Vermont’s best downtown revitalization projects of 2010 were recognized at the annual Vermont Green Mountain Awards Ceremony last week at the Vermont Preservation and Downtown Conference in Poultney.
The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development recognized nine downtown revitalization projects, one outstanding volunteer and five National Accredited Main Street Communities at the annual conference at Green Mountain College on Friday.
‘These Vermont communities demonstrate an exceptional level of dedication,’ said Lawrence Miller, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. ‘Vibrant downtowns are vital to Vermont’s economy, and the downtown awards recognize the towns, cities and volunteers that help make Vermont a better place to live and work.’
The Green Mountain Awards honor the achievements, people and projects of non-profit downtown revitalization groups throughout Vermont. This year’s award ceremony honored revitalization projects in Brattleboro, Bristol, Hardwick, Montpelier, Newport, Rutland, St. Johnsbury and Waterbury. Award nominees must be located within a Designated Vermont Downtown or Village Center, and may be nominated by any individual or entity.
This year’s conference theme was ‘Why are our Downtowns Important,’ which highlighted the cultural, economic, and social impacts downtowns have on Vermont. In 2010 alone, the state’s 23 Designated Downtowns attracted 24 new businesses, created 118 new jobs and made an impact of more than $35 million in both public and private investments.
Also this year, The Vermont Downtown Program announced five downtowns to achieve the distinction of becoming Nationally Accredited Main Street Communities. The five Vermont Nationally Accredited Main Street Communities are Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Newport and St. Albans. Each of these communities set themselves apart from the rest based on a 10-point criteria and final approval by the National Main Street Center in Washington, DC.
‘The five Vermont communities recognized at the national level have shown broad-based community support for the commercial district revitalization process, with strong support from both the public and private sectors,’ said Noelle MacKay, Commissioner of the Department of Economic Housing and Community Development. ‘These centers have developed a vision and mission statement relevant to their community and possess a strong historic preservation ethic.’
The Vermont Downtown program is an economic development program targeting Vermont’s historic commercial districts. Staff members provide technical support and training to Vermont communities that have expressed a grass roots commitment to revitalizing their traditional business districts using a comprehensive strategy based on historic preservation and developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Community & Organization
Award Name & Category
Award Description
Waterbury
Revitalizing Waterbury
Best Special Event:
Art of Action
Revitalizing Waterbury (RW) hosted the Art of Action (AOA) Artists Choice Tour in April 2010. RW organized an AOA Waterbury schedule that included 12 distinct events, the participation of nine community organizations/boards/businesses, and 28 open exhibition hours. Approximately 650 people attended the exhibition over the course of 12 days , including 340 Thatcher Brook Primary School students.
Montpelier
Montpelier Alive
Best Retail Campaign:
Meet Me in Montpelier!
The Montpelier Business Association (MBA)’a committee of Montpelier Alive’initiated a unique and well-received cooperative advertising campaign called ‘Meet Me in Montpelier’ with twelve businesses taking part. While each ad displayed the ‘Meet Me in Montpelier’ tag and the ads had a similar look, the photos and descriptions gave each business its own identity and story. The ads were personal, humorous, and an innovative way to tell the public about the unique contributions each business makes to Montpelier’s lively downtown.
Bristol
Bristol Downtown Community Partnership
Best Building Renovation:
Holly Hall
The renovation and restoration of Holley Hall has accomplished preserving a significant building in the heart of Bristol. The building provides services and cultural opportunities to local citizens. The renovation was undertaken with several sources of funds, including: Voter Approved Bond (December 8, 2009): $750,000, Peverill Peake Bequest for Holley Hall $59,000, Community Development Accessibility Grant $50,000 ,Voter Accessibility Grant $7,000 Total: $866,000.
Middlebury
The Better Middlebury Partnership
Best Public Improvement:
The Cross Street Bridge
The last time the Town Of Middlebury constructed a bridge downtown, Benjamin Harrison was president and Thomas Edison took out a patent on something calling a motion picture camera. One hundred and nineteen years later, Middlebury finally gets a second downtown bridge, a majestic structure spanning the Otter Creek that will relieve traffic.
