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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- The dichotomy: Ask Putnam residents interested in what they'd like their downtown to be like to look at the downtown as though they had never been here before.
Those taking part in the Putnam Walkability Survey last weekend took the assignment to heart. Community Development director Delpha Very said two dozen volunteers took part in a study of how "walkable" the greater downtown felt. The volunteers were divided into seven groups and each was assigned a piece of territory around downtown and greater downtown: Van den Noort Street, South Main Street, Providence Street, Pomfret Street toward Day Kimball Hospital, Bridge Street and Kennedy Drive. They were asked to look at several things "as if they were new to Putnam," she said, including sidewalks and foot paths, intersections, traffic, signage/facilities, safety/lightning and aesthetics.
"It was very successful," Very said. The groups compiled "tons of notes" and even started interviewing folks they saw in their "section," asking them "would you be willing to pay more in taxes to improve this?" Very said they got a "resounding yes" to that question.
The Walkability Survey is an offshoot of the "Putnam 2020: A Vision for Downtown" discussion. That program is funded by a $12,000 grant from the Connecticut Main Street Center and the "Preservation of Place Program" in cooperation with the state Commission on Culture and Tourism with funds from the Community Investment Act of the state. "Your tax dollars at work in YOUR community," Very added. The town's Economic Development Commission applied for and won the grant and a conversation with residents about what they'd like downtown to be like, what they'd like their town to be like started last year.
John Guszkowski, director of planning at CME, which is helping the Putnam 2020 study, will be compiling the survey results and creating a comprehensive report that will go the Special Service District, selectmen and the Connecticut Main Street Center. From the survey results, town officials can determine what Putnam would like its community to be.
Very said one suggestion that might arise from the survey might be that the planning boards may, in the future, require businesses building in areas without sidewalks to install sidewalks, in much the same way that contractors putting in subdivisions are required to install roads.
Guszkowski, who was part of one of the survey teams, said on his trek from Kennedy Drive to Providence Street to School Street, he noticed a lack of amenities such as bike racks, trash cans, benches and more. Even public art would make it more interesting, he said.
In general, he said, the survey will raise questions and help set priorities. "Who," for example, he said, is in charge of maintenance of the sidewalks and trees in downtown Putnam?". Setting priorities is a real challenge.
But in the end, Very said, the town will be more healthy, more safe, more vibrant.