The latest buzz all around town is once again economic development and last night the town council and Derry's state reps got together to see how we can all communicate better to help bring business to our community! The meeting went well and some actions plans came from the meetings that I think will benefit all of us.
Last night I thought about something that hit me while sitting on the planning board while dealing with the Robert Frost Farm issue. You may of read that the planning board was dealing with land surrounding the Robert Frost where some owners wanting to change zoning to Commercial zoning and then the issues of where and what that does to the historical site!
We had many people making a stand but what I did learn was that people from all over the world will come to Derry to see the famous poets old homestead. We should be promoting this in our town a little bit better and getting to those people who do come to stay and spend money in our town!
These are just some of the little things we can be doing to attract business. Sometimes we over think and think too much about the big picture when in fact its these small things that are right in front of us that we are missing.
I'm sure others have good ideas that they want to share and here is a good forum to see what others are thinking and want to share.
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40 comments:
Lower the speed limit on main street and park cars on the diagonal.
Fix the bloody sign on rt.93
Clean up the signage on Main Street, make them uniform. Paint the buildings the same families of color (Neutral tones).
Deep 6 the Friendship Center and condemn the old pet store.
Glad to hear the Planning Board and others in town are realizing what a gem the Frost Farm is. By working with the State I would think the town could definitely benefit by promoting this site more.
I would also expect our Conservation Commission to take a closer look at acquiring the surrounding lands or protecting them though conservation easements. This property is much more important and valuable to the town than some of the lands being acquired and protected in other parts of town. Keeping this section of 28 "Green" should be a priority!
Here's another idea. I've noticed that in many of the "nicer" older towns with downtown business districts in MA,NY,CT and even here in NH they have "head in angled parking" vs. parallel to curb parking in the downtown. This allows more cars to park close to the businesses they want to get to and also seems to have a "traffic calming" effect as the road is a bit narrower and people drive slower. It also adds to the "old town" New England feel.
I want to commend Mike Gendron for his work with the Downtown Committee. I could not believe that Al Dimock attacked Mike after Mike read a summary at the recent Council meeting. Gendron was summarizing the history of the downtown improvement projects, not taking credit for it as Dimock alleged. Pretty sad when a volunteer has to suffer Al's misguided barbs.
anon 10:22 I agree with you! I couldn't believe it either. Just goes to prove that Al is definitely out to lunch.
Doesn't the town have a history commission?
Here we go again.
Some think they can get more income by working two jobs in order to cover their spending addictions.
The town leaders have been sold this philosophy and think new business in town will hide their spending addictions.
This idea gets sold to citizens and so it goes.
It is simply to find out if this is true or just a bill of goods.
Look at cities, towns with businesses, their taxes are high too.
Look at Boston, NY, LA.
Plenty of businesses and plenty of taxes.
Oh yeah, the first couple years the taxes drop but the spending addiction eventually wins out and taxes go back up.
Here we go again.
Some think they can get more income by working two jobs in order to cover their spending addictions.
The town leaders have been sold this philosophy and think new business in town will hide their spending addictions.
This idea gets sold to citizens and so it goes.
It is simply to find out if this is true or just a bill of goods.
Look at cities, towns with businesses, their taxes are high too.
Look at Boston, NY, LA.
Plenty of businesses and plenty of taxes.
Oh yeah, the first couple years the taxes drop but the spending addiction eventually wins out and taxes go back up.
I completely agree with Anon 5:45.
I think we can all agree that in order to bring in additional businesses to the downtown we need to attract more than just local Derry folk to the area to shop / dine. The first impression a potential shopper or diner has of downtown Derry is that it is a depressed, decaying, and dying area. Of course there are a few exceptions and I applaud those business owners. When you look at other area communities where their downtowns are still prospering you see a "New England" style atmosphere. Derry’s downtown area should be classified as a “historic” district and a set of minimum standards enforced to prevent blight.
Some will say lipstick on a pig is still a pig, but I say a pig without lipstick is even worse.
A first impression goes a long way.
JAPDT,
Humpy you must be in the final stage of life where you repeat everything.
Yep your assessment is spot on.
Lets all just give up and let the weeds overgrow everything.
Can't you find space in a nursing home? Make sure they turn you towards the sun once per day.
so 7:30 your thinking is what we need conform to?
If anyone has another opinion they are useless persons, in your eyes.
