The economic downturn has hit many of the small towns in Connecticut ’s Northwest corner hard. As WNPR’s Lori Ann Brass reports, these “ Main Street ” business districts think they have a much better chance of surviving the economic downturn if they work together.
Driving through Northwest Connecticut , it’s easy to be smitten by the charm of small town living and the beauty of the countryside. But if you take a closer look, you begin to see the problems. Storefronts are empty; country inns are up for sale, there’s little affordable housing, and in some towns, you can’t even buy a quart of milk.
When Falls Village resident Ruth Skovron joined the local Planning and Zoning Commission six years ago, she knew something had to be done.
Ruth Skovron: What was immediately apparent to me was that these towns were small enough so they didn’t have resources for planning in the way that they needed to have. So banding together to conquer some of these problems it seemed to me to be an effective way todeal with affordable housing and economic revitalization.
LAB: Skovron is the driving force behind the Northwest Connecticut Regional Planning Collaborative, which now has a small professional staff that works with eight towns in the area. When the region, not just individual towns apply for grants, they’ve been much more successful bringing in money. This month, Connecticut Main Street Center gave the Collaborative an Award of Excellence for its work in revitalization. But local residents are cautious when they hear talk of change.
Skovron: People say I love it the way it is. I don’t want it to change . I don’t want it to look like suburbia. So we want to maintain our village centers cause they are really the heart of the community, but we need to have a better mix of businesses so people don’t go to the big box stores in Torrington or up in Great Barrington , that they shop here.
LAB: Todd Piker owns the Cornwall Bridge pottery. He’s been in business for 40 years and says the recession was the tipping point that forced local governments into action
Todd Piker: If you want to keep this going, you have to address the issues that could undo it. Perhaps these little villages need to be able densify up, to become more interesting small villages. I think diversity is a good word in this regard -- economic diversity, and a general good will -- an attitude that we’re all in this together
LAB: Again, Ruth Skovron
Skovron : I think the key in planning is if you want it to essentially stay the same, you have to be in control of it
LAB: Skovron says that means every town has to have skin in the game.
For WNPR, I’m Lori Ann Brass.
