Horsepower Drives Berwick in a New Direction

BERWICK - With the development of new ideas for Berwick’s future, the Downtown Vision Committee (DVC) is calling on residents for more “horsepower”.

During the July 1 DVC meeting co-chair Jessica Sheldon announced that the DVC has created a “spider wed effect” in forming other town committees. As we’ve created a vision for what Berwick residents want to see in their downtown, we’ve identified needs for other committees, said Sheldon.

Currently, there are several other committees being born in Berwick. These committees include trails, culture and events, river front development, preservation and heritage, economic development and sustainability.

It is likely once the DVC reaches their goal of outlining a plan for the former site of Prime Tanning and Berwick’s river front area, the committee will morph into an economic development committee. However, that is just one aspect of the many changes that Berwick will face in the coming year.

The Trails Committee is already well underway, said Sheldon. On July 11, there will be a meeting at 6:30 in town hall to identify members to serve on this committee and gather feedback from residents to outline goals for Berwick trails. Based upon recent meetings of the DVC, it is likely that there will be some discussion on creating a trail from downtown to Penny Pond.

“It’s time we start loving our land actively,” said Sheldon.

The Culture and Events Committee would be responsible for developing community events, like farmer’s markets, art shows and annual celebrations.

There is already one person from Berwick’s recreation department that has volunteered to work on this committee. With ideas like a 5K race in the fall, followed by a haunted tour, this committee is off to a great start, said Sheldon. 

One of the first goals of this committee would be to develop an annual celebration that showcases Berwick’s unique status in the seacoast.

“The antique car show at the 300th Year Celebration was such a huge success perhaps Berwick should consider doing that every year,” said Sheldon.

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The Riverfront Committee would be responsible for the preservation and development of the riverfront. This would include ways to clean up any potential residue pollution from Prime Tanning, as well as protecting it from future contamination. This committee would also face the possibility of assisting the town in acquiring riverfront property for recreational use.

“The success of this town is not in constructing new buildings, its in constructing a sense of community,” said Sheldon.

The Preservation and Heritage Committee would be responsible for creating and maintaining Berwick’s historical values. Currently, Berwick’s only “museum” is located at the town hall and is accessible by appointment only.

“Prime Tanning’s smoke stack may an eye sore now, but it could be a landmark or observation tower that pays tribute to those that worked, served and died at Prime Tanning,” said Sheldon. “We want to preserve its historical value.” 

Berwick resident, Ginny Charron, who was present at the DVC meeting suggested the possibility of a farming museum. 

The Economic Development Committee would assist in developing guidelines for new businesses. One method in controlling what types of businesses can set up shop in Berwick may be through the use of form based zoning, explained town planner John Stoll. 

Form based zoning is a zoning method some towns use to define when and what they would like to see enter into a specific geographical location. According to Sheldon, Dover had great success using form based zoning to develop their town.

“The key to Dover’s success was letting the residents depict what they wanted in their town and not letting the zoning be micromanaged by outside sources,” said Sheldon.

The Sustainability Committee would serve as an “umbrella” for all the committees listed above, ensuring that all followed an outlined code of conduct that reflected the environmental concerns of the town.

“It’s about using our resources to the best of our ability and making sure that whatever new projects we take on have a low impact on our earth,” said DVC member Serena Galleshaw.

The next step for DVC is creating a brochure that outlines the results of the survey that was sent out to residents back in April.
Link to survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/envisionberwick

“I haven’t seen the kind of horsepower I’ve seen in this town in the last six months, for many, many years,” said DVC member Paul Boisvert. “Berwick is currently looking at an opportunity that only comes once in a hundred years.” 

Who will get behind the wheel of Berwick's future, and who will get left in the dust? 

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          Would you like to see an Annual Car Show in Berwick?