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PUBLIC MEETING JAN 14 TO DISCUSS PRIDE PROJECT A public meeting has been organized in Russell Village Jan. 14 to present details of the PRIDE program recently approved by the Ontario government. PRIDE is a program under which the province will match funds with a municipality to revitalize a designated commercial area. To be held at the arena, the presentation will begin at 7:30 pm with viewing of blueprints prepared by Lecompte Engineering showing improvements to be made to the core of the village under PRIDE. The provincial government has committed $250,000 to beautify and relieve parking congestion in the village core. Improvements will be concentrated on Concession street between Craig and Church Streets. Under the terms of the program, the benefitting municipality must match the provincial grant. Township councillors have been enthusiastic supporters of the program and have publicly stated that the municipal portion of the funding would come from general revenues. Among improvements proposed under PRIDE are a municipal parking lot and river front park on the former Commercial Hotel site, sidewalk and curbing reconstruction along concession including inlayed brickwork, strategically placed crosswalks, lamp posts, benches, waste receptacles and the installation of several mature trees. The experience of other PRIDE committees has been that the program leads to a general upgrading of downtown properties and increased traffic in a designated PRIDE area. Directly affected or not, all township residents are invited to the meeting and all input will be welcome. A final public meeting required under PRIDE guidelines will be sponsored by township Within the "BXt few weeks.