Category Archives: Downtown

Sign on Main Street for Park Street businesses

Posted on November 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Sign on Main Street for Park Street businesses

Tracy Buckley of Medfield Yoga Studio at 28 Park Street raised with me this morning the need for a sign on Main Street that tells the Rte 109 traffic that there is a business district down Park Street.

She was preaching to the choir, as I have been saying for several years that we need to do something of that sort to promote the businesses on Park Street.  In the past the idea got waylaid and stalled because there is no town owned land on which to put the sign, and most recently the zoning issue with respect to off premises signs was raised.

Today I suggest that the town has the right to erect a directional sign, akin to a street sign, and that we should proceed to do so to give those Park Street businesses both greater visibility and viability.

We already have similar signs along Main Street for the Episcopal Church and the Roberts Mitchell Funeral Home.

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Posted in Business, Downtown

Visions and Voices: Community Art Project

Posted on October 29, 2013 | Comments Off on Visions and Voices: Community Art Project

From Jean Mineo of the Cultural District –

Visions and Voices: Community Art Project

Pocket park between Zebra’s (21 North Street, Medfield) and Starbucks

(Medfield, MA): The Medfield Cultural District Committee is pleased to announce the second and final installation of the community art project Visions and Voices in the pocket park between Zebra’s and Starbucks.

During Medfield Day, a chalkboard kiosk was set up in the park for visitors to write their ideas for the park. Medfield photographer Connie Thomson took portraits of visitors which were then printed poster sized. These paper portraits are now temporarily installed along the sidewalk through the park to further capture public interest in this public space. The posters are adhered with a natural wheat paste and the paper will be completely removed within a few weeks; the duration is weather dependent.

Project Coordinator Jean Mineo says, “this project provided a way for people to reflect on their community and share their ideas publicly. Over 150 comments were left on the chalkboards during the two weeks they were in the park.” The portraits are part of the global on-line art project Inside Out, a creation of the artist JR, recipient of the 2011 TED prize.

Medfield Selectmen are appointing a Steering Committee to manage a public planning process over the winter. Anyone interested in participating in planning workshops can contact Jean Mineo at JeanMineo@aol.com or 508-242-9991 for more information.

Visions and Voices is supported in part by donations from Will’s Hardware and Photographs by Connie Thomson.

For More Information:

www.MedfieldCulturalDistrict.com

http://www.insideoutproject.net/en/group-actions/usa-medfield

Contact: Jean Mineo

508-242-9991


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Posted in Cultural, Downtown, Planning

Marijuana dispensary downtown

Posted on October 9, 2013 | 1 comment

A group is looking to site a marijuana dispensary in the downtown, at the former Strata Bank site.  The annual town meeting (ATM) last year only zoned the Industrial Extensive (IE) areas of town for such marijuana dispensaries.  The IE districts are all located around the intersection of Rte 27 and West Street (NB – I originally mistakenly put in the intersection of Rtes 109 & 27 – sorry).

Medical marijuana was a topic covered at the Massachusetts Municipal Association fall meeting for selectmen that I attended last Saturday.  In the status update remarks by the MMA’s executive director, Geoff Beckwith, he said that – –

  1. the Massachusetts Municipal Association was instrumental in getting the Board of Selectmen  instead of the Board of Health to be the responsible municipal entity who would weigh in on proposed locations to the state Department of Public Health, and
  2. the Board of Selectmen support and/or non-opposition is an important enough factor to the state Department of Public Health, so the Board of Selectmen can use that support and/or non-opposition to achieve concessions from the proponents.
  3. the Massachusetts Municipal Association has a point person we can contact for assistance on dealing with with marijuana dispensaries.

1 Comment

Posted in Business, Downtown, Marijuana

Medfield Cultural District wins $500

Posted on September 25, 2013 | Comments Off on Medfield Cultural District wins $500

From Town Planner, Sarah Raposa –

Congratulations Medfield Cultural District and thank you to all you voted to help our Town secure the $500 prize! Kudos to the members of the listening party: Austin “Buck” Buchanan, Mare Parker-O’Toole, Jean Mineo, Kirsten D’Abate, Aditi Thatte, David Temple, Cheryl O’Malley, Richard DeSorgher, Lucille Fisher, and Rob Gregg.

Also, a sincere thanks to Jean Mineo for her dedication to and implementation of the Visions and Voices project.

