My post yesterday about the busy weekend in Downtown Waterbury drew a comment on Facebook about some of the problems that our downtown still faces. While I have never denied that there are still issues to be worked out, there is a lot more going on than some people would believe.
Therefore, in the latest installment of my efforts to market downtown, I have attempted address these concerns. In no particular order...
Good shows at the Palace:
Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Tosca, and Riverdance are all being performed at the Palace this spring alone. Also, there will be shows with Tracy Morgan, the band Chicago, Jim Brickman, John Mellencamp, and Clay Aiken. Sounds to me like there’s something for almost everyone there. And we can’t forget the past visits by Mya Angelou, Weird Al Yankovic, George Carlin, and Tony Bennett, as well as shows of Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, Avenue Q, and Spamalot that have all graced the stage there. (And those are just the ones I can pull off the top of my head.)
Clean up the Green:
It’s not perfect, but the Farmer’s Market that has been held there for the past five years has drawn good crowds from July to October. Not only those that live around the Green, but those who work in the area are often seen out and about getting their produce for the week. It’s my understanding that there has been some success with the concerts that Main Street has hosted there as well.
Furthermore, the Second Annual Spirit of Waterbury Festival this year was a huge success, as was the Fifth Annual Mardi-Gross celebration that brought thousands of kids to Bank Street for an opportunity to do a little Trick-or-Treating.
A Vision for Downtown:
Carl Rosa and Main Street Waterbury have had a plan in place for almost six years now. The Jarjura administration doesn’t always follow it, but much has been done to move along the path that was laid out in 2004.
This includes the market-rate apartments that opened back in January at 70 Bank Street. Isn’t it amazing that those 18 apartments were rented in less than six months? The developer who transformed that building has already started work on 12 more market rate condos in the “Apothecary Hall” at the intersection of Bank and South Main.
This vision also includes the façade improvements that have started in six different downtown buildings, five of them on Bank Street alone. In the future Main Street Waterbury will be rolling out a second round of applications for not only façade grants, but signage grants as well.
This vision also includes the work that Carl Rosa asked me to do regarding outdoor dining regulations for our many wonderful restaurants, regulations to prevent the proliferation of “newspaper boxes” that are not maintained properly, and new signage regulations.
Parking:
That’s going to be a problem in any city, but thanks to the work of Main Street Waterbury the city purchased a sweeper to clean the garage. Also, I have always found the garage well lit, and felt safe whenever I’ve parked there. In fact, during the warm weather months, parking at the Buckingham garage is usually my first option.
Also, if people want to avoid tickets, Main Street Waterbury has set up a website detailing the parking options in downtown. This site lists where the parking sites are, how much it costs to park there, and where you can get a Waterbury Meter Card. These cards allow you to put time on a parking meter, as well as taking unused time off the meter. That way you’re not stuck putting $1.00 of quarters in the meter for a 20 minute errand. In fact, you don’t even need to look for quarters anymore.
In conclusion, if someone asked me what I felt was the biggest problem facing downtown, I’d say perception. Not enough people are paying attention to the work Main Street Waterbury is doing, and the accomplishments that they have achieved over the past 5 years.
Hope to see you at the next big event!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Another Sign of Downtown Success
This weekend was another wonderful time for people to visit Downtown Waterbury. A few of the things for people to see included...
Performances of "A Christmas Carol" by Shakesperience Productions. Of the 6 shows, which were held in the Shakesperience studio on Bank St, 5 were either sold out, or had less then 10 empty seats. The crowds were wonderful, and those of us who were in the show had a fantastic time.
The Connecticut Dance Theater also had shows in their new space on Bank St. They recently took over the third floor of the old Howland-Hughes building, and converted it to a performance space.
Even if theater is not your thing, you could have spent the weekend looking at all the fantastic displays that the Downtown Merchants had set up as part of Main Street Waterbury's 5th Annual Holiday Decoration Competition. Main Street Waterbury announced today that the CT Dance Theater took the overall grand prize, while Cafe Europa won the people's choice award.
While you were enjoying the sights of our downtown businesses on Saturday, you could have also taken a tour of Waterbury's newly renovated City Hall. Two years of work are nearing completion, and the building is once again poised to be a public jewel for the Brass City. As someone who spent several months in 2007 fighting to have the building restored, the re-dedication on January 1 is going to be especially sweet.
Finally, after spending all that time walking around our revitalized downtown, you could have stopped in at any one of our fabulous restaurants for a bite to eat.
In fact, on Saturday afternoon I stopped over at Bank Street Bistro for a quick dinner between the two "Christmas Carol" performances. As I was leaving a gentleman, who had also decided to stay downtown after the show, stopped me to tell me what a fine job my fellow actors and I had done.
