CMSC operates on a fiscal calendar, which means we recently closed out our 2013-2014 year. We're proud to report that we continued to progress on our programs and initiatives, accomplishing a great deal this past year. Below are just a few of our major accomplishments:

• Come Home to Downtown - Issued a Final Report on our first year of the program. This report outlined seven key findings on how Connecticut can enliven its downtowns through mixed-use development based on our work with the pilot communities.
• CMSC won the 2013 Outreach & Education Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association for its efforts to engage the public around this program. CMSC continues to advocate for resources for mixed-use development, using the lessons learned from the program to identify issues that should be addressed.
• We also began the second year of the program, selecting Meriden and New Britain to receive intensive, customized technical assistance on how to redevelop a small under-utilized downtown property into housing above commercial space. CMSC continues to assist the Year 1 properties, working with them to identify financing options for the redevelopment.
• Assisted our members - CMSC continued to guide its network of nearly 60 member communities, providing technical assistance through one-on-one meetings in person and via phone, presenting to member Board of Directors on issues such as capacity building and organizational transitions; offering overviews of the CMSC program; providing Reconnaissance Visits and a subsequent Summary Report.
• We also held networking events in Storrs Center and Waterbury which included informative tours and entertaining events.
• Implemented the Sandy Hook Economic Recovery Consultancy - CMSC convened a team of consultants to assist Sandy Hook merchants get back on their feet. This included a market assessment, branding campaign, a plan to increase S.H.O.P's (Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity) organizational capacity and fund development, and oversaw the hiring of a Marketing Coordinator.
• Assessed the feasibility of a New Haven citywide program - At the request of New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, CMSC was engaged to determine whether a city-wide neighborhood revitalization program was appropriate. CSMC and consultant Kent Burnes spent a week in the City, visiting a representative four districts, meeting with local stakeholders and residents. We then prepared a final report outlining recommended steps for implementation of a citywide program.
• Bolstered our visibility - CMSC continued to promote our members and garner positive attention for our work revitalizing Connecticut's main streets. As a result, we were featured in several prominent news outlets across the state. We also greatly increased our use of social media, including more than tripling our number of Twitter followers, who in turn spread awareness of our activities to their own network of followers. We also participated in a press conference honoring Senator Don Williams for his work on the Community Investment Act, where CMSC designated member Westville Village Renaissance Alliance's Executive Director Chris Heitmann spoke eloquently about the positive impact it's had on Westville through the Preservation of Place grant program (which uses CIA funds). Of course, we also updated our logo - dynamically reflecting our robust activity and that of our members.
• DRI and other workshops - Our day-long information sessions on downtown revitalization continue to be popular events. This year we held three workshops - one on Green Downtowns and two on Placemaking. Our second Placemaking event was especially engaging, featuring a pop-up park where attendees could sit and relax on brightly colored Adirondack chairs while enjoying lunch catered by The Whey Station, a gourmet grilled cheese food truck. In response to our member's interests, we also hosted a workshop on recent Brownfields developments, including new legislation designed to make brownfield clean-up easier for municipalities.
• We continued our upward financial trend, securing more sponsorships than ever before for our 2014 Awards Gala in New Haven. We also closed out the year with a balanced budget for the fifteenth consecutive year.

It's summer and for many of us that means a vacation. I'm willing to bet that whether you're headed to the beach or the mountains, chances are you're going to visit a downtown along the way.

What is it that we love so much about vacation? Whether it's the familiar, laid-back streets of Martha's Vineyard or the bustling boardwalks of the Jersey shore, once we're there, we put away the car and get our feet on the street (when they're not in the sand or the water).  

Our own Communications & Office Manager, Christine Schilke, took time out from walking the woods of northern New Hampshire to stroll the Main Street of Littleton recently. She was impressed that although the town really is little (pop. 5,928), it knows enough to celebrate its unique characteristics, lining the streets with festive flags and promoting the Main Street way of life. The tiny Littleton diner - made famous by Presidential candidates looking to connect with the average Joe - makes a point advocating for that new, old-fashioned way. Their menu lists a Recipe for an American Renaissance:

Ride Trains

Put a Porch on Your House

Shop on Main Street

Live in a Walkable Community

Sound familiar? The other merchants lining the main boulevard also espouse the Main Street way of life, encouraging people to shop local on the brown paper bags they give customers for their purchases. They also embody another characteristic so important to successful downtowns - authenticity. They celebrate what's unique about them. Just take a look at the crowd in Chutters candy store, home to the "world's longest candy counter,"and you'll see that mom's advice to just be yourself works for downtowns too. 

Who among us can remain dispassionate in these charming, captivating towns? That we choose to spend our vacation time here is not a coincidence - it's a reminder that we should take a look at those elements we like best - the walkability, the bikeability, the authenticity and celebration of a historic past - and them bring home to be incorporated into our own downtowns. Because if we can't see ourselves choosing to vacation in our own downtown, why would anyone else? If our Main Street districts are boring,

Chutters' impressive 112-ft candy counter is a draw for sweet-tooths young and old.

scary or depressing to those of us that live there, then we are definitely doing something wrong.  

The good news is, we can change by working together and with our member communities. Tell your municipal leaders, local stakeholders and your state representatives you want to see more done to make your downtown into a destination that attracts visitors, employers, businesses and residents who wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Let's create the kind of places where others visit us, and think we're the lucky ones who get to live here.