| The Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corporation Newsletter |
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| Community News |
June, 2007 |
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Greetings!
Welcome to our first e-newsletter! We are excited to provide our CDC members with monthly updates on our work to promote economic diversity in our communities. We will share details about our housing activities, our programs to support local businesses and our policy and advocacy activities. We will also share opportunities for you to get involved in our work.
You may have noticed a renewed focus on our membership this year. We created several new membership categories and started to enthusiastically invite indiviudals and businesses to become CDC members at whatever level they could afford. I'm proud to report that the community, both those living on and off Cape is responding with the same enthusiasm and our official membership count from this year's campaign alone is 300.
So why is membership in the CDC important? One reason is that it gives us a more powerful voice at the local, state and federal level. On a recent trip to Washington, DC, I was able to stand on the growing strength of our membership and speak with passion about the resources we need to keep our local community vibrant, healthy and most importantly - diverse. One initiative we are promoting is the creation of a National Housing Trust Fund which will provide a source of funds to build housing for families and individuals who cannot afford market rate homes. As you know, this is a major issue facing a significant portion of our community and as prices remain inflated, it's important to have a source of funding to help offset the cost of construction for affordable homes. Another initiative, on the state level, is the creation of a Small Business Technical Assistance Fund. These funds would be allocated to community organizations like ours, that provide support to the small businesses. That means we can continue to offer high quality business support services to our small business community on the Lower Cape. Services like our TechSmart Project and business loans.
Another reason membership is so vital to us is that it provides an important source of unrestricted funds. Membership dues are the foundation of our organization and allow us to be flexible and allocate the resources to a variety of programs that need support.
So if you've already become a member of the CDC, I extend a heartfelt thank you! And if you haven't, I hope you will join us now as we work toward a vibrant and healthy community that respects and supports individuals at all economic levels.
Sincerely, Elizabeth Bridgewater
Executive Director |
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| Tech Project Launches!
TechSMART is here! This project is dedicated to training and linking clients in the use of internet technology to better track, market and sell their products. The target market for this program is growing micro businesses with a proven market. TechSMART is designed to assist growing businesses in automating many of their front and back office functions in a fully integrated online platform appropriate to their business.
The goal of TechSMART is to assist participating business owners to:
* Make smarter, faster decisions with real-time business performance data
* Undertand and serve customers better
* Attract new customers from which to generate new revenue streams
* Eliminate business process inefficiencies
* Enable smart, strategic growth
The CDC recognizes that each business is unique. Rather than using a "one size fits all" technology solution, CDC staff will perform a 1-on-1 indepth analysis of each business - identifying the tools, strategies, and solutions that work best for that particular business owner.
With TechSMART, the CDC works with clients to seek opportunities to streamline business processes, enhancing performance and the bottom line!
For more information on TechSMART, contact Moira Noonan, Economic Development Program Manager at 508-240-7873 or moira@lowercape.org. |
 Balfour Lane Lottery
Accompanied by family and friends, six anxious potential-homeowners gathered in the Chatham Housing Authority's office on Crowell Road on Friday, May 4th, waiting to learn if they were one of the "winners" of an affordable housing lottery for four 2-bedroom condominiums in the converted VNA building on Balfour Lane.
Lynne Pleffner, President of the Friends of Chatham Affordable Housing, dipped her hand into a bucket and drew out six numbers, representing qualified applicants for the units. All current Chatham residents, the first four applicants will have the opportunity to purchase one of the units, and the last two applicants are waitlisted should someone withdraw. Construction on the units has been underway for several weeks now and it is anticipated that the move-in date will be on or about August 15. Each unit has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and will sell for approximately $154,000.
Lottery winner Rory Nickerson's number was picked first in the drawing. Rory, 23, was born in Chatham and graduated from Chatham High School and Plymouth State College with a degree in teaching. While looking for a teaching position, Rory is working as a shell fisherman. Accompanied to the lottery by his mother Valerie Twomey, who also lives in Chatham and is a graduate of Chatham High School, Rory was thrilled because now he can stay on the Cape, something that he has wanted to do but was having difficulty finding year round housing.
The CDC has worked in partnership with the Friends of Chatham Affordable Housing (FoCAH) to make this project possible. The project responds directly to Chatham's development goals by building in a designated mixed-use village center and by reusing and rehabilitating space in an existing building. In addition to donations secured through FoCAH, the project has received support from the Town of Chatham through Community Preservation Act funds, and has been financed in part by TD Banknorth. E.A. Barsness Co., INc. is serving as the General Contractor for the project; occupation is anticipated for August-September 2007. |
 MACDC - A Day on Beacon Hill!
