Re-Opening Courthouse Square with a Festival and Ensuring the Vibrancy of Downtown

Anticipation is building for the completion and re-opening of the reunified Courthouse Square. Nearly every day more elements seem to spontaneously pop out of the ground: from the kiosks to trees and light poles, the pavers to the grass that outlines the old courthouse footprint. The official opening celebration will take place on the afternoon of Saturday, April 29, with a ribbon cutting and community festival (see the event details below in this newsletter).

Yet the initiative to make what was old new again took a lot of planning and work. Downtown merchants and property owners are optimistic about Courthouse Square driving downtown’s economic renewal, but know that a concerted effort to manage and promote downtown as a vibrant and safe center of our city is needed. To that end, a plan to create a property business improvement district (PBID) assessment will be put before the city, and the Press Democrat's editorial board recently urged the City Council to give this proposal careful consideration.