Car! Tom Pearson is an Events Specialist - Critical for Ward 5

No more parking woes for an even expanded Main St. Father's Day Sat Car Show if TP is in!

If you're a classic / car fan from the area, you may be familiar with the various car shows in and around town. The Highway 11 Cruisers Car Club host the bulk of them, including a Father's Day Saturday event held in a parking lot at Yonge and Mulock where one of their event sponsors, Parts Source, sits, while on Main St., on Father's Day Sunday, the Newmarket Car Club has previously featured the cars for the show there - however the number of cars in the smaller club limits Main St.'s event somewhat in size and subsequently out of town attendee numbers.

Highway 11 Cruisers C.C.'s Upper Canada Mall show got too big for the Mall to host

I'm a Bridge Builder

Having been acquainted with both Car Clubs for a number of years now, and having promoted Cruisers' annual New years Eve bash particularly, I believe I'm just the guy that can broker having them all together on one street - Main St - for the area's biggest annual car show and attraction the town has ever hosted - on Fathers Day weekend no less! Did I'm mention I'm trained in Group Facilitation by C.M.H.A.? I knew it might come in handy one day. Ha.

In fact I've spoken to both the downtown B.I.A. Chair Glenn Wilson and to the Highway 11 Cruisers President Danny Fachini in the past about adding the latter club to the Main St. mix since their two shows are so close together as they kind of compete against one another, so it would make sense if possible to do just one big show and that is exactly what I've been working on! And they are both receptive to the idea.

Imagine 300 plus cars on and around Main St and Sponsors

So much so in fact, the Cruisers could be willing to stop holding their Parts Source show that same weekend and bring 300 cars to Main St. to make it one of the biggest car show attractions in the G.T.A., if not the biggest, also drawing from all over York Region, Barrie, Brampton and the G.T.H.A.. Imagine a car show on Main with over 300 cars, entertainment and booths! The patios and shops would rock!

On top of that, I've even configured a way to add more parking! How?

Bill Nadeau live performance

The Cruisers end-of-season Sept show attracts up to 1500 people, and it's grown so large they were told they'd have to move from the Upper Canada Mall parking lot where they'd been for a number of years and so moved it to the Go parking lot on Green Lane. But, filled with cars for the show there is then limited parking. So what to do?  

They created a shuttle service provided by one of their sponsors - a car dealership in town - and this is exactly what we'd do for an event on Main as excess parking could be added by shuttling people from the HUGE Tannery Mall parking lot on Davis Drive which sits empty mostly on weekends and evenings. Light bulb moment!

Tom Pearson id proposing to bring sponsors and show to Main instead

Yes, that's right, in one fell swoop, and no extra $, I've just added hundreds of additional parking spots and dollars to the event for Main. We could even have the Tim Horton's Train making additional shuttles along Tom Taylor Trail which would make for a short but fun and scenic ride to the edge of Riverwalk Commons where visitors can easily walk over to the event.

I, in fact, see the car show getting so large and renowned, it may be wise to add Riverwalk Commons to the mix for cars and booths, as I'm sure their various event sponsors including Parts Source, Maple Leaf Sports and New Roads would love the opportunity to be included for more exposure there. In past big shows the Cruiser's have brought attractions like the Toronto Rock (M.L.S.) and other goodies to their shows along with their spectacular variety of cars and this show would become

a flagship town and Main St. event for years to come attracting hundreds more to Main St from out of town.

Cruisers at U.C. Mall in 2014

I'm very excited about this and am itching to make it so. These types of special events are right up my alley, having put on dozens of events myself including 20 in the past 10 years at Riverwalk and Fairy Lake and also at Canada's largest (Toronto) convention centre. Danny knows it and he is excited about the possibility too, and it sure sounded like their numerous club members are too when I addressed this at a recent Tues Cruise Night. And we can then look forward growing it each year, adding much needed extra revenue to the town coffers and the businesses and which is attractive to young and old alike!

Monday Madness meets Motor Cars

Danny and I also discussed the possibility of once a month car shows on Main St. that would again include live street entertainment, like Bill Nadeau, which we could run on an off night such as a Monday or Tuesday to bring additional business again onto Main through the summer. We can only propose it but I think it too would fly!

Cool vendors too

I'm Tom Pearson, I'm running for Ward 5 Councillor in Newmarket and if you put me in, there is no doubt I will use my experience and connections to create more business for Main, and for entertainers, restaurants and shops like you have not seen! I'm a doer, not just a talker, and my track records speaks to that. And I really do care.

Just remember to vote Oct 17 (or before) and let's get these parties started!

Watch for some cool cars to adorn my campaign fundraiser and kick- off party on Mon Sept 12...Staytuned for the Main St locale! Click here for more of my platform and ideas.

Happy New Year!

Tom Bits - Parking Issues around Main St

Parking Issues Around Main St and Riverwalk Commons

One of Ward 5's most talked about issues revolve around the lack of parking. Issues about parking further arise when we bring into the mix the possibility of apartments or condos which begin to merge the two somewhat, but at the end of the day, we will have units with visitors and we do want more parking. So what do we do?

There are a number of options worthy of discussion, most of which have been covered previously in Council or by the other Ward 5 Candidates running, but they, without exception, cannot be implemented for some time until certain issues have been worked out, which could take years.

So for the purposes of getting to my point and without getting into ideas about the firehouse as an option or a heritage land swap with the town or even the tennis bubble - moving that facility to another - but instead I want to hone in on a complimentary idea that would go towards reducing the parking woes, and at the same time, create a few jobs and $ for the town coffers. How you ask?

Firstly, we set up a bike share program with bikes located at strategic spots, such as at the Tannery Mall parking lot, near the trail bike paths at the municipal building, at Fairy Lake, at Bayview Park,  Yonge St, near transit stops etc. Strategic locations. Such programs are operating successfully in places like Hamilton in cooperation with their Smart Drive initiatives and I feel our community would support such a program that relies somewhat on memberships to survive to do just that. Local bike shops could be hired to supply bike maintenance, of which Ward 5 happens to have just such a shop! This is something we could add immediately that could ease some of the congestion in summer, especially if combined with a mini train shuttle run from the Tannery Mall parking lot to Timothy St. along Tom Taylor Trail.

Read my platform to find out how we can avoid this happening in future Main St. development

Think about that. Why not use the Tim Hortons Train for a practical use on weekends by shuttling back and forth on that one stretch that could connect people from the empty Tannery Parking to the main RiverWalk Commons area? That's outside the box but it could work and a fun ride for families. And I'll bet the Tannery won't mind working something out to kick back to the town to help maintain the train shuttle I'm sure, instead of a near empty parking lot weekends - which I often see running for just fun anyway at town events so why not just change its route?

 

Ive already discussed with BIA reps and Car club members also about expanding the annual Car Show by 300 cars while shuttling overflow visitors from the Tannery using a shuttle from a car dealer sponsor- immediately adding hundreds of spots for out of towners.

After all the variables are in place - including fully knowing what we are working with - I will post my opinion on what I believe may be the best long term optIon . Until then there are just too many variables to speculate on, but to me a natural move has the tennis club moving to a new location, opening up a whole realm of possibilities. But meantime, my proposed measures could go toward reducing it.

Sparro did not survive parking and other woes. We need be proactive to find the right fits for around Main St.

I have real fear about the directions this mayor has blindly taken us down and question the motives behind his support for a 7 story addition to the town clock. This council needs someone actually from the area to help protect our assets and preserve OUR town's character and history.

To read my full scope of opinions on the issues and for more information on Tom Pearson, Candidate for Ward 5, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada then please click here.

Vote Tom Pearson for Council - I Really Do Care