WATERVILLE — What do residents, artisans and business owners want to see in terms of arts and culture in the city and how can Waterville’s artistic community contribute to economic development?

Those are the questions Waterville Creates! and Waterville Main Street are trying to answer as they prepare a long-term cultural plan for the city.

The plan is “ultimately to look at what we should be doing in terms of arts, culture and economic development that can work together to revitalize the community,” said Dick Dyer, of Waterville Creates!

“That is in keeping with the vision Waterville Creates! has, to promote arts and culture as a key component of Waterville’s resurgence and make it a vibrant creative center in the Kennebec Valley,” Dyer said.

Waterville Creates! was formed last year as a collaboration between the Waterville Public Library, Common Street Arts, Waterville Opera House, Maine Film Center, Waterville Main Street and the Colby Museum of Art to strengthen the role of arts and culture in the city.

For the past few months, a steering committee has been working with Reinholt Consulting to gather feedback from public focus groups on what they would like to see in the future in Waterville’s cultural scene, Dyer said. The project was funded with a $10,000 grant from the Maine Arts Commission.

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At the public meetings people highlighted issues such as how far they are willing to travel, importance of family-friendly activities, pedestrian accessibility and public transportation, Dyer said.

The process has been broadened with detailed surveys to gather information from the public, artisans, businesses and organizations. The surveys are available online and from organizations partnering on the project.

The lengthy public opinion survey includes questions about people’s feelings about what kind of art and culture they like in the city, what kinds of cultural activities are most important to them, and what kinds of barriers there are to attending cultural events, as well as personal information like age, gender and income.

The surveys focused on artisans and businesses and organizations include questions on user and customer bases, Waterville’s creative economy and resources and services that could enhance the role of arts and culture in the community.

Results from the survey and the public focus group sessions will be analyzed and used to create the cultural plan, Dyer said.

“It’s really a comprehensive study,” Dyer said. “What is going on now, what needs to go on, what people would like to see and what are some barriers.”

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The target is to have a cultural plan ready by June, Dyer said.

Reinholt Consulting is conducting similar surveys for cultural plans in Lewiston-Auburn and the High Peaks region in northern Franklin County.

A cultural plan should also help Waterville Creates! attract grant money and partners for different projects.

“It allows us to strategize about what we do to enhance Waterville as a vibrant arts and cultural destination,” Dyer said.

Copies of the survey are available at the Waterville Creates! office at The Center building on Main Street. People can also fill out an online version at the Reinholt Consulting website, reinholtconsulting.com/waterville.

Peter McGuire — 861-9239

pmcguire@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire


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