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Economic Enhancement Chair's Report, Spring 2007
The Economic Enhancement Committee is focusing on better understanding the impact of Main Street events on merchants and restaurants in the downtown Historic Waterfront District.
The overwhelmingly positive 2006 Spring and Fall Food Stroll survey results were presented to City Council in mid-March. The summary demonstrated a 45% increase in attendance in 2006 over 2005 with more than 60% of the strollers living outside of New London. Nearly 62% of respondents said they had returned downtown within two months of the Stroll because of a shop or restaurant discovered while "strolling".
The committee also surveyed attendees of the holiday performance of The Holly and the Ivy living history play by Charles Traeger. A key finding in this survey was the high number of attendees who had never visited the historical sites (Custom House, Shaw Mansion, and The Hempsted House) prior to attending the play. Many indicated a desire to return for a more extensive visit.
Thank you to Camille Alberti for the many hours spent compiling, analyzing and formatting the survey results! Next up? The committee will focus on helping downtown merchants and restaurants prepare for a significant influx of passengers over the next few months during three visits by two cruise ships from the Holland America Line.
If you're interested in working with this committee, please join us at our monthly meetings, held on the third Thursday of each month at 5:30 PM at the Main Street office.
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