Members of the Maine Downtown Advisory Council met with Madawaska community and business leaders.

MADAWASKA – “Maine Street is unique in that it brings everybody together,” said Maine Downtown Network Program Director, Roxanne Eflin. “You (Madawaska) have tremendous assets here.”

Members of the Maine Downtown Advisory Council were in Madawaska Tuesday to give a presentation to the community and to tour the Main Street downtown area. The visit is a result of Madawaska’s selection as is one of six newest communities throughout the state to join with the Maine Downtown Network in 2010.

During their visit, the MDAC members took photos and made notes about the town's history and architecture.

The Maine Downtown Center programs utilize a trademarked “Four Point” approach that include steps proven to help revitalize a community. The steps include organization, design, promotion, and economic restoration.

“I hope we can once again be the strong and vibrant town we once were and try to keep the youth and residents in Madawaska,” said Community and Economic Director Suzie Paradis.

Paradis applied to the program in April of this year. The announcement that Madawaska had been chosen came in June.

Eflin stated that the program focuses on historic preservation and is volunteer-based. She also said that a newer concept to the program is aimed at making downtowns more “green” by promoting walking with aesthetic improvements and walk paths.

The program encourages branding a community, hosting a variety of events, using full buildings, and providing financial incentives to retain and recruit businesses.

As a Maine Downtown Network member, Madawaska will receive much technical assistance from the Maine Downtown Advisory Council, particularly in the first three years, beginning with a report aimed at providing guidance to the town while they develop a plan for revitalization. The report will be generated in approximately six weeks from their initial visit. The focus of the report will be in identifying the town's assets, such as buildings with unique or historic architecture, or parks.

The council will visit twice in the following two years to assist in organizing the town's revitalization plan. Member towns also receive access to annual training, and information regarding various grants or other financial assistance, including tax credits.

Some business owners who attended the initial meeting with the Maine Downtown Advisory Council provided some insight into what they would like to see in Madawaska.

“This town has a great history,” said Doug Cyr of Cyr Travel. “The downtown was the social place of the community. I think that's what we need to bring back.”

Other suggestions made by local business persons included taking a closer look at the parking situation downtown, having adequate lighting and sidewalk size, adding a speaker system downtown, planting street trees and flowers, and hiding power lines.

“We need to make the town approachable,” said Karen Hebert, branch manager at Acadia Federal Credit Union.

The Maine Downtown Network was established by the Maine Downtown Center as a sister program to their Main Street Maine program. The program utilizes the Four Point approach to revitalizing a downtown, but at a slower, easier pace than Main Street Main.

Among the differences between the programs is that a Maine Downtown Network participant community is not required to have a paid staff to manage the program. At the same time, the town is not allowed to use the “Main Street” trademark. Communities primarily use the program in the earlier stages of downtown revitalization.

Madawaska was one of six towns to be added to the Maine Downtown Network this year, along with Belfast, Brunswick, Damariscotta, Dover-Foxcroft, and Machias. The only other town in Aroostook County to join the Maine Downtown Network to date is Presque Isle. Van Buren also works with the Maine Downtown Center under the designation of a Main Street Maine town.