Staff Writer

 Fostering a vibrant business community is key to revitalization of downtown Biddeford, according to community members who gathered in a historic mill building last week to discuss the “heart and soul” of the city.

More than 120 people gathered at  North Dam Mill July 15 for a community forum to share ideas and concerns about the future of downtown Biddeford. The event included a barbecue in a brick courtyard behind the mill, musical performances and displays of historic photographs.

The forum, hosted by the Heart of Biddeford, was part of the Heartworks Project funded by a grant from the Orton Family Foundation. The Heart and Soul Community Planning Initiative is focused on creating a downtown master plan for revitalization. The plan will cover a wide range of topics, including streetscape design, landscape architecture, types of businesses and organizations to attract newcomers and locals and guidelines for growth.

During a nearly three-hour forum, residents, business owners and city leaders gathered in small groups for a facilitated discussion about key themes gathered during the past two years. Key issues from neighborhood meetings held earlier this year include addressing safety, enhancing attractiveness, increasing activity, embracing and engaging youth, creating a vibrant business environment, improving infrastructure and preserving natural resources. 

At Table 7, Heart of Biddeford volunteer Nick Koufmann led a discussion with seven residents and business people, most of whom had never met before. Allison Towne DiMatteo, a Saco resident who works on Main Street in Biddeford, said she thinks the downtown area is beautiful and wants to see the city continue to foster a sense of community and safety.

“I think they’ve come a long way in the past few years,” she said.

The table also included Joan Brooks, a Heart of Biddeford volunteer and lifelong Biddeford resident; Brian Schrader and his son Steven, who both live downtown; Walter Buczacz, owner of Youland’s Jewelers on Main Street; Mike Manos, owner of Edward Jones on Main Street and a hockey coach at the University of New England; and Dan Ducharme, the owner of DAD’s Smoke Shop who is involved with Heart of Biddeford and Downtown Development Commission.

The group said Biddeford’s assets include a creative economy and variety of small businesses. They agreed downtown has an urban feel but Biddeford still has the community feeling of a small town. Brian Schrader said he is impressed by the “amazing talents” of people in the city, while Buczacz said he appreciates the reusable architecture downtown.

Manos said surrounding towns complement Biddeford and Brooks pointed out the city is close to lakes, rivers and parks. They agreed those connections make Biddeford even more attractive to visitors and residents.

Much of the discussion centered on the importance of creating a vibrant business community and getting people to set aside misconceptions about the city and discover Main Street.

“You can essentially eat around the world right in Biddeford. There’s plenty of things right here in Biddeford,” Ducharme said. “There’s a lot going on, we just have to get people to know it.”

After revealing their favorite aspects of the community, participants at Table 7 shifted gears to talk about the change they would like to see. Safety was one of the group’s key issues, though all participants were quick to point out people seem to perceive Biddeford as unsafe when there is little violent crime.

“I’ve been working downtown for 30 years and it’s always had a reputation for being unsafe,” Buczacz said. “I’ve never seen evidence of it being unsafe.”

DiMatteo and Brian Schrader said they are concerned about pedestrian safety downtown. She lives about a mile from her office, but does not ride her bike to work because of those concerns. Brian Schrader, who doesn’t drive, said it is not uncommon to wait for long periods before cars stop to let him cross the street.

The group said promoting downtown businesses is important to bring more people to the area. People will feel more comfortable and safe walking around downtown in the evening if foot traffic increases, DiMatteo said.

The final key issue for the group was enhancing attractiveness of downtown.  Ducharme said he sees “lots of gems in Biddeford that just need to be cleaned up.” Group members said they would like more graffiti removal and enforcement of code violations.

Following the small group discussions, Sue McCormack of Everyday Democracy highlighted key issues that emerged during the previous two hours. The 120 participants agreed the city’s history is important and the city is making a comeback, she said. Top priorities were fostering a vibrant business environment, increasing activity and enhancing attractiveness downtown.

McCormack said the evening’s top priorities seemed to reinforce themes gathered from discussions at more than 30 neighborhood meetings. Mark Eyerman of Planning Decisions told forum participants the next step is to use the themes as the core of a downtown master plan. Planning Decisions of South Portland and Terrence J. DeWan and Associates of Yarmouth will develop the plan with Heart of Biddeford.

Heart of Biddeford Executive Director Ezekiel Callanan said community members will be invited to participate in two more forums to look at the master plan. In November, a rough first draft of the plan will be reviewed to make sure the ideas reflect what people want to see. A March 2011 forum will celebrate the process and allow for minor changes before the plan is finalized in April, he said.

Callanan said he was happy with the turnout at the forum, though it fell short of the original goal.

“The people who showed up were really engaged and committed to the process,” he said.

Economic Development Director Daniel Stevenson said the master plan will help inform city officials as they plan for the downtown’s future. He said the city works in tandem with Heart of Biddeford so everyone will benefit from the process.

“I think it’s fantastic because it allows the fabric of the community to voice the direction they want to go in and it continues to keep people informed at the same time,” he said. “Whenever we can have a collaborative effort, we want that. I see this as a great partnership.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.