This award is presented in recognition of individuals and organizations who dedicate themselves to promoting an awareness of the necessity of a comprehensive management approach to the revitalization of Connecticut’s historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Kim is being recognized for her 20+ years of service to Connecticut’s downtowns and Main Streets, having spent two decades at CMSC where she provided technical assistance to members, developed CMSC’s educational programming, and served as interim Executive Director before moving to DECD, where she continues to help downtowns by administering the Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant.

Kim joined CMSC in 2001, shortly after the then-Connecticut Light & Power Company (now Eversource) restructured the original CT Main Street Program into the Connecticut Main Street Center, an independent non-profit. Kim contributed enormously to the growth and success of CMSC, helping grow membership to over 80 communities, more than doubling the staff, and most recently serving as Interim CEO.

Says Carl Rosa, CMSC Field Services Director,  “During her time with Connecticut Main Street Center, Kim represented all that is dynamic and inspiring with our downtowns and main streets across the state with the utmost of professionalism. She was an invaluable source of guidance for me during my time as Main Street Waterbury’s Executive Director.  She is both a mentor and good friend and I couldn’t be happier that she is receiving the CMSC Founder’s award this year!”

This new award honors the legacy of state Rep. Quentin “Q” Williams. Q was a great friend of CMSC and a champion for all of Connecticut’s downtowns. This award honors those who embody his greatest strengths, including tireless advocacy, working collaboratively to achieve common goals, bringing a multitude of voices to the fore, and working to create downtowns that are inclusive and welcoming to all.

For several years, Sarah has exemplified excellence in Main Street management.  She approaches the work with the entire ecosystem in mind, building partnerships with all stakeholders, creating innovative programs to support businesses and build excitement, applying her vast knowledge to help developers and businesses navigate regulation and permitting, and working round the clock to keep Simsbury on the map as a wonderful place to work, live and play. 

However, it was during the uncertainty and upheaval brought by COVID where Sarah’s acumen was critically important to the survival of many businesses in her downtown.  Sarah worked tirelessly to get PPE out into the community, to help businesses apply for special loans and grants, problem-solving ways to continue operations during lockdown like creating a curbside delivery system on the fly, advocating for support from the state, interfacing with public safety and public health to make reopening easier, and keeping the entire main street community constantly apprised of new information through regular communication.  Sarah’s availability, her support, and her ability to make things happen were key not only to the survival of her main street businesses but bolstered their spirits during an incredibly challenging time. Heroes show their mettle in times of crisis and Sarah, a downtown hero before COVID, certainly saved the day for Simsbury when she was most needed.

Established in honor of Jack Shannahan, the former director of the Connecticut Historical Commission and State Historic Preservation Officer; and a founder and first Board Chair of CMSC, the Jack Shannahan Award for Public Service recognizes public and private sector individuals and organizations that exemplify a high standard of leadership with a deep commitment to the success of Connecticut’s Main Streets.

Many Connecticut Main Streets are anchored by arts organizations. From the performing arts theaters to museums and galleries to cinemas and public art,  the arts draw residents and tourists to downtowns and village centers, bringing foot traffic to small businesses and restaurants and life to the streets.  Liz Shapiro, as the Director of Connecticut’s Office of the Arts, recognizes this important symbiotic relationship and has created two important programs to further develop the connection between the arts and business – Connecticut Cultural Districts and the AIR Collaborative. 

The Cultural District program, established in 2019, designates a specific area of a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities and/ort assets that are within a walkable area and easy for visitors to recognize.  The creation of the districts, which inevitably are on main streets and downtowns, offer an opportunity for cross-sector collaboration that benefits all stakeholders and a statewide platform to showcase these exciting destinations.  

Similarly, the AIR Collaborative is an approach to economic and community development that brings the arts and business community together to collaborate on revitalization efforts.  Bridging these two worlds also result in the kind of main street vibrancy that CMSC champions.  By bringing both the Cultural District and the Air Collaborative to Connecticut, Liz has strengthened the ability of our main streets to bring people together and to shine.

Photo credit: New London Cultural District; Eat in the Street Scavenger Hunt, mural design by WORMO

Managing a vibrant downtown is complex work, requiring consistent effort and tireless commitment. This award honors CMSC members – the people, communities and organizations – whose exceptional efforts are contributing to thriving downtowns across the state.

Main Street is the spine for the Downtown Norwich Historic District which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Amazing 19^th Century architecture includes a magnificent City Hall prominently overlooking the business district and the historic Carroll Building which greets visitors at the confluence of the Shetucket, Yantic and Thames Rivers in the picturesque Chelsea Harbor. These assets lay the foundation for Norwich’s Main Street revival, where eight summer cultural festivals were hosted in 2022, and restaurants and breweries created a walkable “party under the lights” for St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. Their parklets and murals have enhanced this welcoming and vibrant downtown where people enjoy coming together. The next 12 months will see a $20 million investment produce a 20-room boutique hotel, brewery, coffee house, and 60 market rate apartments all with Main Street addresses along a 300-yard stretch where downtown residents can live, work, and play.

