From Christmas installations to increasing security at the Brunswick House
By: Kelly Gabel
The monthly Bloor Annex Business Improvement Area (BIA) meeting took place Oct. 16 at Kilgour’s Bar Meets Grill (509 Bloor Street W.) and was led by treasurer and secretary, Brian Burchell.
On the agenda was the approval of the 2013 budget plan. A total of $127,036 expenditures planned for the budget cost share amount during 2013. Last year the City Council approved $124,256.00 which included the 1.76% HST impact.
Also on the agenda was the proposal to hang Christmas decorations throughout the Annex by local artist Robin Donovan. Donovan said he plans to install two mistletoe ornaments decorated with tinsel and a vinyl sign underneath on the sidewalk reading “Kiss me here/ Under the Mistletoe/Bloor Annex BIA”.
“We’re creating a unique venue for romance and entertainment,” said Burchell. The plans are still underway and are expected to be up and running for the month of December.
The last order of business discussed during the meeting was the increase of security that is now taking place late on Saturday nights at the Brunswick House (481 Bloor Street W.).
“The Brunswick House is one of our members and over many years there’s been a consistently expressed concern from businesses and residences alike that the Brunswick House was a nebulous of a problem,” said Burchell.
“Vandalism, specifically around closing time and sometimes violence which results from the crowds leaving all at once, but can also result from being rejected from the house for misconduct or over-consumption. And that violence causes a reputation for the neighborhood that’s otherwise quite a peaceful and safe place,” he said adding, “some of our members experienced their windows being broken. The businesses with glass windows as a result had difficulty maintaining their insurance over that. So they’ve had to self-insure.”
The Brunswick House is now paying a constable along and three officers to be on duty between the hours of 11 p.m – 3 a.m. in hopes that patrons would feel the need to act more appropriately while attending or leaving the bar.
For more information on the Bloor Annex BIA visit bloorannexbia.com.