A very sad world you live in, I feel sorry for you.
JAPDT,
My point is that you have no position!
You town long timers had a chance to keep growth at bay and YOU BLEW IT! You elected Ole' Skunk Stripe and she opened the floodgates to Linlew Drive, The Fairways and Condex. Great call on those better way forward for Derry.
Now you want to stick your head in the sand again and wish,hope,pray that things better.
Derry has to GROW its way out of this mess. Your opinions don't help.
I see the fire dept is reducing daily staffing levels, but it sounds like we have not laid any firefighters off. The article seems to indicate that some of these staffing issues are related to long term illness and injuries affecting the number of firefighters on disability. I hope that someone is really looking at these cases closely and making sure we don't have any cases like in Boston where guys were out on leave working other jobs, trianing for bodybuilding competitions, etc. I hope this is not a move by the union to put pressure on the town because of the cutbacks in overtime.
5:55
Personal attacks on the dead and looking backward with 20/20... you're a real piece of work. Got anything helpful to add to the discussion?
Having arrived at the profound conclusion that we should grow out of the problem, (wow why didn't we think of that?)how do you propose to do that? Is 4A your solution? Widening Manchester Road? Have you shared your solutions with others? Don't recall seeing you present the Town Forum Business Development ideas with Doug Newell, Besty Burtis, Al Dimmock and Carl Acardo. I've been reading all the papers and I haven't seen your ideas there. You do have solutions don't you? Otherwise some might consider you a blowhard.
1:24.
You speak with such authority about where I was or was not. How do you know?
Blowhard equals ever name you have listed EXCEPT your and mine.
2:49 I agree
When the town starts widening 28 towards Salem it will be the end of any high tax rate the town has now.WHY do you say that Mr and Mrs taxpayer.Because taxes will go thru the roof.
There will be more traffic,more accidents,more traffic lights,more robberies,and more safety issues.
Then you will be hiring more cops ,more fireman,and more EMT personnel. Which will mean;
More cop cars,more fire trucks,more ladder trucks ,more tanker trucks ,more axes,more jaws of life,more air jacks,more gas,more parked crime labs,more fax machines,more upgrades, more uniforms,more training,more fire stations ,more cass certification,more step systems,bigger emergency trucks, more captains,more high ranking pays,more union shoving,more sirens ,more insurance buy outs,more lifetime employment, and more big Fat Pensions .
Someone please tell the taxpayers how all this road construction and land taking is going to offset taxes . It's not going to.
anon 11:45,
Your statements are simply untrue! We have a tax cap in this town. So no run away spending!
I know some of this stuff is hard to listen too sometimes but this is some of the same things being said in coffee shops, in phone conversations with friends and others and at least we can get this out into the open and address it head on as a community! I appreciate everyones input and am trying very hard not to edit unless its very bad!
BC if you believe in the absolute power of a tax cap, let me tell you about the tooth fairy.
Furthermore those that hang out in coffee shops and have time for phone conversations are the same type that will fall for the "we need more business" hype.
Fact is the spending addiction has to stop!!
8:10 Based on your latest posting you have been promoted to incoherent blowhard. We know you were not part of the presentation of the Town Forum Business Development results because it was on TV and you don't sound like Newell, Burtis or Dimmock to me. We doubt you are sharing your deep thoughts and solutions to business development in the papers because no one is. But enough about you; how about sharing some of your business development ideas. You do have ideas don't you?
Brian, you are simply clueless. It's time for new blood with less baggage.
BC,
The so called tax cap you are stating to is only if your assessment on your property stays at current level .When the town wants more money ,they raise property owners assessments.
Now tell the tax payers they wont do that.
7:51
What a stupid post. Giving Ideas to you and many on this blog is like talking to my dog. Tail wags but the sound goes in one ear and out the other.
There are many ideas that I and others have put forth only to be ignored due to the fact that the frequency does not permeate your and others addled brains. Classic example of the message does not resonate if it is not the message YOU want to hear. Most of the consternation on this blog is about signing posts! Talk about rearranging the deckchairs when the ship is sinking!
