KENNEBUNK — Town Hall was filled with energy and ideas the night of Feb. 24 as Roxanne Eflin, the director for the Maine Downtown Center, met with officials and volunteers to discuss a vision for Kennebunk.

Community Development Director Caroline Segalla said the meeting was designed to bring together members of all the different town committees to create a "synergy."

"You're all great groups working together for the betterment of Kennebunk," she told the attendees.

Eflin took the group through the non-profit Downtown Center's visioning process, beginning with asking people to share the things they liked best about the town. The Downtown Center espouses the idea of promoting economic development through historic restoration. People called out such favorites as small-town flavor, historic homes, beaches, the lack of big-box stores and the "charming" feel of the town.

"The people care deeply," added John Kotsonis of the Board of Selectmen.

Eflin then explained the four-point approach developed by the National Trust for Historical Preservation for jump-starting economic development and revitalizing commercial districts.

It's a plan that has been embraced by 2,200 downtowns nationwide, she said, and includes organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring.

"It's not a product, it's a process," Eflin said. "It's getting everyone involved, building excitement."

To demonstrate how that begins, Eflin had those present break down into four groups, one for each of the four points. Each group then had half an hour to brainstorm and then report back to the room with its three best ideas.

Economic restructuring ideas generated included changing the zoning for apartments downtown to allow larger apartments, filling the old Garden Street Market building and creating a theme for downtown.

Better signage, helping store owners with window display design and turning the new Mousam River Bridge into a focal point for the town were some of the design ideas.

On the promotion front, ideas included branding the town, getting more businesses involved in events and expanding the arts community.

Amy Stafford, a member of the town's Festival Committee, said her group believed Kennebunk should build on its slogan, "The only town in the world so named."

"We need to distinguish between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport," she said.

Brenda Robinson, the spokesman for the organization group, said its members were struck by all of the people who weren't present for the meeting, including a representative from the Kennebunk Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce, historians and restaurant owners, to name a few.

"We need to make a list of who's missing from this meeting," she said.

Robinson said her group also believed the town needed to make better use of its website and to develop communication strategies.

"This is only the beginning," Eflin said of the ideas that were generated during the meeting.

Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said he and Segalla will be working on a plan in the coming weeks for adapting the Downtown Center's strategies for Kennebunk, and keeping the energy level high.