Thanks all,

Sarah

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MEDFIELD MATTERS – VISIONS & VOICES: POCKET PARK PROJECT WINS NATIONAL COMMUNITYMATTERS SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES CONTEST

Medfield Cultural District Awarded $500 to Make Medfield More Successful

MEDFIELD, MA – Medfield Matters – Visions & Voices: Pocket Park wins $500 in the CommunityMatters Successful Communities Contest.

CommunityMatters asked people to come together, listen to their free conference call on the Secrets to Successful Communities with Ed McMahon of the Urban Land Institute, then decide on one completely achievable action for making their community more successful.  To sweeten the deal, the Orton Family Foundation sponsored the contest by offering $500 to four communities that came up with an idea or strategy for success.  The Orton Family Foundation works to build vibrant, enduring communities in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West.

Medfield Matters – Visions & Voices: Pocket Park was chosen from among 16 entrants in the competition for the unique way that it is helping to address community challenges and build a more vibrant future.   Selected by online public voting, the four winning entries are:

–          Middlesboro, Kentucky (pop. 10,334): Discover Downtown Middlesboro plans to use temporary demonstrations to test out pop-up businesses, transform vacant lots, set up public seating in high traffic areas, and install signs that highlight future improvements. The two-day Better Block-style demonstration project will bring neighbors together to experience and envision the great potential for downtown.

 

–          Silverton, Oregon (pop. 9,222): With a desire to inspire ongoing conversations about real and lasting community change, the Upstream Arts Collective plans to host curated conversations about the art of neighboring. Local community collaborators and neighborhood practitioners will share their stories in a fun and collaborative atmosphere.

 

–          Medfield, Massachusetts (pop. 12,024): Working to create a vibrant downtown, the Medfield Cultural District plans to revitalize an underutilized pocket park with community art. The project will ask community members to write their ideas for the park on a large chalkboard set up downtown. They also plan to do an art installation through the park featuring portraits of residents.

 

–          Mountain View, Arkansas (pop. 2,748): A county seat characterized by a mix of artisans, professionals, retirees, retail and service occupations, this small town is an established tourist destination. People in Mountain View love to gather and play music of all sorts, and they do so nearly every weekend when the weather is good.  But traditional music is being lost to the prominence of more modern sounds; even the Arkansas Folk Festival is no longer truly “folk.” This group plans to create a music festival that will showcase traditional styles, seeking to protect local heritage and educate people about true old-time music.

Visit http://woobox.com/5omwgq to see the entrants and winners.

About Medfield Matters – Visions & Voices: Pocket Park

Our listening party was inspired by the concepts of engaging citizens to tell the Town what they want for the improvements of a downtown pocket park. “Visions and Voices” will be a community art project to focus attention on this underutilized asset in the heart of downtown between Zebra’s Bistro and Starbucks. Partnering organizations will work to ensure that the enhancements made will be practical and useful for many to enjoy – adding to the aesthetic and vitality of our lovely downtown.

 

About CommunityMatters

CommunityMatters is an interactive exchange for individuals and organizations working to engage citizens and build strong, vibrant communities from the ground up. CommunityMatters fuels a growing network of leaders, thinkers and doers in a variety of disciplines – planning, sustainability, health, democracy, education, economic development, and the arts. CommunityMatters is a project of the Orton Family Foundation, in collaboration with other partners. www.communitymatters.org

 

About The Orton Family Foundation

The Orton Family Foundation believes that empowering people to shape the future of their communities will improve local decision-making, create a shared sense of belonging, and ultimately strengthen the social, cultural and economic vibrancy of each place. Orton helps communities navigate change by offering programs and tools that engage diverse groups of residents in collaborative discussions and decision-making driven by what they love most about their town—its “heart and soul.” www.orton.org

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Posted in Downtown, Medfield Day

Roche Bros at Downtown Study Committee

Posted on September 20, 2013 | 2 comments

Roche Bros presented last night to the Downtown Study Committee and immediately following to the Historic District Commission.

I was quite impressed with the answers that I heard at the Downtown Study Committee to the questions that were posed.  There was a combination of real neighborliness, combined with a realism about making a busy store work in their downtown Main Street storefront location.

