Golden: investing to impress

The Town of Golden, B.C., will use Resort Municipality Initiative funds to beautify the highway frontage and improve access

1 of 2There is an attractive new traffic circle in front of the visitor's centre in Golden, B.C., — Kirsten Armleder photo

2 of 2A sign supported by rock and timber welcomes visitors to Golden, B.C. — Kirsten Armleder photo

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There are only 14 British Columbia communities that qualify as resort municipalities, and fully half of them—Revelstoke, Golden, Radium, Invermere, Kimberley, Fernie, and Rossland—are located in the Kootenay region. Along with the other seven—Whistler, Tofino, Ucluelet, Harrison Hot Springs, Osoyoos, Sun Peaks and Valemount—all of these names are synonymous with outdoor recreation, and all are striving to attract tourist dollars.

Jon Wilsgard, chief administrative officer for the Town of Golden, B.C., said that most people who pass through Golden on the Trans-Canada Highway think of “the strip” as the town.

“And we want to change that,” Wilsgard said. “There’s a lot more to our town than the bit that lies along Highway 1, with motels and gas stations and food franchises lining both sides. So we want to make that area look less ‘strip-ish’—less generic and more inviting.”

Living up to expectations

In a qualified resort municipality, visitors expect attractive streets with beautiful landscaping and well-kept buildings. Through British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI), the municipalities have access to funds for projects that enhance and encourage tourism—projects the community may never have been able to afford without help.

The plan for the highway corridor enhancement was arrived at thanks to input from property owners and business owners who presented their ideas and hopes for how they would like to have the RMI funds used.

“It was a very, very good process,” Wilsgard said. “We had a couple of open houses where everyone could say what their dreams were. Based on that information, we developed a full engineered, technical design for what we want to see. We costed it out, put it out to tender and will put it out to a second tender early next spring.”

Wilsgard said that good progress is being made on several other projects. Among them, a unique and beautiful sign has been commissioned to replace the aging Town of Golden sign for the purpose of attracting travellers into the town. An extension of a paved pathway providing a safe and clear thoroughfare for pedestrians and cyclists to access the downtown area is about 90 per cent finished. New directional signage with a consistent motif to convey Golden’s distinct identity as well as information kiosks that are attractive and convenient are in the process of being installed.