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March 6, 2014
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Dan Burden-Thomaston Maine  

Belfast and Wiscasset selected for Friends of Midcoast Maine
Walkability Audits
Limited Space Still Available - 
Sign up Today!
 

There is still room available in the Belfast and Wiscasset walk audits on March 10 and 11.  Sign up today by visiting www.friendsmidcoast.org.

Belfast and Wiscasset were selected through a competitive process to receive a walkability audit with Dan Burden and FMM in March 2014.  These walk audits will be held on March 10 in Belfast and on March 11 in Wiscasset. Belfast participants will be focusing on the area from downtown westward toward the commercial strip area on Route 3.  Wiscasset participants will be focusing on their downtown.

These audits are supported and funded by the Midcoast Public Health District's Community Transformation Grant and offered in collaboration with Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute and Friends of Midcoast Maine.

This application process was open to communities in Knox, Waldo, Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties as well as Brunswick and Harpswell, which currently have an Active Community Environment Team (ACE Team) or plan to designate a team in conjunction with this application. Belfast has an active team and Wiscasset will be designating one over the next few months.

Friends of Midcoast Maine has worked with Dan Burden in Camden, Rockland, Thomaston and Boothbay Harbor.  Each of these towns have used the results to strengthen their community, highlight areas for improvement, develop an action plan and leverage additional funds. For more information visit www.friendsmidcoast.org.

 

Boothbay Peninsula Values and Vision
  
The Boothbay peninsula communities worked with Friends of Midcoast Maine to develop a common vision for the peninsula in order to collaboratively enhance the economy and strength of those communities. Using a small grant from the Lincoln County Regional planning Commission, a steering committee hired Friends of Midcoast Maine to hone in on the commonly held peninsula values. The values and vision report was developed based on a visioning workshop and a follow-up survey from over 150 people.
  
For more information, visit
  
  
  
 
Rockland and Rockport Commercial Re-Envisioning Project -   Design Work Ends and City Takes Action!
  

Friends of Midcoast Maine has completed 18 months working with the City of Rockland and the Town of Rockport to develop a new vision for the Camden Street/Commercial Street neighborhood from Maverick Street in Rockland to Warrenton Street in Rockport.  Using a cumulative multi-step process with community members and committee members, the project began with identifying community values, and moved on to conducting a walkability audit,  an economic analysis of the strip versus the downtown, and finally to designing several possible design options for 6 volunteer properties and the public corridor and spaces.  The project received feedback and comments all along the way and incorporated these into the final designs.  The final design concepts are now available with an accompanying list of design principles for the City and the Town to consider in future regulations, and the design of public roads and spaces.

 

The Rockland City Council has formally accepted the report, including the design principles, and has charged the Rockland City Manager and staff, and REDAC and the Comprehensive Planning Committee with preparing implementation recommendations for action to the Council. For the final report, visit Unlocking the Potential Design Report

 

 

Rockland Project Received National Exposure

13th Annual

New Partners for Smart Growth Conference,  Denver Colorado

 

Friends of Midcoast Maine Executive Director Jane Lafleur presented the Rockland planning project to a packed national audience at the new Partners for Smart Growth conference in Denver in February.  The panel included  FMM's work as well as the technical assistance providers to the Rockland project, Joseph Minicozzi who completed the economic analysis and Dan Burden who conducted the Walkability Audit for Friends of Midcoast Maine.  Nancy Smith from GrowSmart Maine and  Ellen Dunham Jones, a leading authority on sprawl repair projects also served on the panel. 
  
Shown here are the panelists and Lafleur giving her presentation.
Lafleur presents Rockland, Maine work to a full house at NPSG
NPSG Panel 2014
Burden, Minicozzi, Dunham-Jones, Lafleur and Smith - Panelists at NPSG in Denver 2014
  
  

 

Gardiner Holds Successful Community Gardiner Heart & SoulSummit -
Action Plan is Finalized!
  
In collaboration with the City of Gardiner, the Gardiner Main Street program, the Gardiner Heart & Soul Community Advisory Team (CAT), the Board of Trade and the Orton Family Foundation, Friends of Midcoast Maine has helped to turn community ideas into actions. 
 
In mid-January, a hugely successful Community Summit was held to bring area organizations together and to finalize commitments to the Heart & Soul Action Plan. That plan is available at Gardiner Action Plan.  
 
 
The Summit included dozens of community organizations, hundreds of attendees, a delicious lunch provided by the high school, and presentations by organizations to entice community members to sign on to their projects!  Several organizations honored their volunteer of the year. Special highlights included adding organization's events to a large Community Calendar and a Heart & Soul Community Charter, signed by dozens.
 
