Healthy Main Street program kicks off
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — A small but dedicated group of individuals gathered at the Northeastland Hotel on Thursday, marking the kickoff of the Healthy Main Street program.
Present were Healthy Main Street subcommittee members: Pat Rathbun, Jo-Ellen Kelly, Leslie Folsom and Cathy Beaulieu. Joining in the discussion were program participants Leo and Julie Freeman.
The program is a joint effort of the Downtown Revitalization Committee and the city of Presque Isle, with the goal of focusing on three areas: smoking cessation, nutrition and physical activity.
“We’re learning as we go,” said Beaulieu. “We’re one of 20 communities selected for the program. We’ll look at each other’s efforts — see what works, what doesn’t.”
“As the program was presented to us, we have to create one event in each of the three categories each year of the program,” said Rathbun. “The first is tobacco cessation. We’re working on posters for members they can put up in their windows.”
Kelly was pleased with last week’s street fair, which provided various activities for attendees and proprietors alike.
“That was a great example of what can be done” to promote physical activity, said Kelly.
Rathbun said to date 19 businesses/individuals have signed up for the program. She said next year’s farmers’ market will provide a way to measure attendance, which is part of the grant process, through such things as blood pressure clinics and nutritional and cooking demonstrations.
Beaulieu said lunchtime walking clubs and healthy restaurant menus were other options to promote wellness downtown.
The Freemans, owners of Perception of Aroostook — a kayaking business — joined the discussion, offering a few of their own suggestions.
“Something simple could include putting stickers on menus to point out healthier choices,” said Julie Freeman, who is a nurse.
Rathbun noted there were some of the local restaurants that use local produce in their menus.
The group discussed work being done to create a map of area trails accessible for recreational use such as running and walking. Rathbun said the plan was to put them in local hotels so that visitors would know locations of various routes, with specific distances included to give outdoor enthusiasts clear options, based on the time they had available for a run or walk.
Rathbun indicated the proximity to the Presque Isle Stream was another benefit to the program, since events could easily be scheduled at the park.
“We could have a ‘paddle after hours’ with Leo. If you had kayaks there, you could rent to those interested. We could pay for a certain number of our members to participate,” said Rathbun.
Freeman said while most of his work is done on the Aroostook River, he has done events at places like Arnold Brook Lake.
“We can do something off the Presque Isle Stream. We could do a regatta. I could bring my 10 boats, others could bring theirs,” said Leo Freeman.
“This would bring something different to the downtown,” said Beaulieu. “We could include that kind of information in our hotel brochures.”
The group is still accepting members and welcomes input on ways to make Main Street a healthy place to work and visit.
For more information on the Healthy Main Street program, e-mail Rathbun at prathbun@maine.rr.com or Beaulieu at wilders@myfairpoint.net.
