As construction fencing goes up around the City's Civic Square and Central Library Square on September 8, the vision for downtown Mississauga, formulated through extensive public consultation, will start to take shape.

Revitalization of Mississauga's Civic Square, which will transform it into a vibrant, people-friendly destination, is the City’s largest and highest-profile approved Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (ISF) project. As part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, eligible costs for the $40 million project will be divided equally among the federal, provincial and municipal governments. The ISF program was launched by the federal government earlier this year to improve infrastructure, create jobs and stimulate the economy. To meet ISF guidelines, construction must be completed by March 31, 2011.

"Council and staff have been talking with citizens, community groups and stakeholders about making necessary changes to the Civic Square for a long time," said Mayor Hazel McCallion. "With additional funding available through the ISF program, now is the time to turn those great ideas into reality, and make our Civic Centre the place for citizens to connect through arts, culture, heritage and just plain community spirit."

Some of the design features planned for the Civic Square include:

• linking the Civic Square (north of City Centre Drive) and the Central Library Square (south of City Centre Drive) by removing sections of the existing walls and improving the grade transitions, essentially turning it into one large square;
• redesigning City Centre Drive as a pedestrian-friendly street that can be closed during events;
• doubling the size of the existing ice rink and installing new ice-making technology;
• replacing the existing reflecting pool on the Civic Square with a zero-edge water feature;
• opening up the amphitheatre by removing walls and raising the floor, adding washrooms and a green room, and installing a shade feature;
• improving access and visibility from the Civic Square, through a redesigned glazed entrance and vestibule;
• reconfiguring the lawn surface to make it a large open lawn for hosting activities;
• developing a permanent outdoor stage with sound system, at the southern boundary of the Central Library Square;
• installing a media wall for programmable and interactive digital arts; and,
• establishing an area on the Central Library Square for specialized seasonal open air markets with vending stalls.

To facilitate construction over the two-year period, City Centre Drive will be closed from Duke of York Boulevard to Living Arts Drive. Structural changes will allow the road to operate with two lanes for vehicles on a daily basis, with the option of safely closing it by means of removable gates at either end when required for event programming.

In addition to revitalization of the Civic Square, Mississauga's 132 ISF projects include road resurfacing, new sidewalks, replaced noise walls, pathway paving and lighting, transit priority lanes, four refurbished branch libraries and two indoor pool replacements. For information about the ISF program, and updates on City projects, visit the Building our Future Mississauga website, coming soon.

As Canada's sixth largest city, Mississauga is home to 730,000 residents and 55,000 businesses, including 61 Fortune 500 companies with Canadian head offices or major divisional head offices. A diverse, progressive and award-winning municipality located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Mississauga prides itself on enhancing its citizens' quality of life by providing superior services, revitalizing its infrastructure and conserving the environment. Mississauga’s commitment to innovation, operational excellence and fiscal responsibility reflects the City’s motto: "Leading Today for Tomorrow."