For Immediate Release – June 1, 2023

(Hartford, CT) – The Connecticut Main Street Center is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 Awards of Excellence. The six awards recognize communities and individuals for their outstanding contributions to downtown vibrancy. Three of the awards honor CMSC member communities for their efforts to spur local vibrancy, while another two recognize state officials for their leadership in effectuating positive change in Connecticut’s downtowns. This year CMSC is also unveiling a new award category named in honor of the late Representative Quentin “Q” Williams that celebrates his collaborative and tireless advocacy for Main Streets.

“We are thrilled to share the fantastic work happening every day in our downtowns across the state and to champion the individuals who have meaningful impact on Connecticut’s Main Streets,” said Michelle McCabe, CMSC Executive Director. “All of our award winners deserve to be in the spotlight for their efforts to add vitality and life to their downtowns. The cumulative effect is a constellation of lively and prosperous downtowns across the state that benefits all of us.”

Awards of Excellence

These awards honor CMSC members – the people, communities and organizations – whose exceptional efforts are contributing to thriving downtowns in Connecticut.

• Town of Berlin – Berlin is being recognized for their economic development efforts in the Kensington Village area. Utilizing CMSC’s Main Street approach, they leveraged investment in the $18 million mixed-use Steele Center to create a new village center, bringing small businesses, jobs, and vitality to the area.
• Norwich Community Development Corporation – NCDC is being recognized for the creation of a new mural series celebrating art, history and new beginnings, as well as the Parklet Program powered by Archatrak®, both of which are bolstering the downtown’s economic vibrancy while creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.
• Thomaston Economic Development Commission – Thomaston EDC is a new member of CMSC and is being recognized for their enthusiastic efforts to revitalize their Main Street, notably creating an incremental plan to revitalize their downtown through the collaborative efforts of the EDC and several local organizations.

The Quentin Williams Downtown Hero Award

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.

• Sarah Nielsen, Simsbury Main Street Partnership, is being recognized for her herculean efforts to aid Simsbury’s businesses during the Covid pandemic, tireless support which continues to today, and her exceptional devotion to Simsbury’s Main Street district.

“I couldn’t imagine a better inaugural Downtown Hero Award recipient than Sarah,” said Ms. McCabe. “She lives and breathes Main Street, with her enthusiasm and influence stretching far beyond Simsbury.”

The Jack Shannahan Award for Public Service

This award 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.

• Liz Shapiro, CT Office of the Arts, is being recognized for instituting several statewide programs, including the Cultural District program and AIR Collaborative, that contribute to the vibrancy of Connecticut’s downtowns by enhancing their unique sense of place and supporting the local creative economy through jobs and visitors.

CMSC Founder’s Award, presented by Eversource

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.

• Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker, DECD, is being recognized for her 20+ years of service to Connecticut’s downtowns and Main Streets. Ms. Parsons-Whitaker 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.

The Awards of Excellence were created in 2003 to recognize outstanding projects, individuals and partnerships in community efforts to bring traditional downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts back to life, socially and economically. This year’s awards will be presented at an awards celebration on June 20^th in New Haven.

You can find more information about the award winners and CMSC on their website.

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Media Contact
Christine Schilke
Communications & Strategy Director
860-280.2356
christine@ctmainstreet.org

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Sponsors, the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) and Eversource Energy. CMSC is also supported by its Growth Sponsors, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

The Connecticut Main Street Center and Upper Albany Main Street announced a new program intended to help fill storefronts and secure businesses in that corner of the city.  A $13,000 grant from the Travelers Foundation will pay for an effort to fill vacancies, strengthen existing businesses and attract new ones. The grant will fund the creation of an updated inventory of area businesses, commercial properties and vacancies.

Read the full article in the Hartford Business Journal

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

(Hartford, CT) – The Upper Albany neighborhood’s commercial corridors will receive customized assistance to recruit new businesses through a new project launched by the Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) and Upper Albany Main Street (UAMS). Funded through a generous grant from the Travelers Foundation, the multi-phase project aims to strategically fill vacancies, strengthen existing businesses, and increase the number and type of businesses in this vibrant neighborhood.

Established in 2000, the Upper Albany Main Street program’s mission is to preserve, revitalize and support the commercial district of Upper Albany by working with residents, merchants and stakeholders to create a neighborhood of choice. In keeping with this mission, UAMS recently embarked on an ambitious strategic visioning process with the community and local partners to attract visitors, new businesses and residents with its rich African American and West Indian heritage. Among the goals of this exercise is to see more economic activity along Albany Avenue and its spurs. During this process, area residents also identified various types of businesses they hope to see along the Avenue.

“We know what businesses the community wants in Upper Albany,” stated Marilyn Risi, Upper Albany Main Street Executive Director. “This partnership with Connecticut Main Street Center will support an important phase of this process by updating our inventories in a new way that will assist with marketing and recruitment.”

Using the grant provided by Travelers, CMSC will conduct a full, updated building, business, and vacancy inventory using a robust new tool, Ginko.City. Once the opportunities for investment and new business occupancy are established, CMSC and UAMS will co-create a marketing strategy that will support area entrepreneurs and help attract the kinds of businesses residents identified. UAMS will additionally tap into their Micro Business Incubator (MBI) participants to grow into available spaces. MBI, developed in 2002, is a joint project by Upper Albany Main Street, the University of Hartford and the Metro Hartford Alliance that matches micro-enterprises in the Upper Albany community with students from the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business to cultivate business capacity using an on-site, one-on-one training model that enables students and business owners.

