Greetings!
Please join the Damariscotta Planning Advisory Committee on Tuesday, September 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building in Damariscotta. This business meeting is open to the public and the committee welcomes your particpation. As always, agendas and meeting times are posted on the town website. See the link to the right.
This DPAC meeting will include an election of new DPAC officers, a preliminary presentation by consultant Mitchell Rasor on the Shore and Harbor Findings and Options, and a detailed discussion of the up-coming charrette. Join us! |
What is a Charrette?
A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to the designers. More importantly, it allows everyone who participates to be a mutual author of the plan.
In Damariscotta, our charrette will focus on Business Route One and the Piper Village properties. The team of design experts and consultants will set up a full working office, complete with drafting equipment, supplies, computers, copy machines, fax machines, and internet access. Formal and informal meetings will be held throughout the event and updates to the plan are presented periodically.
Through brainstorming and design activity, many goals will be accomplished during the charrette. First, everyone who has a stake in the project develops a vested interest in the ultimate vision. Second, the design team works together to produce a set of finished documents that address all aspects of design. Third, since the input of all the players is gathered at one event, it is possible to avoid the prolonged discussions that typically delay conventional planning projects. Finally, the finished result is produced more efficiently and cost-effectively because the process is collaborative.
Charrettes are organized to encourage the participation of all. That includes everyone who is interested in the making of a development: the developer, business interests, government officials, interested residents, and activists. Ultimately, the purpose of the charrette is to give all the participants enough information to make good decisions during the planning process.
An Historical Note -- Origins of the Word "Charrette"
The term "charrette" is derived from the French word for "little cart". In Paris during the 19th century, professors at the Ecole de Beaux Arts circulated with little carts to collect final drawings from their students. Students would jump on the "charrette" to put finishing touches on their presentation minutes before the deadline.
So please save the dates:
Tuesday, September 22 for an evening workshop
and
At the Round Top Barn on
Thursday, October 22 Evening workhop
Friday, October 23 through October 25: Drop in
Monday, October 26: Final evening presentation |
"Chalk on the Walk"
Brittany Oliver,our intern, is bringing a national event to Damariscotta for area youth! "Chalk on the Walk" has been held successfully in Biddeford, Maine and in other cities around the world to feature the work of professional and beginner artists. This type of art began in Italy in the 16th century.
Brittany and area youth will hold the first annual Heart and Soul "Chalk on the Walk" on Monday, September 7 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Skidompha Library Parking lot. Using chalk as their medium, these young people will illustrate what the "heart and soul" of Damariscotta means to them. Stop by to see their work in progress. Their work will be captured with photographs but otherwise will wash away with the next rain. |
Did DPAC Hear Your Two Cents ?
What do you want most for Damariscotta - an amusement park built next to the municipal parking lot? An international airport in the middle of town? Twenty-story apartments overlooking the river? Or maybe more bike paths and crosswalks, locally-owned businesses, and good-paying jobs to help support families?
Whatever your vision for Damariscotta, it's important that we hear from you. More than 200 people have already filled out a quick survey or attended meetings and so far no one has called for mega-malls or high-rises. But we can't ensure that future growth and development will represent what we all want if you haven't taken a few minutes to give us your two cents.
As part of Damariscotta's Heart & Soul Community Planning process, the Damariscotta Planning Advisory Committee (DPAC) wants to hear from everyone who lives in, works in, plays in, or just cares about the future of Damariscotta.
Visit us at www.damariscottame.com to fill out the survey (deadline is September 1), learn more about DPAC, and get involved.
Half of the respondents so far have been full time or part-time residents of Damariscotta; over 30% have lived here for 11 or more years and some more than 50 years! But we especially need to hear from Damariscotta's youth: only 1% of our survey responses have come from 21-30 year olds, and only 6% from people ages 20 and under.
Here's what you've told us so far:
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Ninety percent (90%) of the respondents believe it is extremely important or very important that new growth and development in Damariscotta should be safe for pedestrians. 81% believe new development should have locally owned businesses.
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Eighty percent (80%) believe it is extremely important or very important that "big box" commercial development is prohibited. Seventy eight percent (78%) believe it is extremely important or very important that new development welcomes a diversity of incomes and ages.
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Seventy one percent (71%) believe it is extremely important or very important that well paying jobs be provided. Fifty seven percent (57%) believe it is extremely important or very important that property taxes do not increase with new growth and development.
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Sixty three percent (63%) of respondents believe that a hotel is completely unimportant or it matters a little.
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Only 49% think family entertainment, like bowling or a movie theater, is very important or extremely important.
We know you care about Damariscotta. Help us take charge of our future and make our community even better by filling out the survey and giving us your feedback. Remember, you don't have to live here to tell us what you really want Damariscotta to become.
There are plenty of ways for you to voice your opinion and get involved:
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Fill out the survey about Damariscotta's future by Sept. 1. You can find it online at www.damariscottame.com and paper copies are available at the office, located at the Chamber of Commerce on Courtyard Street.
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Stay tuned for a September 22 visioning meeting and an October 22-26 planning charrette (see above) and help create a vision and design options for the Business Route One corridor.
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Learn more and get involved by visiting the project website at www.damariscottame.com and send us your comments by emailing dpac@damariscottame.com.
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Join the youth Facebook group, Damariscotta Generation Y, to discuss ways to make Damariscotta better for young people (for teens and young adults in their 20s and 30s).
DPAC is a committee of the Town of Damariscotta, appointed by the Select Board to lead a community-driven visioning process to make the Damariscotta region a better place to live, work and play, do business and visit. Its work includes establishing and maintaining an long range planning process and incorporating public dialogue into ongoing planning efforts.
So please get involved and give us your two cents! |
