Yellowknife (Apr 21/04) - Last summer, the city implemented the Downtown Commercial Facade Improvement Program, which provides grants up to $10,000 to property owners in the downtown area for refurbishment of their buildings.

So far, one grant has been approved for Quality Furniture.

"We need to do a huge clean-up downtown," said Jeannie Rocher, owner/manager of the store.

Rocher says graffiti was a deciding factor in the decision to re-paint the building's facade.

There is more to beautification than just a new coat of paint, though.

"Since the snow is gone we're out there every day picking up the litter," Rocher said.

This view is shared by other business people as well.

"I definitely think downtown needs to be spruced up," said Evelyn Murphy, manager of Sasha's Jewellery and Giftware.

"One of my biggest concerns downtown is the Centre Square Mall area," Murphy said. "People shouldn't be able to loiter and clutter up the entrances."

Loiterers a problem

Murphy says people hanging around outside are responsible for much of the litter, as wells as puddles of spit on the street.

"It's just disgusting," Murphy said.

In one instance, Murphy was actually spit on (accidentally) by someone loitering in front of the mall.

She thinks the fact that you can't walk down 50th Street without seeing blood or spit affects sales for businesses on the street.

"If the outside is not attractive, people are not going to go inside," Murphy said.

New York subway syndrome

These people only litter and spit because there is already trash everywhere, says Jennifer Marchant, general manager of the Centre Square Mall.

"If you have a messy environment, then what's one more piece of litter," Marchant said.

She feels that keeping the streets clean will discourage litter and graffiti.

"People are less likely to vandalize a nice, clean wall than one that already has vandalism on it," Marchant said.

She calls this the "New York Subway Syndrome," because New York City's efforts to clean graffiti from its subways helped reduce instances of new graffiti.

Centre Square Mall is planning to renovate the building's siding by the parking lot on the corner of 50th Street and Franklin Avenue later this year.

"What you're trying to do is have a little more pride in your city," Marchant said. "How your downtown is presented is reflective of your entire city."

Marchant notes that many cities throughout Canada have revitalized their downtown cores with positive results.

Centre Square Mall will renovate more of the building's siding in 2005 and 2006, after planned street repairs are completed by the city.