Town manager recommends Downtown Revitalization Committee

Staff Report

    GREENVILLE — The Greenville Board of Selectmen meets Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. and one of the items on the agenda is a report on current and potential business expansion in the downtown area.

    Town Manager John Simko noted that there is “a lot of current and planned activity in downtown Greenville (even if the cold and snow make it not seem so right now).  There are active plans to tear down the Black Frog Restaurant building and reconstruct it as the Puckerbrush Bar and Grill,” Simko wrote. He added that the town is “considering expansion of the boardwalk as part of this project.”
    The former Black Frog was recently purchased by David and Robyn Clark of Alna who plan to have the new restaurant open by the spring of 2016.
    Members of the Greenville Board of Selectmen and the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Council recently heard a presentation on tax increment financing (TIF) “that would be a great tool for encouraging investment in our downtown,” Simko added. “Confidentially, two other property owners in the downtown area have contacted me about interest in redeveloping their properties.  And based on the list of ‘low hanging fruit’ suggestions for improving the Moosehead Lake Region at the Oct. 3 ‘branding’ kick-off meeting with Roger Brooks, it’s clear that a major focus of this effort will be on revitalizing Greenville’s downtown.”
    Simko suggests that selectmen appoint a Downtown Revitalization Committee “and also authorize me to work with this committee to accomplish several things, including:
• Work with the Maine Development Foundation’s Downtown Center Program staff to learn best practices for downtown revitalization in Maine.
• Assuming that the town would benefit from having more young professionals live and work in our community, survey young entrepreneurs to learn what they would like to see in our downtown and whether these things would encourage them to invest here.
• Seek funding for a streetscape planner/landscape architect to develop a vision for what downtown Greenville might look like in the future (drawing from these planned projects and adding to them).
• Visit other successful downtowns in Maine and learn what makes them appealing to visitors and entrepreneurs alike.
    Simko acknowledges that a complete revitalization “will take years to accomplish, but we have a growing wave of private investment which can invigorate these efforts … The purpose of forming a committee now and beginning this work now, is to be better prepared to receive these suggestions and to be prepared to take action. 
    For starters, Simko would like the town to initiate a TIF for the downtown area and become part of MDF’s Downtown Center Program. “After these actions are taken, others may become apparent, such as seeking a downtown revitalization grant through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program,” he wrote.
    Other items on the Jan. 7 agenda include a liquor license renewal for Kelly’s Landing; an update from Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angela Arno; a review of the town’s solid waste contract with Moosehead Rubbish; and an update on the agreement between the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club and the Wilson Pond Association to allow the snowmobile trail to run the outer Scammon Road for this winter. 
    The town also recently received a $10,000 grant from the Plum Creek Foundation for purchase of exercise equipment for the Recreation Center at Leisure Life Lodge. Recreation Director Sally Tornquist will attend the meeting to discuss this project.