Bring Back Main Street, a program that supports the downtown core of small Ontario towns, has awarded the Picton Branch Library $18,000 for the landscaping of its Main Street frontage.

The program is funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and is administered by the Canadian Urban Institute, a Toronto-based charity which funds projects and programs with the goal of encouraging urban growth and economic prosperity. It has awarded $15 million in funding across Ontario in 2024. 

The Picton Library application succeeded, “because of the value public libraries bring to main streets as anchors for community engagement,” said Mary Rowe, CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute. 

The Picton Business Improvement Association wrote a letter of support. “We have a top notch library in our small town that is constantly bringing people into the downtown core through the programs and services they offer. Supporting them was a no-brainer,” said Mark Rose, Executive Director. 

The money will fund improvements to the Library’s outdoor space, including planters, garden beds, and book carts.

The goal is to revitalize the outdoor space to draw people indoors – even if it’s just to stop and use the wifi. “If we can get people to the front door, we can get them inside,” said Liz Zylstra, Director of Communications. “Anything that helps bring people in helps them become, and stay, readers.”

It’s not the first Bring Back Main Street grant for County libraries. The Bloomfield branch received $40,000 from the same funding stream in 2021. The money helped keep people coming to the library during the Covid-19 pandemic, paying for items like air purifiers and an outdoor patio. 

It also allowed the Bloomfield Library to bring in guest speakers, including the late local playwright Suzanne Pasternak, and essayist Andrew McLuhan.