IPG Building Starts Facade Improvements
Painter applies fresh coat of red paint to 1300 First Avenue- photo 250News
Prince George, B.C.- Work is underway to give the Initiatives Prince George building on First Avenue a fresh face.
The building is about 44 years old, “Its façade and faded paint are starting to reveal its age” says IPG’s CEO Heather Oland.
With the Canada Winter Games just around the corner, Oland says IPG wanted to “show leadership in updating the look of buildings in the downtown area to ensure a vibrant welcoming for athletes, coaches and other visitors.”
The building is being painted a warm red, a colour that is in keeping with the branding of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
The paint job carries a $25 thousand dollar price tag and is part of an overall façade upgrade wish list says Oland “The overall capital plan for the outside of the building includes a design for an improved front entrance, a wood feature around the front entrance, as well as improvements to the landscaping.” The quotes for the entrance and landscaping upgrades aren’t in yet, so, there is no final tally for the work “We won’t know until the quotes are in if we are looking at full range plans, or part plans.”
The costs for the work are being covered in part by the capital asset improvement budget, which was largely funded with profits from the sale of the former call centre building at 2nd and George Street to Fortis. The IPG building is now fully leased and that is providing some annual revenue as well.
It is hoped this facelift will encourage other property owners in the downtown area to spruce up their own buildings in time for the Winter Games. The Downtown Business Improvement Association does have a special program in place that would give property owners a 25% grant, up to a maximum of $5 grand per building or project.
IPG is not within the downtown C1 zone so it does not qualify for that incentive program “We wouldn’t apply for it even if we were in the C1 zone” says Oland, “We really want the downtown property owners to benefit from that. Though not in the zone, we are in the neighbourhood, and we are trying to lead by example.”
She expects the final quotes on the entrance project to be in before the end of the month, while the final landscaping costs won’t be known until later this summer.
Comments
A definite improvement, as are the flowers that are planted outside of this building and the trees that CN planted. Unfortunately there’s still a lot of work to be done on 1st Ave.
Anyway to designate the old warehouses on First Ave. as “heritage” to cop a few dineros from the Feds?
The old CN Rail (Via) building is about the same age as the old police station.
Funny how the City can condemn one because of old age and spruce up the other. Depends what the flavor of the week is I guess.
So can one assume that if the Winter Games were not coming to town, IPG would not have taken the (**lead**) and upgraded this building. Why do we have to wait for special occasions, and outside visitors to get this City looking better. Don’t we the taxpayer’s rate at least the same amount of time and attention that outsiders do.???
That entrance into town is an absolute dump and an embarrassment. The business owners have no pride in the area.
It’s good to see some improvements to PG. Good Job!!
Just like the article says……will the other businesses in PG also spruce up their businesses? I hope so. Let’s make PG clean and spruced it up!!
I agree with johnnybelt. The 1st Avenue entrance into our city is shameful. Is it no wonder the comments re Prince George are so negative. Where is our pride for heavens sake. We know that entrance is a mess, so why oh why are the powers that be not fixing it up. Alas, then there is CN. No help from them I’m sure.
CN planted the tree’s on the North East side of 1st Avenue, which is quite an improvement.
The rickety old buildings are not owned by CN.
Not much you can do about the rail yards, unless they move everything to the BC Rail side, which they could do, if they wanted to spend some money. But Heh, the money earned is for the shareholders, not for beautifying Prince George.
Just need a pub and a couple liquor stores on 1st there to show people what PG is all about. ;)
There is a pub/liquor store and strip club pretty much right across the street moose!
If IPG was to apply for the incentive program that would be ripe for criticism… just money from one city pocket to another city pocket….
This may improve the look of the building. It should make it easier to sell once IPG is shut down after the next election.
Wow, too bad other building owners dont get a 1,000,000. plus subsity / charity like Heather Oland does. She acts like she is doing businesse. Its such an unfair playing field. I say shut IPG down after the election and save the taxpayers of PG $1,000,000 plus per year.
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