Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced the 2018 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative awards on Tuesday morning in Marlborough, which will use the funds to developing its branding and wayfinding signage. 

 

"Successful downtowns in our municipalities are an important part of what makes Massachusetts a great place to live, work, and raise a family," said Polito in a statement. "The Massachusetts Downtown Initiative connects our municipal officials to subject-matter experts in areas essential to creating and maintaining thriving downtowns with these critical characteristics."

 

Bernard attended the announcement, along with leaders from many of the other communities. He pointed out that out of the 19 awards, North Adams was the farthest west "by a darn sight."

 

The state initiative awarded $285,000 to the 19 communities. The Massachusetts Downtown Initiative program enables municipalities to access specialized expertise to support downtown revitalization efforts, and augment capacity at the local level, according to the press release. Since 2015, the Baker-Polito administration has awarded $725,000, including Tuesday's awards, to more than 25 communities across the commonwealth.

 

North Adams' grant will work somewhat in concert with the Eagle Street Initiative, a partnership between a community-led group NAMAzing Initiative and MassDevelopment through the online fundraising site Patronicity to promote and rejuvenate the landmark byway. The effort raised $60,000 that is being handled through the Partnership for North Adams. 

 

The goal is to create signage that better promote businesses and provide attractive elements, such as benches and parks, to draw foot traffic. 

 

The state development grant will allow the city to engage a consultant to work directly with the eight or so businesses on Eagle Street. 

 

"They will do a workshop talking about how to create attractive environments at the storefront level, how to do more effective marketing and promotions, a self-assessment," the mayor said. The consultants will also meet one-on-one with businesses and there may be seed money left to implement some of the ideas. 

 

Bernard also wants to keep connected with the other communities participating in the grant, saying it creates a network for sharing best practices and ideas that the city could use for the next round of grants. 

 

The MDI program awards grants of $15,000 to enable grantees to work with consultants with expertise to pursue downtown revitalization projects in one of seven categories: District Management, Design, Economics of Downtown, Parking, Small Business Support, Way Finding, and Housing.

 

Gov. Charlie Baker's fiscal 2019 budget includes a proposal to fund a new program, the Downtown Regional Grant Program, to further help communities build strong local assets through downtown revitalization efforts through collaborative efforts. And, through the economic development legislation filed in March, the Baker-Polito administration proposes creating new options for municipalities to target vacant, downtown storefronts for transformation.

 

"Through the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative, our administration is supporting downtown vitality to create jobs and strengthen our communities," Baker said in a statement. "Walkable, dynamic downtowns that house local businesses, restaurants, and amenities help make cities and towns across the commonwealth vibrant, welcoming places and retain and attract a talented workforce strengthening our economy."