CARP – As 2019 kicks off, the Carp Road Corridor Business Improvement Area (CRCBIA) wants you to meet the board and hear the association’s priorities.

Members attending the Annual General Meeting last November voted for a slate of area business and property owners to serve as volunteer board members. That new board including four new faces. The CRCBIA board is elected at the same time, and has the same four-year term as City of Ottawa council.

The CRCBIA’s 2018 to 2022 board includes:

• Rick Levitsky, Aecon – New Volunteer:  Rick was nominated by the Board mid last term to replace Erwin Schulz when he retired.  Rick has now been elected to the board and will serve as chair;
• Shawn Argue, Argue Construction:  This will be Argue’s second term.  As in the 2014-2018 term he will serve as vice chair;
• Sandra Cain, Kanata Tax Services – new volunteer:  Cain was nominated by the board mid last term to replace Jim Gorman when he retired.  Cain has not been elected to the board and will serve as Treasurer;
• Gary Connolly, Helicopter Transport Services:  This will be Connolly’s third term as a volunteer director;
• Ken Crawford, C&M Electric – new volunteer: Crawford is a business owner, a vacant property owner and a land developer in the corridor;
• Wayne French, Waste Management Inc:  This will be French’s third term as a volunteer director;
• John Kenny, Stittsville Storage:  This will be Kenny’s second term as a volunteer director;
• Jason Lalonde, property owner – new volunteer:  Lalonde is a corridor property owner member; 
• Dustin Therrien, Cheshire Cat Pub:  This will be Therrien’s third term as a volunteer director;
• Councillors Eli El-Chantiry and Scott Moffatt are also board members.

Members regularly provide input to the association on business priorities. The board has identified several priorities for their members moving forward.

“Historically and still, access to municipal water is a priority for many members,” the CRCBIA released in a statement. “Over the past three years, members have noted employee attraction is becoming challenging and consider that transit in the corridor is a priority. Members have also asked if there is a business association role in helping with employee attraction – a question which is now being investigated”

Growth has slowly brought traffic to the forefront of CRCBIA issues to address.

“As the corridor and nearby Carp village grow, so has traffic in the corridor and members, in particular those whose operations include frequent trips to and from the corridor location, have stated improving traffic is a priority,” the CRCBIA said. “At some locations in the corridor where there has been repeated flooding, improving drainage is a priority.”