making headway in your community - bucksport closing celebration, 2/3/16

Welcome to the Bucksport Community Celebration

February 3, 2016Alamo Theatre

Thank You

David’s Shortbread andWilliams Pond Lodge B & B

Where we began……

Capacity Building

• MHYC sent 5 community members to different trainings around the state including: GrowSmart Maine Forums and Maine Downtown Center Conference

Bucksport Movie Night

Presentations

Efforts to Save Wilson Hall

Jeff Hammond and Larry Wahl

Efforts to Save Wilson Hall Timeline:

• 2010 Town acquires Wilson Hall

• 2011 Repairs made to cover holes in

• 2011 Town shows Wilson Hall to potential developers. No offers submitted

• 2012 Repairs made to support sagging porch roof

• 2014 Town Council hears concerns about poor conditions of Wilson Hall, considers demolition

• 2014 Save Wilson Hall fundraising efforts begin. $4800 has been raised.

• 2015 Town Council rejects demolition and authorizes stabilization work (material costs paid with donation funds, labor volunteered).

• 2015 Porch roof removed and interior stabilization work substantially completed.

• 2016 Efforts underway to secure grant funds to restore the bell tower.

Bucksport Comprehensive Plan

Committee

Jef Fitzgerald

Bucksport Comprehensive Plan/Bucksport NEXT

• A Comprehensive plan re-do is needed every 10 years. Bucksport’s last plan was 2003.

• 3 or 4 Town Managers ago (early 2012), the process began and then stopped, began and then stopped. After a couple of long breaks, the current group has been meeting monthly since April 2015.

• Partners The Town Council appointed a 16-member voluntary Committee which nick-named itself “Bucksport NEXT”. The town hired Tom Martin, AICP of the Hancock County Planning Commission as a consultant to help guide the process with the town staff.

• Structure Monthly public meetings on the second Monday at 5pm in the Jewett School Conference Room. A second, smaller (optional) “outreach” meeting is held the following week to help connect the CPC process with other interested parties.

• As of mid-January, we have reviewed 12 of 15 chapters in the “Inventory and Analysis” phase and have published 5 public opinion polls.

• We intend to complete Phase I in March, hold a public hearing and then work on the Goals & Objectives phase, perhaps with “Heart & Soul”. This leaves the timeframe somewhat up in the air.

• Plan could be done by the Fall of 2016.

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Bucksport NEXT will continue after the Comprehensive Plan process as long as it remains useful during the implementation phase

Bucksport Arts Festival

Laurie Brooks, Citizen Volunteer

• Jury is made up of artists: Lyndsey Marston, Laurie Brooks and Karin Otto from Waterfall Arts

• 2015 Sponsor: Seaboard Federal Credit Union for $2500

• Focus is on fine art and high end craft work• Coordinated through the Bucksport Area Cultural

Society

Bucksport Arts Festival

A juried show that began in 2015 (the brainchild of Lyndsey Marston)

Co-Chairs for 2016 Lyndsey Marston and Laurie Brooks

• 20 artists have already registered since January 1.

• Anticipating 40-50 artists will participate this year.

2016

Main Street Bucksport

Brook Minner

Main Street Bucksport Structure

• Main Street Bucksport has been a Main Downtown Network Community since 2009. When the mill closed the group really coalesced and a Steering Committee formed in September 2015.

Background of Main Street Bucksport

• The group is meeting at least monthly. By-laws are being written based on other Main Street orgs and election of Board and officers will be soon. The group takes minutes and they use them!

• Steering Committee: Rich Rotella, Economic Community and Economic Development Director and Brook Minner, Mark Eastman, Roxanne Jobe, John Paul LaLonde, Bill Fretz, Daphne Eyerer and Teri Doty

Funding

• Our first fundraiser was the November PK Night at the Alamo. People were very generous and we raised a few hundred dollars.

• The Town of Bucksport gave Main Street Bucksport $6500 to plan and support the holiday pop up shop program. Money went to on-air TV ads, payment to the landlords for their space and payment to musicians for their time at the special shopping event on December 11th.

