Turn Your Town Around: How to Make It a Great Destination Community

PREFACE

My purpose in writing this book is to help you find ways to turn your town into a joyful and prosperous place for you to live and for others to visit. Every town should strive to be known as a vibrant destination community. The time has come for towns to be recognized as special places possessed of distinct opportunities. They are not so big as to overwhelm; but they are often big enough and established enough to have rich and rewarding histories, cultures, economies, and built environments.

Over the past century, America enjoyed a sustained period of growth in jobs and economic opportunity in urban as well as suburban areas.

But economic growth, a widely sought-after measure of success, can also result in reduced quality of life and undesired side effects. These can include increased commuter traffic, a faster pace in everyday life, and a certain standardization of the big boxes and national chain outlets where we shop and eat. There can also be a loss of quality time to enjoy with family, neighbors, and others in our community.

This is where towns have a chance to shine. Many smaller communities have not only preserved, but even enhanced, attractive aspects of living that can be lost in highly urban areas. Some towns are charting a way towards economic and cultural revival without losing the lifestyle characteristics that citizens in metropolitan areas crave and want to enjoy.

I have a lifetime of experience in serving smaller communities that are successful in attracting visitors and guests while not losing their unique character or charm. I was a local newspaper editor and publisher for thirty years, managing publications in communities along the East Coast from Delaware to South Carolina. I also have many years of experience in marketing and public relations. It was my privilege to serve as mayor of the Town of Berlin, Maryland, for twelve years (2008—2020).

During my tenure as mayor, Berlin’s downtown district became home to over fifty thriving businesses, doubling the number that previously existed. While mayor, our community received thirty unsolicited state and national awards, including being voted America’s Coolest Small Town in an online contest. While my hometown of Berlin has developed a tradition of respecting and preserving historical buildings and remembering our history, I also think our community is pretty progressive for a small town. This is particularly true in matters such as environmental stewardship, racial tolerance and diversity, and economic opportunity. It is with this background in mind that I have written this book. My purpose is to inspire and help you overcome any sense of your community’s complacency or acceptance of stagnation, and put your town on course for economic and cultural renewal.

First, I wish to thank Betsy, my kind and caring wife, who has provided me with constant support and encouragement throughout this journey. I am also grateful for the advice, assistance, and body of experience that was shared with me by many colleagues throughout my career, including past and current members of the Berlin mayor’s office and Town Council. I also thank the many citizens who have made so much effort and contributed so many ideas towards making life better in our community for both residents and guests. In the pages that follow, I hope you will find encouragement to start transforming your community into a thriving place to live, enjoy, and share.

Now, let’s take a look at your town’s current status quo. Have you ever had these thoughts?

Nothing ever really changes in our town.

Our town survives, but never thrives.

Somehow our town’s beauty and appeal has faded with time.

When I shop, I would prefer to have a variety of choices in our downtown.

Would anyone recommend our town to newcomers or visitors?

Why do we keep doing the same old things, but expect different results?

If you have had these or similar thoughts, then this book finds you in the right place.

In the chapters that follow I invite you to thoughtfully consider a rewarding journey of economic and cultural renewal for your town. It matters not whether you are a lifelong resident of your community, or a relative newcomer. The number of years you have been living in your town does not determine your potential influence. What makes all the difference is your ability and willingness to see and act on the possibilities for positive change that will result in long-term enjoyment and satisfaction.

In this book you will see how to chart a course of rediscovery and renewal for fellow citizens and your community’s future guests. You will have the opportunity to discover how your town can flourish. You will also find new ways to share your town and build a stronger foundation for your community’s success.

You will discover your community’s potential for cultural and artistic appeal and learn how you can make your visitors feel welcomed, rather than looked upon as strangers. This book will also discuss the issue of proximity—how you can capitalize on your town’s nearness in space or relationship to more populated areas.

It is my expectation that this book will take you on a journey of collaboration and inspire you to create special events and other enhancements to improve the quality of everyday life in your town. You can believe in your future and your town’s future. It is a future that can be greatly influenced by what you believe—and what you do.

Your efforts can attract appreciative guests and be an ongoing source of enjoyment and pride for your fellow citizens. Always with an eye towards improving, your town can achieve a stronger local economy by transforming into a successful destination community. From my decades of hands-on experience with these endeavors, I believe you too can adopt the attitudes and strategies that follow. You and your fellow citizens can begin to set a course for a better future that will Turn Your Town Around for the enjoyment and economic benefit of current and future generations in your community.

CHAPTER ONE

Rediscovering Your Town’s Potential for Renewal

In these times of uncertainty and invasive technology, more of us need and crave real-life interpersonal contacts and experiences. This is true whether we live in cities, towns, or rural areas. Welcoming communities understand this heartfelt need for human relationship, and accordingly, do not think of themselves as isolated fortresses. Instead, they are shining examples of what life can be when all aspects of our existence center on quality over quantity.

It’s a great time to take a new look at your town. Ironically, much of its potential may be hidden in plain sight, and a new point of view can lead to a rediscovery of assets that may have been long forgotten or simply taken for granted. A new perspective should include a variety of community aspects including architectural themes, landmarks, underutilized buildings, and natural assets. The process of rediscovering your town’s potential for renewal begins with defining its unique local flavor, potential for economic revival, and the enhancement or creation of local cultural assets and events. These are things you can develop with pride and enjoyment for not only local citizens, but also for potential visitors who will make your town a successful and enjoyable destination community.

