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Courtesy / Heidi Stanton-Drew
Heart of Ellsworth board and affiliate application team members gathered in front of Ellsworth City Hall, before social distancing rules were implemented, to celebrate the organization’s affiliate community status with the Maine Downtown Center.
Heart of Ellsworth, a nonprofit representing downtown merchants, last week joined 17 other community organizations from across the state in the Maine Downtown Center Affiliate Program.
Affiliates typically are in the early stages of downtown revitalization and through the program receive training, share best practices and network with peers around the state, according to a news release.
“Ellsworth has many downtown assets including significant historic buildings, a vibrant theater and downtown business community and, most importantly, a community that is proud of their downtown and committed to preserving it,” Anne Ball, the program’s director, said in the release.
Maine Downtown Center is a program of the Maine Development Foundation in Hallowell. Last year, the program added that city, as well as Caribou and the Woodford's Corner section of Portland, as affiliates.
Heart of Ellsworth demonstrated its readiness to join the program through an extensive assessment that included an online application, site visit, written commitment to the program and interview conducted by professional downtown revitalization experts that serve on the Maine Downtown Center advisory council.
“More than 30 Ellsworth area residents and businesses were involved in the application process,” Cara Romano, Heart of Ellsworth’s executive director, said in the release. “Our community is proud of this accomplishment and excited to continue our work to support current revitalization efforts downtown with a forward focus on Water Street and the Union River.”
Maine Development Foundation has already begun working with Heart of Ellsworth to develop an organizational structure, train local leaders and pursue a four-pronged approach laid out by the National Main Street Center.
“It will be great to partner with the Maine Downtown Center for guidance on best practices and creative ways to get work done in our community,” Phyllis Young, Heart of Ellsworth’s president, said in the release.
Among its initiatives to support Ellsworth’s downtown, Heart of Ellsworth in January launched a history project to encourage community collaboration, build a “sense of place” for Main Street entrepreneurs, and attract new businesses there.
Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center program serves as a statewide resource for preservation-based downtown revitalization and as the state coordinator for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program. Established in 1999, the program’s mission is to advance economic development in Maine downtowns using the nearly 40-year-old Main Street Four-Point Approach. The Maine Downtown Center has 10 nationally designated Main Street Maine programs and 17 state-designated Maine Downtown Affiliate programs and works with scores of other communities on revitalization and improvement efforts.
Heart of Ellsworth, founded in 2015, promotes artistic, cultural, economic, educational, environmental and historical activities in the downtown area to promote a vibrant community for all.
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