This new collaboration between CMSC and UAMS is a pilot for a larger program, Diversity on Main, currently under development at CMSC. Diversity on Main is a planned approach to filling vacancies, creating vibrancy on main streets, and ensuring a mix of building and business ownership that is diverse and inclusive. 

“We are very excited to partner with UAMS to curate a mix of new businesses that reflect the aspirations of the community while potentially providing opportunities for underserved businesses and entrepreneurs,” stated CMSC Executive Director, Michelle McCabe. “It’s wonderful to have a partner in UAMS to explore how we can energize our main streets in an inclusive way, test ideas and new tools, and support a business ecosystem. We are especially grateful to the Travelers Foundation for making the project possible.”

CMSC will work with Upper Albany Main Street over the next three months to collect data, convene stakeholders, and create a marketing plan to promote the revitalized area.

You can find information about CMSC, its members, and programs on their website.

Photo courtesy of Upper Albany Main Street

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Media Contact
Christine Schilke
Communications & Strategy Director
860-280.2356
christine@ctmainstreet.org

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Sponsors, the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) and Eversource Energy. CMSC is also supported by its Growth Sponsors, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

The Town of Manchester is requesting proposals from experienced real estate developers interested in executing a transformative downtown project on a key gateway parcel. The development site includes two adjacent parcels, which together equate to a full Downtown block on Manchester’s Main Street. The site is currently zoned Central Business District (CBD) and is within a federally-designated Opportunity Zone. This is a mixed-use zoning district that allows a wide variety of residential and commercial uses. 

• The Forest Street lot (1050 Main Street) is a 1.59-acre parcel that occupies a prime downtown location at the corner of Main Street and Forest Street. The lot currently contains 116 parking spaces and can be accessed from driveways on Main Street and Forest Street.
• The second parcel, 942 Main Street, will be owned by the Town as of February 28, 2023. The .79 acre property includes a one-story residential building, to be demolished by the Town. Off-street parking standards are permissive and dimensional requirements are extremely flexible and intended to bring about denser urban development.

Manchester’s Downtown is in the midst of a positive transformation with millions of dollars in public and private funds over the past five years. While key incremental improvements have come steadily during that time, the Town’s efforts are about to be turbo-charged with a $39 million, 75,000 sf public library project in the pipeline. The project envisioned in this RFP will sit directly across the street from the new library location and is intended to both compliment and benefit from this generational public investment.

View the full RFP here. Responses are due by 11:00 AM on April 26, 2023.

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

CMSC’s Field Services Director, Carl Rosa recently visited member Thomaston to talk with town officials and downtown merchants about how they can take advantage of their current assets while being proactive and strategic in how they grow. 

Carl explained CMSC’s Four-Point Approach to revitalizing downtowns: economic vitality, design, organization and promotion, along with specific ways the town take to optimize their Town Hall and Thomaston Opera House complex. 

Photo Credit: Kurt Moffett, Republican-American

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

The Town of Wallingford is seeking an Economic Development Specialist to help them develop and implement the town’s marketing, business recruitment and retention programs.

This is a full-time position working closely with the Economic Development Commission, related town staff and departments for planning and coordinating of community development projects, assisting business applicants with local and State permitting processes and providing research for Town sponsored projects.

Applications are due by February 17, 2023. View the full job posting and find the employment application form on their website.

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) announced the next round of their Equity Match Grant Program is now open. 

The program offers grants of up to $10,000 to CT women-owned businesses that have been in business for 2 or more years and have revenues between $25K and $2M. 

Since the program launched in late 2020, WBDC has distributed 167 grants totaling over $1.5M to CT women-owned businesses. 

Applications available in English & Spanish. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2023.
Learn more & apply

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

The Town of Haddam is seeking proposals from qualified real estate developers for the redevelopment of the former Rossi Lumber Company property in the heart of Higganum. The town has acquired the property and received $1.5 million for environmental remediation.

This project is across the street from an exciting mill remediation and renovation project currently underway. 

View the full RFQ here. Reponses are due by 3:00 p.m. on March 1st, 2023.

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

CMSC Member Colorful Bridgeport partnered up with the City of Bridgeport to install a series of murals in their neighborhood that add to the sense of community by celebrating the full spectrum of the Downtown’s people, places, and spaces.

The extremely talented Gary Judkins of Pivot Language Media filmed each artist creating their mural. Follow along as they release the videos series throughout the month of January highlighting the Color It In mural projects and the artists who created them.

Watch Now

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org. 

CMSC’s Executive Director, Michelle McCabe, spoke on behalf of downtowns during a recent press conference calling for more affordable housing hosted by Desegregate CT. 

“If people are spending all of their money on transportation and on housing, then that means that they have fewer resources to invest back in our communities and invest back in our main streets,” said Michelle McCabe, the Executive Director of the CT Main Street Center.

You can view news articles from this event below:

WTNH Channel 8: Statewide program hopes to increase affordable housing

Hartford Courant: Legislative proposal launched to create CT communities centered on public transit, increase affordable housing

Photo Credit – Steve Smith, Hartford Courant

CMSC is the expert resource for developing and sustaining vibrant downtowns that fuel our state’s prosperity. Our mission is to assess, educate, convene, and advocate to develop and grow our traditional downtowns, village centers, and urban mixed-use neighborhoods. We provide education and training, resources and technical assistance, and function as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

CMSC is supported by its Founding Partners, Eversource Energy and the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD). CMSC is also supported by its Growth Partners, UIL Holdings and the State Historic Preservation Office. More information is available at www.ctmainstreet.org.