As I crossed Bank Street back to the studio, I remembered where downtown was when I joined Main Street Waterbury back in 2005, and how far we've come. I'm proud to have been a part of the process, and see that things are on the right path.
Performances of "A Christmas Carol" by Shakesperience Productions. Of the 6 shows, which were held in the Shakesperience studio on Bank St, 5 were either sold out, or had less then 10 empty seats. The crowds were wonderful, and those of us who were in the show had a fantastic time.
The Connecticut Dance Theater also had shows in their new space on Bank St. They recently took over the third floor of the old Howland-Hughes building, and converted it to a performance space.
Even if theater is not your thing, you could have spent the weekend looking at all the fantastic displays that the Downtown Merchants had set up as part of Main Street Waterbury's 5th Annual Holiday Decoration Competition. Main Street Waterbury announced today that the CT Dance Theater took the overall grand prize, while Cafe Europa won the people's choice award.
While you were enjoying the sights of our downtown businesses on Saturday, you could have also taken a tour of Waterbury's newly renovated City Hall. Two years of work are nearing completion, and the building is once again poised to be a public jewel for the Brass City. As someone who spent several months in 2007 fighting to have the building restored, the re-dedication on January 1 is going to be especially sweet.
Finally, after spending all that time walking around our revitalized downtown, you could have stopped in at any one of our fabulous restaurants for a bite to eat.
In fact, on Saturday afternoon I stopped over at Bank Street Bistro for a quick dinner between the two "Christmas Carol" performances. As I was leaving a gentleman, who had also decided to stay downtown after the show, stopped me to tell me what a fine job my fellow actors and I had done.
As I crossed Bank Street back to the studio, I remembered where downtown was when I joined Main Street Waterbury back in 2005, and how far we've come. I'm proud to have been a part of the process, and see that things are on the right path.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
How Much Longer?
For those of you who have been keeping track, it has now been 93 days since Alderman Paul Ciochetti resigned his seat on the Waterbury Board of Aldermen due to health concerns.
While I realize that Alderman Ciochetti's departure leaves a void on the Board of Aldermen that will be difficult to fill by his successor, I am getting more and more confused by the silence coming from the Mayor's office on this issue.
When Alderman Ciochetti first resigned, most of us who follow politics logically assumed that Jason Van Stone would be appointed as his successor. Considering that Jason fell only 91 votes short of being elected to the Board of Aldermen in the 2009 election, it seemed like an easy decision. Most of us expected Alderman Ciochetti's seat to be filled quickly.
However, almost as soon as the resignation was official, the intrigue began.
Initially, we were given the impression that Mayor Jarjura was waiting for the 2010 election season to wrap up before he named Alderman Ciochetti's replacement. His reasoning for this was that the presumptive successor (Jason) was currently running against State Representative Jeff Berger in the 73rd District. The Mayor felt that it would be inappropriate to give Jason an additional platform from which to attack a fellow Democrat.
While I wasn't happy with this argument, at least I understood it. The conventional wisdom shifted to the following scenario: If Jason lost, he'd be appointed to the Board, if Jason won, the Mayor would appoint someone else. Several names were discussed as that "someone else".
However, we are now 37 days past the 2010 elections, and the silence from 236 Grand Street has become deafening.
While I realize that Alderman Ciochetti's departure leaves a void on the Board of Aldermen that will be difficult to fill by his successor, I am getting more and more confused by the silence coming from the Mayor's office on this issue.
When Alderman Ciochetti first resigned, most of us who follow politics logically assumed that Jason Van Stone would be appointed as his successor. Considering that Jason fell only 91 votes short of being elected to the Board of Aldermen in the 2009 election, it seemed like an easy decision. Most of us expected Alderman Ciochetti's seat to be filled quickly.
However, almost as soon as the resignation was official, the intrigue began.
Initially, we were given the impression that Mayor Jarjura was waiting for the 2010 election season to wrap up before he named Alderman Ciochetti's replacement. His reasoning for this was that the presumptive successor (Jason) was currently running against State Representative Jeff Berger in the 73rd District. The Mayor felt that it would be inappropriate to give Jason an additional platform from which to attack a fellow Democrat.
While I wasn't happy with this argument, at least I understood it. The conventional wisdom shifted to the following scenario: If Jason lost, he'd be appointed to the Board, if Jason won, the Mayor would appoint someone else. Several names were discussed as that "someone else".
However, we are now 37 days past the 2010 elections, and the silence from 236 Grand Street has become deafening.
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