Churchill Square to get spruced for spring with $25K makeover
The reborn St. John's shopping centre is blooming, and the city wants to help it grow
Winston Churchill, whose statue stares across Elizabeth Avenue right into the St. John's shopping area that bears his name, once said "solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong."
The years have not been kind to "The Square" as tenants left, flooding forced others to flee and the plaza style shopping centre faded from the forefront of shoppers' minds.
But Churchill Square is back.
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A flurry of new tenants filled vacant store fronts, breathing new life into The Square; a new pub, a popular bakery and even plans to turn the empty supermarket into apartments are just a few of the recent additions.
"There is lots of energy and enthusiasm for the new businesses moving into Churchill Square and the potential development there," St. John's councillor Ian Froude said.
City hall wants to ride the wave of new energy by investing some money into the space in and around The Square.
The elected official for Ward 4 listened to business owners and residents and dipped into the Churchill Square Parking Meter Fund, which, despite many missing meter heads, still has around $600,000 in it.
"I've asked to have council's approval to take $25,000 of that to do enhancement of that in the square," said Froude.
Council voted on the motion and agreed with him, meaning there will be some new additions to the area this spring.
"That could include flowers, benches, trees and some bike racks, to beautify and enhance it and make it more welcoming," he said.
The best part for Froude is that the city will be reinvesting money from the neighbourhood, back into the neighbourhood, to make what he calls needed changes.
While there will be more than one tree planted in the coming months at Churchill Square, the shopping centre has stood alone for a long time — and its revitalization proves just how strong a solitary shopping plaza can be.