The quality of streetscape improvements, designed for pedestrian and bicycle safety, transit stop and delivery vehicle accommodations critical to downtown businesses. The project also includes improved downtown public parking, a roundabout that creates a space for future centerpiece / monument, and LED lighting fixtures, granite curbing, durable epoxy-imprint crosswalks, bridge pedestrian overlooks, extensive street tree and island planting, and a new gateway to downtown.
Newport
Newport City Renaissance Corporation
Best Image Campaign:
Genuine By Nature
Newport City Renaissance Corporation was awarded a USDA-Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant for marketing in June 2010, and they set out to work on branding Newport and designing a logo that would be used in all marketing efforts. Working with marketing professionals from local businesses and volunteers for Newport City Renaissance Corporation’s Promotion Committee an agreement was made with Jay Peak Resort to contract for marketing services that included graphic and electronic marketing services. A branding document and logo were created in November 2010. Newport’s brand statement plays to its assets: ‘Newport. Genuine by Nature.’ NCRC started re-designing its website and designing ads in both English and French.
Rutland
Rutland Downtown Partnership
Best New Business:
Roots!
Roots Restaurant has become a localvore hotspot in Downtown Rutland, featuring the finest, freshest, locally sourced ingredients that region has to offer. The owners of Roots Restaurant have created a unique network of local food providers in the Rutland area.
Along with the addition of 30 new employees to the downtown, Roots is helping The Downtown Rutland Partnership advance the goals of their market study, ‘Downtown Rutland should strive to become a national model for promoting the link between farms and food’ -promoting the city’s brand ‘Connected Naturally.’
Middlebury
Better Middlebury Partnership
Best Public/Private Partnership:
The Cross Street Bridge
The very conception and planning of the bridge project was all about improving the vitality of downtown. Middlebury planned for an in-town bridge to both accommodate regional traffic and provide improved access to downtown parking, to open up downtown development sites, and enhance downtown vitality between neighborhoods and downtown.
The financing of the project ‘ with local business option taxes and college contributions this demonstrates strong inter-organizational relationships. At a time of significant economic recession, this project provided an enormous local stimulus to 25 Middlebury and Addison businesses. The college pledged to make annual payments of $600,000 on the 30-year bond. The Town voted a 1 percent local option, which generated an approximately equal annual amount ‘ so that the project could be funded entirely without any state or federal dollars.
Hardwick
Best Economic Restructuring Story:
The Larry Hamel’s Centennial House
In 2008 Larry Hamel took the leap and purchased the long-vacant property. As proprietor of Cornerstone Restoration, Larry not only managed the financing of the project, but also donned his tool belt and spent the next two years at work on the job site. In December 2010, Larry hosted an open house at the Hardwick Inn. Community members toured the building to view new professional offices, retail spaces and meeting rooms. For many of the visitors that evening, the highlight of the event was the opportunity to ascend the fully restored grand staircase.
St. Johnsbury
St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce
Main Street Manager of the Year:
Katrina Meigs
Katrina Meigs has restored the Main Street Approach focus to downtown St. Johnsbury. Katrina completed an audio podcast of St. Johnsbury’s historic walking tour, and is now working on translating this into several different languages. She has implemented a new program, Youth on Main Street (YOMS), and has mentored a local student who is working with YOMS as part of her Capstone project required for graduation. Katrina has helped expand the St. Johnsbury Chamber’s membership base 30 percent in the last year.
Brattleboro
Building a Better Brattleboro
Volunteer of the Year:
Bob Stevens
Bob Stevens is the principal of Stevens & Associates an Engineering, Planning and landscape architectural firm presently located in downtown Brattleboro.
Not only has Bob lent his professional training and that of his staff to the downtown revitalization mission but he more recently purchased an historic downtown property and renovated the building in keeping with the historic character of the downtown. He also relocated his business and staff to the upper levels of the building, making a needed contribution to the economic vitality of downtown Brattleboro.
Bob currently serves the organization as the Design Committee chair, as well as on the Executive Committee, in the role of Vice President of the Board of Directors. His understanding of the importance of downtown, the Main Street model and his commitment to seeing things happen through leadership, action and involvement is unprecedented. Bob was one of the first on the scene at the recent fire at the Brooks House in Brattleboro and it was Bob’s expertise and wisdom that convinced officials not to tear down a remarkable, land mark building in downtown.
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