Damariscotta’s Town Office was filled with local business owners and community members on Tuesday afternoon, as representatives from the Maine Development Foundation’s Downtown Center presented information on Damariscotta’s new designation as a Maine Downtown Network Community.
Damariscotta is one of six Maine towns to receive this designation this year, along with Belfast, Brunswick, Belfast, Dover-Foxcroft, Machias and Madawaska.
According to Downtown Center Program Director Roxanne Eflin, Damariscotta was chosen for its historic downtown, its traditional buildings and its strong network of “people who care and believe there’s a positive future for the downtown community.”
She then outlined several benefits of the town’s new designation, specifically related to historic preservation and economic development. Those benefits include everything from support for community branding efforts, to technical assistance for Community Development Block Grants.
Eflin said highway travel and sprawling development have hurt downtown areas, but that main streets have the “authentic character, independent spirit, entrepreneurialism, and innovation to keep dollars local.”
She mentioned very specific goals downtowns can do in their efforts toward economic revitalization, including better parking, sidewalks, lighting and signage, creating window boxes, public art displays and banners. She also mentioned the offering of wine tastings and early bird specials, and creating strong “buzz” about events like Damariscotta’s PumpkinFest.
Eflin also briefly mentioned zoning codes as they relate to historic preservation and downtown revitalization, and encouraged the sort of “mixed-use” codes the town is now considering as a result of Damariscotta Planning Advisory Committee (DPAC) recommendations.
Present at Tuesday’s meeting were representatives of DPAC, Friends of Midcoast Maine, Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Region Business Association, Renys, King Eider’s Pub, the Damariscotta River Grill, the Maine Coast Book Shop and Café, Waltz Pharmacy, the Cheney Companies, Colby & Gale, Weatherbird, Lincoln County Publishing, Camden National Bank, Rising Tide, River Arts, Lincoln County Community Theater, Skidompha Library, Healthy Kids, The Oyster Festival, The Pirate Rendezvous, and the Friends of Midcoast Maine. Also present were Newcastle business owner Rob Nelson, and town officials from both Damariscotta and Newcastle.
Mary Kate Reny, who was instrumental in securing the town’s new designation, was quick to point out she considers Newcastle’s Main Street an important part of the Downtown Network, but she said, “We had to choose one town for the application.” Reny specifically mentioned Sproul’s Furniture and The Newcastle Publick House as important parts of the downtown area.
During the question and answer session, local business owners identified several areas of key interest for the town. Those interests were: parking, signage, public restrooms, creating public green spaces or common areas for recreational use, enhancing public access to the water, repairing roof tops, addressing concerns about the condition of the riverside parking lot, and securing funding for a shuttle bus and regular shuttle transportation.
Damariscotta River Grill co-owner Jean Kerrigan said she felt there was confusion about the “one hour parking” signs along Main Street and whether the one hour limit was only in affect during the day, and during peak season. “I’ve volunteered to go out there with my magic marker,” she joked, and others agreed there was general confusion about where and when to park downtown.
As Eflin outlined the benefits of Downtown Network membership, it became clear that Damariscotta is a bit ahead of the curve in terms of its organizational structure, community collaboration and marketing efforts.
Reny pointed out when some downtown parking spaces were left unavailable several weeks ago due to scheduled repair, Newcastle business owner Rob Nelson offered up his parking lot at The ComeFit Zone, so that employees of downtown businesses could park there.
She also cited a recent collaboration among event organizers to secure shuttle transportation, and talked about innovative ideas downtown businesses have developed in regard to public restrooms.
After the meeting, Eflin and her co-workers toured the downtown area, and then met up with several business owners at the Damariscotta River Grill.
Reny said the tour and follow-up meeting highlighted the cohesiveness of the downtown area and its almost family-like business community. She said the downtown businesses are “mature” in their organization, but she was nonetheless looking forward to the organizational support the Downtown Center will provide. “This will give us more capacity,” she said, “to address challenges like parking.”
She added, “When you think about it, we’re so lucky to have parking as an issue. It means there are too many cars on Main Street. That’s a great problem to have.”
