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| Our mission is to be the catalyst that ignites Connecticut's Main Streets as the cornerstone of thriving communities. |
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All of us at CMSC would like to wish all of you a very happy holiday season, and to pause to thank our many supporters and partners. We're honored to work with such a dedicated board and staff, and value our incredible member communities who work every day to create exciting, connected and prosperous downtowns and main streets. Together with our many collaborators, we're reinventing our town and village centers as economic engines that offer innovative solutions to meet the needs of CT citizens, whether through housing, jobs, transit or entertainment. We love what we do, and we love being able to work with you to inspire great downtowns!
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Eversource Energy Supports CMSC with
$85,000 Investment
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CMSC was thrilled to accept a check from Eversource Energy executives in support of our operations.
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Eversource Energy presents CMSC with a check for $85,000. Pictured l-r is Toni Berlandy, Eversource Community Relations & CMSC Board of Directors; Rodney Powell, Eversource President Corporate Citizenship; Joe Nolan, Eversource Executive Vice President Customer and Corporate Relations; Patrick McMahon, CMSC CEO; Ted DeSantos, CMSC Board Chair, Fuss & O'Neill; Jim Hunt, Eversource Sr. Vice President Regulatory Affairs and Chief Communications Officer; Lindsay Parke, Eversource Project Manager
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For those who may not know, Eversource Energy (then CL&P) established the CT main street program over 20 years ago after recognizing there was no comprehensive approach to revitalizing our historic commercial districts. Concerned with protecting their significant investment in infrastructure in the State's downtowns, they decided to provide the funding and internal administrative resources to establish the Connecticut Main Street Program. To this day, Eversource remains the only private corporation in the country to solely sponsor and administer a statewide Main Street initiative.
Since CMSC was established as an independent nonprofit in 1999, Eversource has continued to invest in our work, offering financial support and office space in their Sheldon Street location. Because of their generous support, we've been able to teach Connecticut communities how to cultivate great downtowns that foster economic development, grow jobs and businesses, and encourage character-rich places for people to live, work and visit.
We are so grateful to Eversource Energy for their continued support of CMSC and our downtowns.
Please consider supporting CMSC with a donation of your own. Every contribution helps, no matter the amount. Click here to donate.
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CMSC Welcomes New Board Member
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CMSC is pleased to introduce its newest board member, Jeffrey Taylor. Mr. Taylor, a Connecticut native, is Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager at Webster Bank. He serves as President of the Board of the Plainville Wheeler Regional YMCA, in addition to serving on the CMSC board.
Webster Bank was previously represented by John Baker on CMSC's board, and we're very glad to have the continued support of such a historic institution and valued corporate citizen.
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Come Home to Downtown Developer Wins
Celebrate CT! Award
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Jasko Development was honored with an award from the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) at their recent Celebrate CT! event. Jasko was recognized for their continued investment in downtown New Britain, including redeveloping 99 West Main Street into 20 units of housing through CMSC's Come Home to Downtown program. In addition to developing the downtown's first market-rate housing in decades, Jasko is also stimulating commercial growth with two new commercial buildings on East Main Street.
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New Website Showcases CT's Industrial History, Resources for Mill Redevelopment
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A
new website developed in partnership between the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the state's mills while exploring the stories, culture, history and modern uses for the historic sites.
The website, called Mills: Making Places of Connecticut, is an outstanding, innovative resource for history buffs, mill owners, municipal officials and day-trippers alike. Click here to see this fun, versatile and useful new website.
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▪ CMSC
hosting two webinars in January:
Then, join us on January 31st for our first Webinar Wednesday! of 2018 when we present Evan Dobos and Civic Lift, a community engagement platform. Evan will share how Connecticut towns are using this community-driven online tool to promote events, drive traffic to local businesses and foster local pride.
▪ Danbury
to host 2018 VIBRANT MAIN STREETS awards event
- CMSC is thrilled to announce the City of Danbury and CityCenter Danbury have been chosen to host our 2018 VIBRANT MAIN STREETS awards celebration on Monday, June 4, 2018. The event begins with an opening reception and awards presentation at the Palace Theatre, followed by a Block Party on Post Office Walk, a pedestrian-oriented alley-way that connects Main Street to the CityCenter Green.
Read the press release.
▪ CMSC hosts UConn Landscape Architecture students in Meriden - Students from UConn's Landscape Architecture Program just wrapped up their fall design studio with a presentation in the Council Chambers at Meriden City Hall. In the audience were CMSC board members, partners and City staff - including an alumnus, as the Meriden Assistant City Planner is a graduate of the UCONN LA program. This was a great opportunity for the students to get some real-world feedback from town officials. The City's Public Works Director had some especially pointed questions about maintenance. While it's important for the students to begin thinking about real world implications, it was also valuable for the City to consider some out-of-the-box ideas. As one City Engineer commented, "I hadn't thought about that before. That concept has some real merit!"
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2017 CT Main Street Keystone Award Winner:
Upson Market Place, Unionville
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Located in Unionville Village on the banks of the Farmington River, the former site of the Upson Nut Company sat neglected for 20 years before being revitalized into a mixed-use campus by Bryan Lyman, Managing Partner of Parker Benjamin Real Estate Services, LLC. Drawing on his years of experience, Mr. Lyman was able to attract over $1 million from private investors to redevelop the building. Located in the municipality's Unionville Village Zone that encourages mixed-use, pedestrian orientation, the site is now home to a "life style office", apartments, a restaurant, fitness center, shops and galleries
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