First Connect and Rediscover

There is every reason to believe that after experiencing a Covid-imposed era of isolation and remote working, most people are ready for much more socialization and happier times. This will include more informal contact with people at large, not just those individuals who are already friends or acquaintances After an unprecedented era of forced or limited isolation, free and natural communications with others will be more important than ever. People are happy to see one another again without the constraints of masks and distancing, testing and quarantining. For towns and communities seeking revitalization, these are the perfect circumstances to create a brew of economic and cultural renewal.

Reinvesting Begins with Believers

The investment of time, money, and effort in your community shares the same characteristics as any other successful venture. First and foremost, you must believe in yourself and your town. This may seem obvious. But the need for belief is often underappreciated as a precondition for success. The initial investment you and like-minded citizens must make is to genuinely believe in your community. A believer is a person who believes something is desirable, effective, and beneficial, and that it can be achieved.

Critical to your community’s success is connecting people who believe it can become an appealing and inviting place to be shared with residents and guests. The success of your community may grow over time or may happen more quickly than you expect. It is important to remember that, regardless of any disbelievers and naysayers, a collaborative and coordinated effort by like-minded citizens will succeed.

Here are examples of some questions you can discuss with your town’s citizens.

o Are we living in a community that once was proud of its origins and history, but whose spirit and pride has faded with time?

o Are there physical and cultural attributes in our town that can be rediscovered or revitalized?

o What positive activities and opportunities can we add to our town’s calendar?

o Can we think about and suggest ways to make our town more welcoming?

These are conversations you can undertake immediately, not just at some point in the future. You can also initiate a fresh look at your town. You can start on a small scale with one-on-one talks. In a relatively short time, you can find others who believe your town has much quality-of-life potential. Start by encouraging them to meet in small groups. These small groups get together in a variety of informal ways—at a local coffee shop, restaurant or bar, at one person’s home, a workplace after hours, or even by computer via the Zoom app.

Some of the common attributes you should look for about believers in your town include people who are:

o Not inherently fearful or suspicious of people they do not know.

o Proud of their community and willing to share it.

o Welcoming and helpful when they meet visitors.

o Not easily discouraged or prone to throw in the towel when things go wrong or do not meet their expectations.

o Willing to invest their time and resources in improving their community.

Your small-group discussions should center around ways your town can transform from a place of relative isolation to an inviting and enjoyable destination. Look around and find physical and cultural attributes that can be rediscovered or revitalized. Look honestly at how visitors—your town’s guests—are treated. Are they welcomed, or looked upon as outsiders and strangers? Discuss some ways you can make your town more welcoming—not sometime in the future, but now!

In Berlin, our businesses and residents began to understand that each visitor could become a regular guest and would experience more enjoyment by returning more than one time a year. By offering the same openness and friendliness that local residents had always received, the visitors soon came to see our downtown as a home away from home. This would become true not only for people who came from other smaller cities and towns but was especially evident among urban and suburban visitors who were welcomed as guests, not outsiders.

A Journey of Rebirth Begins

My hometown’s journey of rebirth began in the 1970s. The Berlin mayor and council, at the urging of a handful of citizens who were history buffs, began hosting informal public meetings to discuss ideas on how to revitalize—not modernize—our town. After several of these meetings, and following a particularly long discussion back and forth, an elderly lady who resided in Berlin stood up and asked to be recognized. This lady simply said: I’ve been attending these meetings and it seems to me we have only one decision to make. And that is—are we going to change or is our town going to die? The crowded room of Berlin citizens immediately burst into loud applause and cheers. So much pent-up frustration that so many citizens had endured individually for years was spontaneously released. This was a pivotal moment for our town. Suddenly, a fresh look at our town could be not only discussed but encouraged. Certainly, the town’s naysayers didn’t disappear, not by a longshot, but they never regained the stranglehold on our community that they had for decades before.

Think about your community and ask yourself:

o Are you allowing the naysayers and people who just don’t believe in the future of your town to undermine new initiatives and ideas?

o Is talk or consideration of any meaningful change in your town ‘dead on arrival’?

o Are you resolved to overcome the skepticism and ridicule that inevitably will come your way?

o Are you committed to responding to such criticism with patience and class?

Certainly, you can expect criticism on social media, and in smaller communities you will likely also be confronted by naysayers face-to-face. For your town to succeed in transforming into an attractive destination, you must be resolved and committed to overcoming the skepticism and ridicule of your community’s critics, no matter how loud they may be. People who are content with the status quo many times are easily threatened by anything that brings new opportunities. And let’s be clear—that usually means they are threatened by any change to your town. Members of your community who want to keep things the same are often the most fearful of change. Generally speaking, they are fearful because they live in the past—not the distant past, but their own personal past.

Regardless of how small the number of believers you begin with, it’s important that you begin. So, let’s talk about your first step, building believers in your town. Please know that in the beginning not everyone, or even a majority of citizens, will believe the future can be a better place for your town. You only need enough people to get discussions started about some recognizable, tangible differences that can begin with incremental change.

By continuing your efforts with sometimes small, but repeated successes, you will build a foundation for change in your community. Inevitably your efforts, joined by