Greenville residents show interest in downtown makeover

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GREENVILLE — It’s been almost 20 years since any extensive work has been done in downtown Greenville, generally considered the vicinity of Pritham Avenue and Moosehead Lake/Lily Bay Road.
    But around 35 people attended an informal meeting on Jan. 28 at the town office and expressed an interest in finding ways to make the neighborhood more attractive.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE

    The 90-minute session was hosted by Greenville Town Manager John Simko and Lorain Francis, the state program director of the National Main Street Center.
    Simko recapped the 1997-2000 downtown revitalization effort which was funded by a combination of a Community Development Block Grant, a municipal loan and private enterprise.
    The funds paid for construction of the boardwalk adjoining Thoreau Park, as well as improvements to the park itself; new town docks, the gazebo near Moosehead Marine Museum and repairs to the parking lot behind Harris Drug Store. “The grant was $400,000 and another $100,000 in bonding was paid off by the town,” said Simko.
    Work progressed on the revitalization “until the money ran out. So we did the best we could with the resources we had.”
    Today, one major undertaking is the Moosehead Brand Development Team, spearheaded by consultant Roger Brooks based on a regional survey of residents and businesses. The team, in Simko’s view, is designed to answer one major question: “Why the Moosehead Lake region? Why come here, versus any number of regions that are closer to population centers and easier to get to? If we can answer that question in one, simple ‘brand,’ we can increase the number of people who choose to come here and invest in the community,” Simko said.
    The upcoming branding guide will also help the town chart its course for the next downtown revitalization, he added.
    One major development already taking place downtown is the future demolition of the Black Frog Restaurant and construction of a new building on the same footprint to be named Puckerbrush. The town would like to extend the boardwalk “all the way to the restaurant” and owners David and Robyn Clark are very receptive to the idea, according to Simko.
    Francis summarized the history and purpose of her organization, which is part of the Maine Development Foundation. “Our theory is that a healthy downtown makes a healthy community,” she said.
    Nationally, many downtowns were leveled in the 1960s and ‘70s as part of urban renewal as shopping centers cropped up and populations migrated to the suburbs, she explained.
    But Maine wasn’t affected as much “and many of the historic buildings in our downtowns are mostly intact,” Francis said.
    Today, there are 30 Main Street communities in Maine with active organizations designed to “build a sustainable and complete community revitalization effort,” she explained. Town-wide activities — some of which Greenville already has — should be promoted heavily as well as aesthetic improvements.
    She emphasized that revitalization committees “aren’t merchants’ associations. They work best when they combine businesses, residents and the municipality.”
    Francis said that her organization will be glad to send consultants into the community; but in the end, “No one can save your Main Street. Local leaders must have the will and desire to mobilize local resources and talent.”
    Francis noted that Greenville is trying to attract more young families “and one of the trends today is for people to live downtown. They want to live in a walkable community.”
    So her organization is examining ways to turn unused second and third floors of buildings into livable spaces “and cut down some of the red tape needed to do it.”
    Simko noted that CBDG grants today are half the amount they were during the last downtown revitalization — $200,000 as opposed to $400,000 — and there is a lot more competition for the funds. “But I think we’d be in the running,” he said.
    The most complicated financial package is tax-increment financing (TIF) which has to be approved by the governing body — in this case, the board of selectmen — and residents.
    The town can set up a district — such as Pritham Avenue from Eveleth Hill to the traffic light — as a TIF and any new development in the area won’t be added to the town’s total valuation for up to 30 years. While the businesses will still pay property taxes as usual, they may be eligible for a credit enhancement agreement to lower them. The town may also benefit by using the increased taxes toward infrastructure improvements in the district.
    A follow-up meeting on downtown revitalization will take place in a few weeks.
    More information about the Maine Development Foundation can be found at www.mdf.org and details on the branding initiative are at www.mooseheadlakeedc.com.