WE need LEADERSHIP in town government. This warm and fuzzy, lets all get along crap will not work in a town that is so polarized. As an example: The Old Fart Taxpayer on this blog sees zero need for growth or the guy who is freaked out by 3 light cycles. How is this mindset going to deal with the investment required? So the first challenge is not WHAT, it is IF. The approach is to have a consensus meeting where by we sit around and sing Kumbyah only to find out that in Concord, Derry is looked upon as the gang that can’t shoot straight. What did that get us? That Derry looks like fools. We already know that! Development growth is going to take difficult decisions and investment. Currently there is no person or organization strong enough to take the decisions necessary to move things forward.
Once over that significant and critical hurdle that next would be a clear, logical and linear plan. What do we want to do, when, for what benefit and at what cost.
The third is the responsibility to show, explain and update the townspeople.
What cannot happen is that we take the Derry “little bit pregnant approach.” That chased away Wal-Mart. A decision like that can’t happen at the 11 hour in negotiations. Either Wal-Mart was part of a plan or not, but (notice I have not mentioned Ms. Fairbanks performance at all in this) it certainly made Derry again appear fractured and disorganized poisoned the development well.
Why even get into the specifics of what to do. Without these 3 things: Who, What and Tell, why even get into specifics? They will be like all of the other ideas bandied about only to be lost in the next Town Drama: (“Wetlandsgate” Town Counselor uncovers sinister conspiracy involving town lawyers to reroute rain runoff) Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh MY!
anon 9:41,
I think your mixing the issues up. We as councilors can raise taxes by whatever the previous years CPI was. The word of the day is COULD! As a matter of fact, we, the council CUT taxes last year by over $600K.
600K Brian?
You love to hang your hat on a cut of 600K. You've referenced that many many times. 600K of a total town budget of 40 Mil is a difference of roughly 1.5%. Not that much to brag about when you look at the big picture. What about the other 98.5 % of the town budget? No cuts to be made there?
What about the rest of us in town that have seen double digit losses in our income, (that is if you were even lucky enough to keep your job). Are you really going to tell everyone that you rode in on your white horse and saved us all 1.5 % on out tax bill? As they say on ESPN, - “Come on Man!”
You might want to qualify that statement in the future with "we settled for 600K." The potential and need was much greater but you and the Council as a whole let that slip away.
7:44
You may not agree, but I know more than you.
My experience in life is tenfold yours.
No point in m e trying to convince easily fooled people like you or others like you.
Here is an option for you seeing that you are guaranteeing growth is the answer.
Reach in your pocket and make investment in the town.
If you make money and your taxes go down, more power to you. Mine will go down too and to be fair you made the investment so I will sign a contract with you to give you the amount I save each year because of attracting more business to Derry.
And the prize for the most arrogant post to date (and there were many contestants) goes to:
Anon 7:44 for suggesting that his/her ideas are so profound that none of us mere mortals could possibly understand them.
And yet among the 30000+ dolts that he thinks make up Derry, a philosopher king is expected to arise to provide us with "Leadership".
I think I see the south side of a northern bound horse.
5:17 and your post clearly shows why nothing gets done in Derry!
The latest buzz isn't economic development....economic development is STILL the buzz ("noose around our neck" would be a better phrase). Derry has lots to offer, golf courses, beaver lake, rv park, hot air ballooning, bike path, rolling conservation land, opera house, sturbridge theatre, robert frost farm, history museum. Market derry drawing off attractions from surrounding communities; tupelo, charmingfare farm, canobie lake, wineries, etc. The downtown continues to be an embarrassment...10+ years since any activity has taken place down there....shameful. Rarely do I read/hear too much on improving quality of life projects and preserving what we have.....instead it's the 80's/90's all over....knock it down and build...28 south, no; 28 north..ooohhh 4a...could be some nice projects that result in more padded pockets but wrong for 21st century economic development. Why is it that we keep pursuing projects that would make our community EXACTLY like the communities that people are looking to leave? We lost the old post office on broadway for a cvs...if it wasn't for special interest groups the upper village hall would be gone and say goodbye to the pinkerton tavern. Make the downtown a destination for shopping and dining; there’s certainly enough main street models out there as well as grants and funding from the state. Pursue projects that will attract higher income individuals...hopefully they'll buy some of the shanty's in town and put on additions hence adding to our residential tax base. throw some signs before exit 4 "visit historic derry, home of the first potato". Heck, I’d rather see you throw money at constructing the worlds biggest potato and organize a potato festival in honor of our heritage rather than pursue some of the projects proposed.