NCDC has utilized the Four Point Approach to improve the downtown in the following ways:

• Economic Vitality: The pandemic created a difficult situation for the food & beverage industry but also set the conditions for revival. Outdoor dining became a solution to the pandemic problem, but has evolved into an opportunity. Norwich’s investment in parklets has created permanence to what was a temporary condition, and allowed not only increased business for downtown restaurants and breweries, but also created a vitality that draws in more business.
• Design: Outward facing symbols that create a welcoming and vibrant community are at the center of their parklet and mural improvements. Prior to acquiring and placing the parklets, outdoor dining space was haphazard and ad hoc. The quality of design of the Archatrack parklets, enhanced by floral displays and lighting, results in a Main Street “feel” that is attractive and stands alone as a service option and not just a “solution to a problem”.  The murals throughout the downtown attract interest and visitation as well as reducing the toxic stress that can come from a lack of vibrant outdoor space.
• Promotion: Acquiring assets is only step one. NCDC’s efforts to bring people together through festivals coordinated by Global City Norwich (an arm of NCDC) and their partners in the Norwich Events Organization have added people to the assets!  Promoting struts, strolls, and parades through the downtown space, particularly at night under the lights, has brought people’s attention directly to the efforts to create outdoor communal space in the parklets and the evolving work at Jubilee Park.  Additionally, NCDC’s ongoing work to reach out to the community through the EnvisionNorwich360.com online engagement tool has given them extra reach.
• Organization: Community partnerships with business owners have made this parklet effort successful.  Business retention requires sustained face-to-face with downtown business owners and these efforts have created a spark for those conversations.  The Jubilee Park effort is a case study in public-private cooperation to take a privately owned asset and create public space. Though still underway, NCDC’s ability to organize and synchronize the efforts of the municipality, their economic development organization and a private building owner with a study by the Yale Urban Design Workshop is an example of how Main Street efforts require “many hands” as opposed to one organization.

How has CMSC influenced your efforts?

Says NCDC, “Our initial visit with CMSC leaders inspired us to make a concerted effort to do the daily work of reviving what has been a tired downtown. The workshops and newsletters distributed by CMCS sustain our motivation and refresh us when we get caught up in the daily grind of the hard work that is Main Street revival.” 

Managing a vibrant downtown is complex work, requiring consistent effort and tireless commitment. This award honors CMSC members – the people, communities and organizations – whose exceptional efforts are contributing to thriving downtowns across the state.

Farmington Avenue in Berlin is a very non-traditional Main Street, as it’s not just a state highway but also serves as a major vehicular passageway.  In 2019, Berlin joined the CT Main Street Program and named this area Kensington Village through a local contest.  At the same time, the state and federal investment into CT Rail as Berlin and the new Berlin Train Station began the shift in the area.  This brought about Steele Center, an $18 million mixed-use project developed by Southington-based Newport Realty Group.  Steele Center is being constructed on formerly town-owned land that shares a property line with the train station property.  When complete in 2024, Steele Center will boast over 60 apartments, 15,000 square feet of commercial space, and become the core to this new village center.  These two major investments have spurred additional investment in the form of new businesses including Coles Road Brewing, Provision State Coffee, new restaurants and a renewed spirit of entrepreneurship.

How Berlin is utilizing the Four Point Approach to improve their downtown:

Kensington Village has become the place to be in Central Connecticut!  The incredible amount of new and growing businesses (during COVID) have created an Economic Vitality not seen in this area of Berlin for many decades.  In fact, there is a shortage of space on Farmington Avenue for new firms, so the brand new buildings at Steele Center are eagerly awaited for occupancy.  Promotion has been an important key to this area as they hold a few events every year to bring people to the area.  The most popular and successful one is their Halloween Trick or Treat.  In only their 4^th year, they had over 70 business give out candy and close to 500 participants who dressed up and enjoyed the day.  In addition, they held a number of events with outside groups including CREW and the CT Homebuilders Association to highlight the forward progress in the area including.  Design is something that has not been focused on, but an effort is planned for 2023-2024 to add decorative and functional benches along Farmington Avenue to give people a spot to sit while providing something for local artists to use to show off their creativity.  A core group of business and property owners have been the driving force behind the success of the Kensington Village.  This organic, ground-up approach has been key to helping the Town of Berlin in making decisions on use of marketing dollars as well as the best use of the time of Town staff.

How CMSC is influencing their efforts:

Says Berlin’s Chris Edge: “CMSC has been a valuable resource as they were instrumental when discussions began in 2018 and 2019 on creating a Main Street Program in town.  In partnership with the Greater New Britain Foundation for Public Giving, the Town of Berlin and CMSC, we received a grant which helped us to work together to look at the area and determine if a Main Street Approach would work in town.  Thankfully, the work and research done laid the groundwork for where we are today.  The programs (both in person and virtually) have helped me personally to bring ideas to our Kensington Village, as well as to spur conversations on where we are, where we are headed, and ways to get there.  We are not there yet, but hope to have a separate non-profit set up for the Kensington Village which will be run and managed by the property owners and businesses that call it home.”