The Town of Huntsville and District of Muskoka celebrated the completion of the Diggin’ Downtown construction project today, with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony in downtown Huntsville. Members of Huntsville’s Town Council, District of Muskoka, community partners and project staff joined together on October 4, 2022, to celebrate the success of the largest construction project our community has experienced to date.
Huntsville’s Mayor, Karin Terziano, expressed her enthusiasm for the completion of the project,
“On behalf of Town Council, we are proud to have been part of this important development and to commend the strong partnerships required to achieve such a success. As the heart of our community, the downtown looks better than ever!With streetscape enhancements the downtown is even more accessible, inviting and inclusive to everyone. Improvements include wider sidewalks, plentiful seating, pedestrian crosswalks, landscaped “Muskoka moments” and new spaces for public interaction and connection. The new trees will grow their roots, just as this new street design will set the foundation for a thriving downtown core. Together with updated infrastructure underground and a modern streetscape look, the downtown is positioned well for continued economic growth as the ideal place to work, live or visit. So, if you haven’t yet, come downtown…businesses are always open!”
The Town is grateful to community members, partners and area businesses who provided valuable feedback and insight – from initial brainstorming to project execution. The Town also would like to recognize and commend community partners such as the Huntsville BIA, Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, Huntsville Festival of the Arts and many other local organizations who worked hard to engage and support the business community by way of information, events, contests and initiatives. As a result of these efforts, many residents and visitors continued to come downtown throughout the construction period.
“The whole project was a collaborative effort! Thanks to the community and BIA’s eagerness to support, the Town, District, and Contractor were able to complete this large project that needed to be done. With so many dedicated, passionate, and talented project team members and community contributors, we can proudly “dig” the new look together!” notes Tarmo Uukkivi Director of Operations and Protective Services for the Town of Huntsville.
Similarly, the District of Muskoka would like to thank the Huntsville community and project partners for their support and patience while this vital infrastructure was updated.
“Beneath the new smooth driving surface, downtown Huntsville is now equipped with state-of-the-art underground pipes, delivering critical water and sewer services to residents and businesses,” notes Mark Misko, Director, Engineering and Transportation for the District of Muskoka. “Although out of sight, out of mind – we now have reliable underground infrastructure and connections that will serve our growing community, for years to come.We’d like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the stakeholders, businesses, residents and visitors and the Diggin’ Downtown project team. From initial planning, important consultations, engineering, final design and navigating through the pandemic, this is the largest, collaborative construction infrastructure improvement project undertaken, so far.Thank you to our behind-the-scenes partners – emergency services, transportation and school board teams who worked alongside the District and Town to ensure disruptions were limited, and well communicated.”
While we’re diggin’ the new look, the Town, District and BIA would like to celebrate this huge milestone with residents, visitors and businesses on October 6, 2022. Drop-by Huntsville’s Civic Square from 2:00pm until 4:30pm for cookies and an opportunity to spin-to-win downtown prices (while supplies lasts). There are big prizes to be won, so don’t miss the chance to celebrate!
Diggin’ Downtown construction started in March 2021 to replace underground water and sewer pipes that deliver critical services to our community – these services were old, and required upgrades. At the same time, the Town of Huntsville took the opportunity to address the sidewalk, landscaping and accessibility features of the area with a Muskoka-inspired streetscape design. The Diggin’ Downtown construction wrapped up in summer, 2022 with final finishing work needed – final completion was announced on October 4, 2022.