Large amounts of space are available on Routes 495 and 128....can derry compete?
It seems like we pursue economic development for the sake of economic development. We go from dreams of attracting amgen to settling on a super walmart. It starts with a vision.........
And please BC....bow out of the race. I just don't think you can truly see the huge potential of what derry could be....other than a "working man's/blue collar" town.
Back in the distant warmer weather I wrote about 3 examples regarding the differences in attitude regarding the town developing. I opined whether Derry could ever generate a consensus with human speed bumps in the road.
Mr. Dimmock and his desire to return to his 1981 tax bill
Some lady who locked herself out of her house in October 2007 and was horrified that the DFD would not let her back into her house and tuck her in.
And some old guy who had a jihad against public works about sand. My post took a lot of flak.
Well guess what? The sandbagger is back according to his letter of injustice in The Derry News! How can Derry ever coalesce around a common direction when the mindset (including self professed Oracles of Derry) can only make comparisons about what they “GET” for paying their taxes?
Am I the only one that thought that although Burtis had a valid message, his tone and delivery (yawn)was just so wrong. Like Ole'Al, Burtis is lacking the self assessment gene. Identical to the reason little dogs get in fights with big dogs he just can't help or stop himself. To John the result is less important than the delivery of his missive, written or verbal. If only somebody could sit him down and get him to recognize that it is not about HIM.
A great message, delivered poorly is received like a poor message.
Its funny, (for me anyway) I went to the Chinese restaurant in Londonderry last night.
I saw the Blackberry Bakery there doing business as usual and had to chuckle.
They moved out of downtown Derry not because they had to pay allot of rent, It was because people do not want to shop in a downtown area. The parking is awful and the stores are small.
In the year 2010 we are geared towards going to a strip mall.
Lets face the facts, forget retail and encourage office type businesses to come downtown.
We will not have to spend millions to do this.
In fact we can spend zero once we find the right product.
CVA you need to go online and read Firehouse and Fire Engineering about Volunters. I did and it states that Volunters are nolonger a reliable source of manpower that can be counted on. People can nolonger leave there jobs to respond, both spouses need to work, and most people including the Fulltime Firefighters are working 2 jobs to survive. So come on DJN your such a numbers man and a know it all on all this enlighten us on what I have read there.
12:37 wrote:
it is not tyhe Unions fault its the Councilors that run this Town and the ADT who spread there lie's every week.
I got a idea how about hiring Al Dimwit
________________________________
Its you are are looking like the dimwit. 'There lie's' should have been 'their lies'. Maybe Al could teach you a few things, like to write!
JAPDT,
Yep your life experience coming back to help us all again.
The redevelopment of Downtowns all over the country has escaped your radar.
Get out much?
10:45
Just because it has worked other places it doe not mean it will work everywhere.
Show me a town similar to Derry's geography where it worked.
There are none.
We are competing with strip malls, no scenic seashore, lake or mountains close by.
If you will notice the successful downtowns do not have factories or allot of commercial close by either.
Many business have made money with stands selling ice cream, however in Alaska it is not really popular.
Want to buy and ice cream stand in Alaska or better yet a bridge?that big a market.
This little business seminar is free. If you would like additional informative seminars I will need to charge you by topic and time involved.
I presume that 3:37 PM is John Burtis. I respect that you want to keep your income sources private, but it is pertinent if it affects your public comments. You may have an axe (no pun intended) to grind if your pension if from a fire department job. It is 2 sided: you may have valuable experience from your previous job, or you may have hard feelings. I do not know. All I can conclude from watching your public speeches is that you an overbearing,angry man.
So sad the council voted to raze the Pinkerton Tavern to widen the road. Derry doesn't know what it wants to be. Do they want to a town of historic and cultural attractions with nice restaurants and entertainment with open space to hike and engage in outdoor activities or does it want to be the home of industry and big box retail. There doesn't seem to be clear direction or plan, just a lot of "maybe if we do this...". I think you are making choices now we will live to regret.
Well lets have volunteer everything in Derry that will save us Millions. Volunteer police officers, Volunteer public works, Volunteer teachers, Volunteer Firemen, Everything Volunteer what a idea. Maybe I should join the ADT
ANOTHER "SCARE TACTIC" NOT FROM DERRY FIRE...BUT FROM MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/investigative/22413674/detail.html
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