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NLMS Volunteers Attend National Town Meeting
Thanks to a grant from the Palmer Fund, Main Street board member Bob Mills and Promotion Committee member Brandy Kolmer attended the National Main Street Center's Annual Town Meeting conference in Cincinnati, Ohio in May 2003. The sessions they attended included "Place-Making on a Budget," "Promoting Downtown through Special Events," "How to Get the Most from State and Federal Legislators," "Evaluating Your Retailers", "Energizing Your Volunteers" and "Market Analysis Toolbox." This is their report on their trip.
Themed, "The Future of Main Street," this energizing three-day conference highlighted new theories, studies and approaches to building healthy communities - from the people up. This theme was supported by keynote speaker Dr. Richard Florida's premise that corporations are looking for critically important employment bases, which are found in the nation's most attractive towns and cities.
Florida encourages creating vibrant downtowns with creative and dynamic cultural, natural and recreational amenities that draw a diverse and talented community of people to an area. This workforce of thinkers, doers and creators, which he calls the "creative class," is the number one attraction sought by big businesses looking to expand or relocate.
A vibrant downtown community offers a quality of place that attracts talent, and it is this quality talent that draws healthy corporations, creating economic growth. Cincinnati was an excellent example of a creative center. The central business district is filled with a wonderful mix of art deco, majestic federal style, and modern architecture, and, in the immediate vicinity, a mix of multifamily neighborhoods and smaller-scale business districts. Investors have infused substantial amounts of capital in resurrecting and creating desirable "third places" - enjoyable places neither at home nor work - that the creative class frequents.
So, in light of the conference's theme that place brings people and people bring business how is downtown New London faring? According to Richard Florida himself, New London is a hot spot. In Florida's book, "The Rise of the Creative Class", he ranks our city in the top ten most creative places in America. New London's growing art and music scene, waterfront events, outdoor dining, scenic natural spaces, restaurants and coffeehouses are all excellent indicators. All we need now is the confidence to believe we have what it takes!
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