Over the past two years, the Heart & Soul project and the Community Advisory Team have worked to find new ways to engage the public, and ensure that the ideas and voices of all who live, work, play and do business in Gardiner are represented. To that end, there have been numerous public forums, discussions, events and activities to gather  ideas, as part of the City's Comprehensive Planning Process.
  

As the Comprehensive Planning and Heart & Soul process evolved, the project partners noticed that many of the great community ideas might be led by community members, businesses and community organizations and the City could be a supporter instead of the leader. This type of collaboration and local leadership can be extremely powerful and can strengthen the City. Activities might even be spearheaded, carried out, developed or accomplished without tax payer money!

In mid-October, FMM facilitated two community workshops to prioritize the community actions.  Each of the eighty community generated actions were assessed as to their Impact and Feasibility. Through this process, many actions rose to the top.  A few examples with strong leadership and commitments for 2014 are to provide waterfront concerts and outdoor movies, strengthen the "buy local" program , provide more picnic tables at the waterfront, develop a skateboard park, and expand the ice skating opportunities, to name a few!

Implementation Grants 

In late February, Friends of Midcoast Maine assisted the Gardiner Grants Committee in the review and selection process for Implementation Grant funding from the Orton Family Foundation. Eleven applications were received by the committee and ten were recommended for funding. The Orton Family Foundation is reviewing these projects and final decisions will be made soon.

 

 

  
FMM Community Ambassadors
  
Friends of Midcoast Maine is looking for additional Ambassadors to work with FMM over the coming year. We have 55+ communities in our region and need at least one and preferably two from each community.  We currently are looking for additional ambassadors from
  • Appleton
  • Bath
  • Bristol
  • Brunswick
  • Dresden
  • East Boothbay
  • Edgecomb
  • Harpswell
  • Hope
  • Northport
  • Owls Head
  • Phippsburg
  • Searsmont
  • St George
  • Trevett
  • Union
  
To become an ambassador to FMM or for more information about the Ambassador program, visit  FMM Community Ambassador Brochure or call Jane Lafleur at (207) 236-1077.
  
  
  

The Community Institute

 

In response the increased demand for training and technical assistance, FMM is launching a new educational program in late 2014. The Community Institute will address the expressed need for technical training and collaborative opportunities in the midcoast and beyond. Several series of workshops and trainings will be available on a variety of topics including community engagement, community and economic development, planning tools, tax increment financing, youth engagement, site plans and subdivisions, place-making and transportation for everyone, to name a few. 

 

FMM is receiving grants, donations, and business and individual sponsorships for the Institute and is developing the curriculum, fee schedule and marketing materials. Seminar leaders from Maine, New England and elsewhere will be invited to participate in this cutting edge, relevant and critical initiative.

 

The Community Institute will "build community, build places and build leaders". The Institute will work to strengthen our communities by improving the collaboration, knowledge and skill in our state. If you would like to suggest a session topic or series, please e-mail Jane Lafleur at [email protected] and type Community Institute in the subject line. 

 

 

 

 

Public Transit in Knox County
  
Four communities in the midcoast are eagerly awaiting the results and recommendations of the regional Transit Study. Committee Chairman Don White noted "the Final Report from Nelson Nygaard Associated consultants is expected to be ready in March. At that time, we will invite the principle committee representatives from the four communities to accept the report and also members from the region who  have expressed an interest in being part of the Midcoast Transit Committee going forward."
  
Public outreach and survey work has was conducted as part of the study.  After hiring a consultant firm to assess potential for service in the towns of Rockland, Rockport, Camden and Thomaston, the Midcoast Transit Committee  asked the public to weigh in on the specific ideas. These ideas and the technical evaluation of transit options will be part of the final study.
 
The study and potential transit options were developed by Nelson/Nygaard, a firm specializing in transit planning nationwide. Stay tuned for more information.
  
  
  
Knox County Towns Invited!
Camden Conducts Rural Active Living Assessment
 
Friends of Midcoast Maine is working with the Knox County Community Health Coalition to identify 6 towns in Knox County that might be interested in conducting a Rural Active Living Assessment.
  
Assistance and training will be available from Friends of Midcoast Maine.  Camden completed one in October 2013.
  
This assessment can help communities assess the locations, proximity and quality of community amenities that promote active, healthy living.  The information can also be helpful in a community's comprehensive planning process. To take part in an community-led assessment, contact Jane Lafleur at [email protected] or call 236-1077.
  
Shared Border, Shared Vision
 
The Rockland and Rockport re-envisioning project  received national attention this week with this blog, written by Jane Lafleur on the Community Collaboration. Visit Shared Border, Shared Vision.
  
  
Interesting Articles
  
Take a look at some recent articles that might be of interest.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jane Lafleur, Executive Director
Friends of Midcoast Maine
  
From Brunswick to Bucksport, helping midcoast communities shape their future.