|
On
Creating An Elder Friendly Business District
In February over 35 people turned out
for our monthly Business Networking Breakfast. It was an excellent turn-out
for our special guest speakers, Professor Patrick Hafford and one of his
students from Wentworth Institute of Technology. The talk was about
fostering an elder friendly business district.
There is a pilot program studying this
concept with our sister Program Mission Hill Main Streets. Wentworth
students conducted a business accessibility study there and came up with
some low cost ways to make access to businesses easier for seniors and
others, mothers with strollers etc. using wireless door openers and more.
One idea HPMS would like to pursue is
creating a local business delivery service for seniors, we would encourage
seniors to still shop in the district, but instead of carrying heavy bags
home there could be a delivery system in place amongst participating
businesses. Interested in this idea? Let us know!
__________
Direct from Our Members...
"Thank you very much for fixing the front of Papa
Gino's during its reconstruction phase. It looks so much better."
Drs. Bankhead and Groipen and staff
Do you enjoy "Direct from Our
Members"? If you are a Member and would like to contribute a quote
about your experiences with Main Streets, please e-mail us comments, thank
you!
Find
Out...
|
|
Welcome,
Did
you know that according to the United States Census, over 100,000 older
adults call Boston home? As a matter of fact, that number is expected to
increase 46% in the next 20 years! With the support of Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino, along with more than 125 oganizations and individuals, an
effort is underway to make Boston an elder-friendly city.
Hyde
Park Main Streets is happy to be working with Mission Hill Main Streets
who has piloted an elder friendly program in the Mission Hill Business
District. We have begun the process and we look forward to working with
the shop owners and the community to make our "small town in the
city" a livable place for our valued senior citizens.
Karen
B. O'Connell, Esq. Executive Director
For
more information on the national project funed by the RWJ Foundation, see
the Community Partnerships for Older Adults' website: www.cpfoa.org.
Locally, Main Streets is working with the Boston Partnership for Older
Adults (BPOA) organization. (Click on their logo below for BPOA website.)
A
Small Town In The City
|
|
HPMS Featured in National
Trust for Historic Preservation Magazine - "Main Street News"
|
|
Click
to visit the National Trust for Historic Peservation Main Street News
website. Jan/Feb issue featured but will be posted in April. See the
list of current on-line newsletters.
I
was very pleased to be asked by the National Main Street Center in
Washington, DC to contribute an article on Membership to their national
publication, “Main Street News”. This is a monthly journal published by
the National Trust for Historic Preservation and includes in its
circulation Main Street programs across the country.
The
cover lead in the magazine by staff reporter Luke VanBelleghem notes
that “a well-run membership program can be an essential element of
any comprehensive revitalization program. It demonstrates a certain
level of community buy-in, provides a diversified funding source, and
expands your outreach and volunteer pool.” He then outlines 4 basic
steps to developing a successful membership program and then very
graciously leads into our article and another by the Director of the
Emporia Main Street Program in Kansas.
Here
at Hyde Park Main Streets we have always strongly believed in the value
of a membership component to our Program. With over 100 Business
Members in 2005, our Members know first hand the advantage and benefits
of being part of a larger and connected organization. Our success is
your success that is the essence of being a Member of Hyde Park
Main Streets; together we can do more for each other and for our
community. If you are not a Member yet, please join us and become
part of a nationally recognized successful Membership Program today.
Please check out my article, “Reflections on Main Street Membership”
online at the National Trust for Historic Preservation web site at
www.mainstreet.org
|
|
Over $32,000 Of Professional
Design & Architectural Services Invested In Hyde Park Through Main
Streets In One Year
|
|
Salon
Capri "Before" Notice the attractive new awning the
next time you pass the salon.(Click photo for Salon Capri website.)
Did
you know we have 18 different Storefront Improvement projects underway right
now? Some are in the design stage, others have started construction and
more are in the pipeline.
When
thinking about the grants, people naturally think of the financial
incentive, a matching reimbursable dollar award that in many cases can
allow the business to invest in a more comprehensive and significant
improvement. Another vital key element to our Storefront Improvement
Program is the professional design and architectural services we
provide to the applicants at the outset at no cost to them.
Maybe
you have a dream for what your business should look like, how it can
better attract customers or communicate more clearly to them through
your signage and logo, your branding. With the assistance of Hyde Park
Main Streets you can see that vision on paper, with a tangible cost
estimate, all before you start construction. Better yet, your ideas are
professionally crafted and enhanced by an architect or graphic designer
from the private sector. This year we have been able to deliver over
$32,000 in these services to our applicants through Boston Main
Streets, which represents a lasting investment in the very quality of
the business improvements.
|
|
Business Directory for 3
Neighborhood Business Districts
|
|
2006
Business Membership Directory for Hyde Park, Roslindale & West
Roxbury coming soon. (Click photo for HPMS Web Directory Information.)
Not
yet a Business Member of Hyde Park Main Streets? Just ask one of the
100 plus Hyde Park Businesses who are Members, our best ambassadors-
and start sharing in the benefits now by joining today! Connecting
businesses and residents to each other for their mutual benefit is at
the core of the Main Street Program. By creating both a web and print
Business Directory we are able to showcase Hyde Park to a wider
audience and bring local information and convenience to the customer.
We mail our Business Directory to all our Resident Members and have a
distribution plan for free copies in the district.
This
year by partnering with our sister Programs in West Roxbury and
Roslindale we are creating a 3- Neighborhood Directory that would list
all the businesses in our combined area with a special emphasis and
promotion of Main Street Business Members. Similar to
our web Directory, we will have a free basic listing of all district
businesses in order to provide a comprehensive resource for consumers,
but will specially highlight and provide additional information about
our Members.
Join
us now to be listed as a Business Member for 2006.
|
|
March/April 2006 Calendar
|
|
ER
Committee- Mon, 6:00 PM, March 6th
Design
Committee- Thurs, 6:00 PM, March 9th
Promotions
Committee- Mon, 6:00 PM, March 13th
Networking
Breakfast- Thurs, 7:45 - 9:00 AM, March 16th
Evacuation
Day - Mon, Holiday, March 17th
Board
of Directors - Tues, 6:00 PM, March 21st
_____________________________________________
ER
Committee- Mon, 6:00 PM, April 3rd
Design
Committee- Thurs, 6:00 PM, April 6th
Promotions
Committee- Mon, 6:00 PM, April 10th
Patriot's
Day - Mon, Holiday, April 17th
Board
of Directors - Tues, 6:00 PM, April 18th
Networking
Breakfast- Thurs, 7:45 - 9:00 AM, April 20th
Missed
a meeting? Contact us for monthly minutes compiled by volunteer
committee members and available by e-mail.
If
Hyde Park is your home, why not make us your home page at
www.hydeparkmainstreets.com and be better connected to your community.
|
|
|
