How many of us who live in Clinton think about our town 10, 20, or 50 years down the road? Have we considered what is to come of our community when our children are grown and raising their families?
Often times in the midst of a recession, people only think about today. It’s about survival. Paycheck to paycheck. While I could easily be categorized as one of those people, I know that success is built with forward thinking people. When you build a house, you must lay a proper foundation so your structure is sound. There is a short term investment that pays back over the long haul.
This blog was started because slowly- I started to notice a decline in our town. Empty buildings, a barren downtown, and other problems all of a sudden seemed glaringly obvious. Asking around, I realized that many other residents felt the same.
We want to see restaurants and shops. We want a community bustling with activity and places for people to visit. We want Clinton CT to be on the map as the place that people WANT and CHOOSE to live in.
So how do we get there?
We start by creating a foundation that allows for development.
Did you know that in order to see a downtown revitalized, our community must deal with our waste water pollution problem? In laymen’s terms, this means we need sewers. If you are an everyday citizen, you might not realize that in order to build our downtown area, this is the first step. Store owners cannot come in and build without them.
Let’s talk for a minute about the areas that have such fantastic potential:
- Downtown on Route One
- The site of the current Morgan School
- Unilever
Downtown on Route One
This area is so picturesque. Imagine a quaint 30 room inn or perhaps a local bookstore, toystore, or family restaurant. Imagine sidewalks and walkways so people can easily get to all the areas on foot or with a bicycle. If we zone those areas for mixed use, we might even see some residential housing in that area. How many of us love the convenience of walking from our home to downtown? This is the trend we are seeing in the country, and without sewers, it isn’t going to happen.
The site of the current Morgan School
The new school will be up on Route 81 about a mile from its current location. Think about the current site: It is right across from the outlets and directly off the highway. This is prime space for shopping and/or restaurants- perhaps even a hotel. Do you realize that without sewers, none of that will be possible? That’s prime real estate that will be wasted without the proper foundation.
Unilever
The old manufacturing building and the administrative offices cover a LARGE area right near the train station. This is prime commercial space because it is centered right around a public transportation hub. Can you imagine a village area? A center with shops and restaurants- maybe even some office buildings? People could work and eat in the village area, with access to the train station just two minutes away.
What happens if we keep our town the way it is?
No one has a crystal ball but right now, our town’s sustainability is on a downward trend. We have more people aging, which means in order to get new families into our area, we need to provide adequate housing options for seniors who would like to downsize or live in walking distance to a thriving downtown (thus allowing new families to move in). We need public transportation options. We need young families with hearty incomes to move here and buy some of the bigger residential properties.
But they won’t move here if our town has nothing to offer and if there aren’t many opportunities for work and development. We have to do something.
This is more than just sprucing up the outside of our buildings. It’s about a new foundation. We need one. And we need you.
The first step is awareness. It’s about waking up to the reality of what our town is today and what steps we need to take to make it a vibrant community tomorrow.
Please join us in the conversation. We need to get more than .05% of the town interested and involved. You may not be able to make meetings and volunteer your time, but I know you are on Facebook. In fact, that’s why you found this. Please share this post. Like our page. Make your friends aware that there is a growing need for involved residents in the future of our town.
Thank you.
