Why downtowns matter
IN THE CITY
In the past few decades, downtowns have been dealt a bad hand for a variety of reasons. They have faced sprawl, pressures from globalization, rough (yet improving) economy, and the ease of ordering almost anything from online while in your pajamas. Combined with the fact that we are isolated from large population bases, the issue has been compounded. So faced against these odds, it is easy to be a pessimist, but that isn’t the view from my wheelhouse, and here’s why.
The downtown is in the center of our neighborhoods. Even I was amazed by the large percentage of our housing in the 2010 census that was rental properties — 44.6 percent! The majority of those units are located in or near the hub of our downtown. People are looking for apartments in the downtown, close to where they work. This is especially true for young professionals; we need to attract that demographic.
That leads to the other main reason why downtown is important. From the many discussions about the future of Aroostook County, a main topic has been attracting and retaining the youth in the area. Not only do we need to have the jobs, we need to offer the magic of a sense of place. They are lured to what metropolitan areas offer and we need to capitalize on what we can present: amenities such as community events, recreational opportunities, a pedestrian friendliness, good shopping and cultural activities.
Not only is there a desire for a healthy downtown, but people want to also be healthy. Look at all the races, exercise facilities, fitness-related business, and workout programs (and physical rehabilitation businesses for when you over-do it) that have sprouted up over the recent years. During the many international and national biathlon events, I have heard from the athletes and the parents how they like the charm of the community. The same is true of the people who travel to the area for business.
Based upon these core reasons, the city is making large investments in the community and the Community Center is our keystone project. The large amount of support and donations — including the recent news of a large gift, shows the passion to invest in the downtown. Recently, we have been successful in obtaining funding for downtown projects including replanting of trees, the public market permanent structure, sidewalks for upper Main Street and the Healthy Main Street initiative. We are always looking for more support!
A community’s heritage and history is in the downtown. Based upon recent data from the Office of Maine Tourism, cultural heritage tourism is the fastest growing segment of Maine’s tourism industry. Maine’s Tourism is one of the largest industries in Maine supporting 94,118 jobs (14 percent of employment in state). Total state visitation in 2014 was 32,902,074 people and the economic impact in 2014 was $7,950,118,382 in sales which then generated $533,168.068 in tax revenues.
The historic element that draws people is in the downtown. The historical society has done a great job of preserving not only key buildings but our past too, not to mention also offering a variety of interesting tours.
While the downtown isn’t all of the formula, it is a main part of the equation. Please support us by shopping local and coming to the events in the community!
Martin Puckett is Presque Isle’s deputy city manager. He can be reached at 760-2780 or via email at mpuckett@presqueisleme.us.
