Thursday meeting
kicks off Healthy Main Street Program
Photo courtesy of Leigh Smith
NEW BANNERS have been hung along Main Street in Presque Isle, welcoming residents and visitors alike to spend time downtown. Peter Lajoie of Clair’s Electric donated his time and bucket truck to replace worn out banners in the downtown earlier this summer. The Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee appreciate his support.
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — A new initiative is being launched downtown by the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee, funded by a federal CDC grant for Healthy Main Streets.
“We’re one of 20 communities chosen in Maine to participate. Eleven businesses or individuals have filled out paperwork stating their interest in participating, with others in the process of doing so,” said Pat Rathbun, tri-chair of the Healthy Main Street Program, along with Cathy Beaulieu and Felicia Dixon. All three ladies are members of the PIDRC.
Rathbun said applications are still being accepted.
“We had to have 10 signed up for the program. Once we did, people with the grant came in June to provide training,” she said.
She said this was a way to “combine the initiative with some of PIDRC’s existing goals.”
“We’ve been working on increasing access to the bike path and other improvements, adding safety measures and creating a farmer’s market,” she said.
Among the plans are offering information and/or courses in tobacco cessation and nutrition, as well as physical activity.
“Those are the three areas we need to focus on — tobacco cessation, nutrition and physical activity — to meet the terms of the grant. We’re expected to create one important activity in each event each year of the two-year grant,” said Rathbun.
In the course of recruiting people, Rathbun said organizers found tobacco to be “a hot topic.”
The PIDRC will host the first meeting, of what is hoped to be an ongoing series of meetings, this week.
“We invite people to attend our meeting, scheduled for Thursday night at the Northeastland Hotel. We’re hoping all members of our group will attend and anyone else interested is welcome to participate,” said Rathbun. “In getting together for the first time, we’ll get started on the topic of tobacco. Someone from ACAP’s Healthy Aroostook will give an overview of smoking laws and there will be information available for those who want to quit smoking.”
Rathbun said the second portion of the program will likely have to wait until next year to get under way wholeheartedly.
“The nutrition part I think ties in nicely with the farmer’s market. If we can get one open downtown, the plan is to have a presence there with some sort of presentation, informational material, cooking demonstrations, blood pressure screenings — things like that,” said Rathbun.
Ken Arndt, the city’s planning and development director, said he’s hoping to establish a farmer’s market in the parking area adjacent to Riverside Drive next year.
“It’s too late this year. This will give producers time over the winter to plan accordingly,” said Arndt.
“I’m anxious to get the farmer’s market started to help promote the Healthy Main Street Program. A market relates well to the PIDRC’s goals in that it would offer healthy eating options, demonstrations and more. We’ll work on the strategy for the coming year,” said Arndt.
For more information on plans for the farmer’s market, call Arndt at 760-2727.
Rathbun said when it comes to nutrition, local restaurants would be ideal locations to highlight healthy eating options.
“We could also bring the farmer’s market downtown more days a week, making local produce available o restaurant owners and individuals more frequently. This ties in quite nicely with downtown and community goals,” Rathbun said.
The final segment of the three-part plan, according to Rathbun, is the physical aspect.
“We’re in the early brainstorming stage. I think the bike path is a key resource in the community. We’ve talked about improving signage, including distance markers. The Recreation Department started doing signage this summer. We have maps in three different locations. They’re working to connect the loops together. We’d like to make maps that could be made available in local hotels,” said Rathbun, “something that would tell people where the parks are in town.”
Rathbun said when the Healthy Main Street people came up for training earlier this year, at least one instructor took advantage of the bike path.
“When the people came up in June for training — he’s a runner. He went to the hotel and then ran up Route 1. The next morning when he told us, we told him of the bike path. He said he found it delightful. That gave us instant feedback,” said Rathbun, noting organizers are hoping to use grant money to create more maps.
“We’d like to refine it. Give it more definition — fine tune it. People could chose one or two loops, depending on the time they have available,” she said.
In a nutshell, Rathbun said the Healthy Main Street Program is “about raising awareness of healthy lifestyles.”
“I personally hope to see the community as a place to celebrate healthy lifestyles,” said Rathbun.
Thursday’s meeting at the Northeastland will run from 4-6 p.m.
