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Date: 8/2/2023
BELCHERTOWN — Creative Economy Coordinator Maude Haak-Frendscho met with the Select Board and Planning Board at its July 24 and 25 meetings to discuss adding a cultural district designation to town.
Haak-Frendscho said her position works on bringing together creative economy efforts across private, public and nonprofit sectors to better resource cultural activities for long-term sustainability, make them more visible through a shared framework and increase economic impact and community participation through a creative economy lens in Belchertown.
She wanted to talk about a proposed cultural district for Belchertown including the benefits it would bring, where it would be and the process about securing designation.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council describes a cultural district as a place that drives economic growth, strengthens distinctive local character and improves the quality of life of families across Massachusetts.
It adds that by supporting arts, humanities and science organizations, cultural districts attract tourists and entrepreneurs, which in turn help communities foster their cultural sector and expand their tax base and that benefits everyone.
Cultural districts were launched in 2011 by an act of the state Legislature to attract artists and cultural enterprise, encourage business and job development, establish the district as a tourist designation, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values and foster local cultural development.
There are currently 55 state designated cultural districts in Massachusetts.
According to Haak-Frendscho, designation is a key element of creative economic development in Belchertown.
It would annually provide $15,000 of cultural district funding to support activities that can be leveraged with other funding sources while also helping activate public spaces and rehabilitating 6 Berkshire Ave.
The proposed cultural district map, embedded within a Belchertown Cultural Asset Map, are both in progress.
“We are currently in the process of gathering feedback from stakeholders on the cultural district overlay, so this is not fixed or formal, simply a proposal in development,” Haak-Frendscho added.
The process includes forming a management partnership with stakeholders, getting community engagement and feedback, creating cultural district map boundaries, confirming approval by town entities like the Historic Commission, Planning Board and Select Board, and submitting application for designation.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council would review the application, conduct a site visit and assessment and be a guide for the process, and offer a recommendation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council before a potential final approval.
“Where we are at now is that we have had conversations with many of the stakeholders and secured a lot of confirmation from local organizations as participants, as partners who are interested in continuing conversations,” Haak-Frendscho said.
She hopes by the end of this year or early next year the town will be at the end of the process and have secured the designation.
Haak-Frendscho said she will be setting up booths at upcoming events to receive community feedback and bring that into the district planning process.
She has also been talking to multiple cultural organizations along with other organizations and businesses in town.
Haak-Frendscho said, “There is a list of people I have been in touch with, people I need to get in touch with. The partnership needs to be a mix of businesses, independent artists, cultural organizations, town entities, and we have had conversations with each of them.”
Select Board member Peg Louraine wanted to make sure that Haak-Frendscho knows to be cognizant of the people in the community who don’t want to alter the character of the town.
Haak-Frendscho added, “The role of the cultural district is to emphasize the unique character of any given town. This isn’t about eradication, it is about celebration and about uplifting what Belchertown is.”