CDC staff traveled to the Statehouse in Boston on April 25th to participate in the Massachusetts Association of CDC's (MACDC) annual Legislative Action Day.
CDC members Elizabeth Hunter (Executive Director of the Cape Cod Museum of Art) and artist Anne Flash joined staffmembers Emily Loomis, Moira Noonan, Chris Perry and Tony Sennott and CDC Board Member Florence Seldin and for an exciting opportunity to meet and share ideas with fellow community development colleagues from across the Commonwealth.
Updates to the MACDC's LIFT Campaign (see Legislative Updates, below) were reviewed by MACDC Executive Director Joseph Kriesberg, after which the CDC group met with local Cape legislators Cleon Turner and Sarah Peake as well as Senator O'Leary's staffer Nathaniel Mayo, to discuss housing and economic issues relevant to the Lower Cape.
Governor Deval Patrick addressed the crowd of over 300, sharing for the first time publicly his views on the current rate of mortgage foreclosures in Massachusetts and pledging to enact legislation that would help to prevent more such foreclosures in Massachusetts.
Join us next year as the Lower Cape Cod CDC travels to the Statehouse and makes its voice heard!
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| Legislative Update:
The "LIFT" Campaign - what does that mean to the CDC?
The Local Investments for Tomorrow (LIFT) Campaign is a two-year effort on the part of the Massachusetts Association of CDC's (MACDC) to win passage of innovative state initiatives that will lift up local communities and families by building new homes, protecting existing ones, strengthening small businesses, and promoting public/private partnerships that enhance the quality of life in local communities acress the state.
The LIFT Campaign calls for investment in:
*the production and preservation of affordable housing
*the economic vitality of local communities
*community building and stability
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| CDC gets Harwich Main Street Extension Project!
The CDC has received preliminary approval to develop and manage 12 affordable rental units on a three-acre parcel of land on Main Street Extension in Harwich. The land is owned by the Harwich Housing Authority, which issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development. On April 24th, the Housing Authority voted to accept the CDC's proposal, contingent upon final budget and ground lease negotiations.
The CDC is excited about this opportunity to develop much-needed affordable rental housing in the Town of Harwich. The project will include a mix of two- and three- bedroom units, serving families earning incomes at 50%, 60%, and 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In addition to the financial support of the Housing Authority through the nominal-fee 99-year ground lease, the CDC has determined that ten additional funding sources will be necessary to support the project. Anticipated funding includes a mix of debt and grant monies through local, state, and federal sources. The CDC is proud to report that it has already been accepted in the Cape Light Compact's "Green Homes" program, which will make it possible to upgrade many standard building materials to more sustainable options, and to include renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic solar panels. This will reduce the environmental impact of new construction, improve the quality of the indoor environment, and reduce ongoing utility costs for our tenants.
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Meet the CDC's New Business Development Specialist! 
We are pleased to welcome Toni Sennott to the staff of the CDC. Toni has an extensive background in the business and counseling arena. With her husband Bob, Toni was co-publisher of the Barnstable Patriot newspaper.
As Business Development Manager with the CDC, Toni will be working one-on-one with small business owners around business development issues: business planning, marketing, money management and financial projections.
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| Upcoming Events and Membership:
Join us and support the CDC by participating in the following fun events:
June 10th - Telethon to support the Housing programs of the Lower Cape Cod CDC, HECH and FoCAH. Hear CDC Executive Director Elizabeth Bridgewater's interview as "Person of the Week" on MVYRadio.
Taste of Summer, A Marriage of Wine and the Sea Wine Tasting
Housing with Love Walk - July 9 - 15, 2007
Last Gasp Bike, Boat 'n Bake - September 16, 2007
Register to Ride or Pledge to support the CDC here:
Join the CDC! Click here to fill out the Membership Form on our Website: CDC Membership.
For more information on these events, please contact Chris Perry, Director of Resource Development at 508-240-7873 x22 or chris@lowercape.org. |
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Cape and Islands License Plates Benefit the CDC!
Although there are currently 16 speciality plates to choose from when you visit or renew your license place with the RMV, choosing the Cape and Islands License Plate directly benefits the CDC! Visit Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to order your plate and support the housing and economic development on the Lower Cape! |
| Calling all Volunteers!
The CDC has a number of opportunities available for people to give of their time and talent.
Do you enjoy being a part of exciting events? Writing articles? Using your artistic skills to create eye-catching posters and advertisements?
We would love to talk you you! Contact Chris Perry, Director of Resource Development at 508-240-7873 x22 or chris@lowercape.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our current needs:
* Staffing for our upcoming Wine Tasting on June 22nd
* "SAG" Wagon Drivers for the Last Gasp Bike Ride. Must be able to bring their own vehicle, preferably with a bike rack! | |
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