Getting feet on the street
Gartj Johns is the new executive director for Oshawa’s downtown BIA. He hopes to turn the city’s core into a hub for cultural and social events. (Photo by Joel Wittnebel).
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
If you haven’t been to downtown Oshawa lately, Garth Johns is looking to change that.
The newest executive director for the Downtown Oshawa BIA has a clear vision and a simple solution to changing the view that many people have surrounding the city’s core.
“Unfortunately, I think downtown suffers from a rather negative reputation,” Johns says. “I’ve been wandering around here downtown, more recently of course, since I was kid and it’s no different than any other downtown.”
Put simply, it’s about getting “feet on the street”, Johns says.
The retired Region of Durham employee has been heavily involved in the goings-on of Oshawa for many years, spending years on the boards of the Oshawa Public Libraries, the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre, and the former Transit Commission.
After retirement, he felt disconnected from his community and jumped at the opportunity to once again get involved and perhaps change things for the better. And, with a new condo at McLaughlin Square in downtown, it’s personal.
“I want to make sure what happens down here is good for us,” he says.
In the dog days of summer, the downtown is bustling with events like Bikes on Bond, which rolled into town earlier this month, and Kars on King, which brought thousands of car enthusiasts to the downtown this past weekend. The parking lot of city hall also sees a show and shine every Wednesday evening.
There are new additions this year as a production of Mamma Mia, the first after its long run on Broadway, took over the Regent Theatre for the month of July and recently the BIA hosted a packed wine festival at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
“The more things we can get downtown, I think the better it is for everybody,” Johns says. “My vision would be if we could have something every month or ideally every week.”