Legislators Want To Improve Downtown Communities

Reported by Don Carrigan, News Center (WCSH6/WLBZ2). Broadcast on March 23, 2009.

NEWS CENTER -- Are Maine people ready to spend money to improve our downtowns? A group of legislators, developers and downtown advocates says yes.

And they're asking the legislature to approve a $27 million bond issue to pay for it.

The group calls it the "Communities for Maine's Future Fund," and its modeled after the popular Land for Maine's Future program.

Money would be used to upgrade downtowns and village centers around the state, and also to buy and preserve historic buildings. Supporters say the Brookings report from two years ago called for preserving Maine's "sense of place", and that rebuilding and improving downtowns is an important part of that.

Maggie Drummond, from Grow Smart Maine, commented, "You see places like Waterville for example and Gardiner and even Rockland where there is life coming back to these places. And certainly in a time of rising gas prices, we all know they're going back up, we are seeing people move back into our community cores around the state."

Supporters say the bond money would be a good investment, because it would help attract a lot more private dollars. One real estate developer agreed, saying there is a lot of interest in housing and commercial projects in downtowns, but they can use some financial help.

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