A first impression is a lasting one — whether it’s a person or a place.
For small towns, it can make the difference between new people wanting to come and live there — or looking elsewhere.
Souris and Minnedosa both jumped at the chance to take part this summer in an ongoing program pairing Manitoba towns to help them learn what sort of impression they leave on visitors.
They were participants in the First Impressions Community Exchange, a Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development program designed to help towns see their own strengths and shortcomings through fresh pairs of eyes.
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Souris and Minnedosa, Niverville and Stonewall, and Portage la Prairie and Dauphin, were matched in 2014 as communities of approximately the same size population and sharing other similarities.
Each participating town sent a team of delegates to the other’s, to evaluate, using a handbook provided by MAFRD, and log their outsider’s take on the other’s community.
Minnedosa was eager to get an unbiased assessment of the town, says Ross Mackling, a local business owner. You tend not to see certain things, or are unaware of others until someone new brings them to your attention, he said.
“It seemed like a really good opportunity to have another set of eyes come and view what we kind of take for granted here, and give us maybe a new fresh perspective on things,” he said.
Visiting delegates to each respective town assessed everything from esthetic appeal to availability of housing and recreational opportunities, services and infrastructure, said Vern May, the economic development officer with the Souris and Glenwood Community Development Corporation.
“They were looking at everything from signage, to the smells, sights, sounds in the community, whether it’s welcoming, the placement and quality of schools and services, landscaping, public infrastructure like sidewalks and curbs,” he said.
Souris got high marks on many fronts. Delegates said while Souris is best known for its historic swinging bridge, it has far more to offer. The hours and variety of local restaurants received praise, as did the town’s slate of unique businesses such as Sadlers Greenhouse and specialty accommodations found at The Guest Room.
Minnedosa also heard good things about why people would want to live in the town, said Mackling.
“We would hope to be viewed as a progressive and modern community that has lots of services for its residents and its visitors,” he said. “We certainly feel the lake is one of our best assets and we feel very fortunate to live in a beautiful valley and scenic location in Manitoba. Their visitors thought so too.
But this wasn’t merely mutual admiration exercise. Both communities also heard constructive suggestions about where they can improve their first impressions. Souris heard that it needs to improve its welcoming signage from all four directions and visitors commented that some of its storefronts are “tired looking.” The town needs to do something about a large vacant lot in its town, and it needs an industrial park, the evaluation said.
Likewise, Minnedosa was told it can improve some services to visitors, such as having restaurants keep more convenient hours, and its Main Street needed upgrading, said Mackling.
“There weren’t too many negatives, but they pointed out some tidying up needed, and some facelifts needed on some of our Main Street buildings,” he said. Minnedosa could also be doing more with social media to promote the community, he added.
“We’ve realized we’re behind in that area, and could be doing more.”
Both places will take the evaluations, now compiled into reports with recommendations, to their respective councils. They’ll be used to form action items for their respective economic development committees, chambers of commerce and other groups.
But while action areas are easy fixes, like a coat of paint, others relate to much bigger-picture issues. Overall economic development is what enables communities to be both attractive and service rich, said Mackling.
“We have the infrastructure, the schools and the hospital, the quality of life and the basic things covered,” he said. “But we are working very hard at finding opportunities to bring new industry and employment to town, and to revitalize the economy.
“I think our biggest issue is adequate housing, and along with that, jobs that can keep our young people at home and bring people in,” he said.
First Impressions Community Exchanges were initially developed in Wisconsin as a simple and low-cost community development tool. The program began in Manitoba nearly a decade ago, and has also been adapted and used in hundreds of communities throughout the U.S., Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