What has been accomplished

• Planning of PK Night and Pop Up Shop Night

• Lots of positive press for Main Street Bucksport (newspaper and television)

• What’s next

• In Spring/Summer 2016 plan to do another 1 or 2 fundraising events

• Apply for grant funding• The organization is working on becoming a

501c3 organization• Long-term goal is to hire a staff person to

run the Main Street Program. This requires a combination of private and municipal support that we will continue to work to obtain.

Anything else for Main Street Bucksport• We strongly believe that a vibrant Main Street is

one of the hallmarks of a strong and thriving community. People want to live in places with exciting downtowns and the presence of small, independently owned businesses helps attract new residents and other new businesses. Bucksport's Main Street already has so much going for it that many other small towns in Maine do not have...a movie theatre, a bookstore, restaurants, a pharmacy, a marina, a gorgeous waterfront, hotels, professional services (doctors, lawyers, etc.) We want to fill the empty storefronts and create fun and interesting events that bring downtown, year-round.

Wednesday on Main

Karen Johnson and David Weeda

Time Line and Accomplishments• January 2015 First meeting to discuss as

Paula Kee desires to bring fun, energy and joy to Bucksport through summer months

• Town of Bucksport granted permission for the events to take place and provided seed money

• February 2015- Paula is busy booking events and seeking funding and Karen Johnson is setting up web site and FaceBook page

• March 2015- Every Wednesday has been filled. Paula is writing press releases and getting information into regional events calendars.

Timeline Continued

• June 3, 2015 Kick off Event with Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers at the Alamo Theatre where several other events have been held.

• David Weeda provides shortbread cookies at every event through the summer

Timeline Continued

• June 24, 2015 Guns n Hoses helped with Food on Main

• August 26, 2015 Conclusion of the first successful season with the Mini Buskers Festival

2015 Funding• Grant from Robert N. Haskell & Gladys M.

Stetson Fund at the Maine Community Foundation

• Sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank & Camden National Bank

• Bucksport Area Chamber of Commerce provides resources for logo development, posters and web presence.

What is in Store for 2016?

• 2016 Sponsor: Darlings

• Kick off Scheduled for June 15, 2016 with the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers

Heart & Soul

John Paul LaLonde

Background of Community Heart & Soul

• Started by Orton Family Foundation 10 years ago

• Implemented by over a dozen towns including: Biddeford, Gardiner & Damariscotta

• Bottom Up Approach to hearing from all voices in one town.

• Based on Principles of: get people involved, agreeing on community values, doing business differently

Introduction to Bucksport

• A few citizens heard about it at a workshop in Brunswick over a year ago.

• September 2015 Orton Family Foundation made a presentation to about 20 people.

• October 2015 Jane Lafleur made a presentation to Town Council and all Town Council candidates.

• Town Council passed a resolve at Last October meeting in support of Community Heart & Soul.

Currently• .Jane Lafleur was contracted by Orton

Family Foundation to be the Heart & Soul coach

• Initial Training session for Phase 1 was held January 9th with 19 participants

• First working meeting held January 20th with 31 participants

• Partners: Town of Bucksport, all citizens of Bucksport, Orton Family Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Coalition, RSU 25, Bucksport Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Bucksport

Structure• Truly a community driven organization• One paid staff: Rich Rotella, Bucksport

Comm. & Econ. Development Coordinator• Orton Family Foundation provides

coaching (Jane Lafleur, ED, Friends of Mid Coast Maine)

• Meeting every 2-3 weeks; Currently 8 sub teams

Funding

• Town of Bucksport funding coordinator’s salary and benefits

• Orton Family Foundation funding Coach and Technical Assistance

• Grant from Maine Community Foundation• Applying for additional grants

Accomplishments

• Grown from a small initial group to over 40 people in a few months

• Formed 8 sub teams- met and started work plans

• Community Network Analysis started• Continued recruiting efforts• Increasing public awareness• Networking with other Community Heart & Soul Communities

www.makingheadway.me

Audience Discussion and Comments

Thank you

Nancy Minott Photo