LETTER: Cultural District Management Team Looks for Members

Dear Easton Friends and Neighbors,

The Easton Cultural Council sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council invites you to participate in the formation of an official Cultural District in the Town of Easton.

On July 27, 2011, Governor Patrick signed a bill into law (M.G.L.c.10&58A) that allows cities and towns to create state-sponsored cultural districts to stimulate new arts and cultural activity and attract creative business.

An Easton Cultural Council District Sub-Committee has already been formed to develop a Cultural District which will be centered in the footprint of the North Easton Historical District.  This sub-committee will spearhead and assume responsibility for this project.

This comes at an opportune time for the Town of Easton. Easton is about to expand our housing opportunities in North Easton, revitalize the downtown Main Street area, and install sewerage in the downtown area.  This will give existing businesses  the ability to expand and will also encourage new businesses to locate in the area.

Easton already offers its residents many wonderful programs sponsored by its numerous business and volunteer organizations.  These organizations create a vibrant place to live and work earning Easton a continual ranking in the “Best Places to Live” list published in Money magazine.

In order to move forward a Management Team must be established for the Cultural District.  We are looking for volunteers who would like to shape the development of this District.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!

Members of the Management Team must be comprised of partners that are active in the Cultural District.  Examples would be: municipal government officers, non-profit cultural organizations, non-profit community development organizations, other non-profit organizations, libraries, artists, local Main Street businesses, historical commissions, Chamber of Commerce/business associations, churches, for-profit service industry, for-profit creative economy businesses, to name a few.

We envision that once the District is established, the Management Team would meet approximately four times a year.  Its responsibility would include marketing ideas in order to highlight the activities presented by organizations/businesses in the area and encourage expansion of cultural activities, as well as, businesses in the area and to promote Easton as a tourist destination.

This would not require that the same person from an organization attend each meeting.  It would be entirely up to the organization whether or not they would have one person represent them or form a sub-committee and allow members to take turns attending and participating.

The Easton Cultural Council will also participate and would be responsible for the required reporting to the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

There will be a public hearing on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, First Floor, Easton Town Hall.

Please feel free to contact me for any questions that you may have.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Cole

Chair, Easton Cultural Council District Sub-Committee

Email:  Fairewind7@aol.com

Please Note:  For an Informative Look at “What is a Cultural District” go to www.massculturalcouncil.org  Click on “Application/Forms", then Click on “Cultural Districts”, then Click on “Designation Guidelines”.

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor on this subject or any subject, email Patrick.Maguire@Patch.com