The facades will look so good, both front and back.  The building renovations will dress up the downtown substantially.  The living wall is still undergoing consideration for the types of plants, the bright green Main Street color scheme is not finalized, and they were open to my suggestion to somehow include a community notice element along the South Street wall, where banners were hung announcing all manner of town events when Lord’s was there.

The best news for me was how respectful and accommodating the real estate facilities person was in trying to both address all concerns and provide logical solutions – refreshing for a developer.

2 Comments

Posted in Development, Downtown

Living wall at Roche Bros

Posted on September 10, 2013 | Comments Off on Living wall at Roche Bros

Roche Bros told the Board of Selectmen that they would incorporate a living wall at the parking lot side of the new Roche Bros at the old Lord’s site.  Here is some information from Jean Mineo on living walls.

http://bit.ly/102SMf1

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Posted in Downtown

Downtown Study Committee

Posted on July 12, 2013 | Comments Off on Downtown Study Committee

The Downtown Study Committee met with Verizon representatives last night to follow up on the possibility of putting utility lines underground along Rte. 109 in the downtown.  It would be a multi-year project, with time perhaps needed to acquire the monies (2% surcharge on any land line in town – 31% do not have land lines), a year to do the engineering, and then a construction season.  Expensive proposition – Verizon would not even ballpark an estimated amount or share costs of other towns.

Reviewed Roche Bros. plans –

  • main entrance will be at the parking lot side
  • hope to open by February

Toured Meeting House Pond to see suggested park plans Richard DeSorgher suggests –

  • clean up and new plantings at the end against Upham Road
  • bridge over the outlet
  • improve the berm between Frairy Street and the pond

Possible alternate location for a needed new utility pole along North street to service the Starbucks

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Posted in Downtown

Roche Bros to Lord’s site

Posted on June 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Roche Bros to Lord’s site

Roche Bros. has rented the former Lord’s space and will be opening the first of its new smaller concept food stores.  The Board of Selectmen were provided two alternate plans, but both contain a Lord’s Café, a bakery, sections for prepared foods, produce, seafood, dairy, frozen, and general merchandise.  I cannot think of a better tenant for Medfield to have in its downtown, or one that will be as big a draw for business.  The downtown businesses should benefit from the additional traffic this will generate.

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Posted in Downtown

Dunkin’ Donuts

Posted on June 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Dunkin’ Donuts

The Dunkin’ Donuts being sited at the Friendly’s site is apparently actively moving forward, after what has seemed like a long hiatus.  Permitting activity has been going forward with the town, so good to see progress.

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Posted in Downtown

Concert at Dwight-Derby House 5/2

Posted on April 18, 2013 | Comments Off on Concert at Dwight-Derby House 5/2

From Friends of the Dwight-Derby House, Inc. –

Dwight-Derby House Kicks off First Thursdays
Kitchen Concert Series

Medfield, MA–On Thursday, May 2, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, The Friends of the Dwight-Derby House will be kicking off the summer season with the first of its Kitchen Concert Series featuring Shane Wood and Neil Kruszkowski of the Shane Wood Jazz Trio.

The events, held at the Dwight-Derby House at 7 Frairy Street in Medfield, will be part of “First Thursdays” and will help to raise funds for the next phase of restoration of the house: installation of a working kitchen.

Tickets for this fun and intimate gathering are $25 per person and will be sold at the door. Ticket price includes everything but the kitchen sink: beer and wine tasting provided by Larkin’s Liquors, delicious finger food furnished by The Jeep Grill and superb piano, sax and vocals by the dynamic and talented duo, Shane and Neil, who have been playing jazz gigs for over 20 years.

Join us for good food, good music and a good time.

The Dwight-Derby House will also be open for tours from 4 pm to 7 pm that same day. Come experience colonial history in the heart of Medfield. The house, a National Register of Historic Places property, is a fine example of a mid-century 1700s home resting in a setting that has not been altered much by the ravages of time.

Or simply stop in to pick up unique gifts for the special moms in your life. We carry the best in local and natural products!  Our gifts will help make mom’s day memorable. The gift shoppe will be open from 4 pm to 7 pm.

The Friends of the Dwight-Derby House is a citizen’s group established to support the active use, restoration, maintenance and preservation of this historic property.  Today, it continues to raise funds through grants, individual and corporate donations, and sale of memorabilia. The donation of time, talent and effort by many local volunteers has also contributed to its restoration.

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Posted in Cultural, Downtown, Entertainment, History