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Date: 5/23/2023
BELCHERTOWN — E. Maude Haak-Frendscho has been hired as Belchertown’s new creative economy coordinator.
The position was created to help with the continued efforts to help Belchertown’s economic development.
Haak-Frendscho said her position will work on bringing together creative economy efforts across private, public, and non-profit 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.
The position is for one year with $50,000 being allocated from ARPA funds for the salary.
In addition, the Select Board approved $125,000 from ARPA to address recommendations from the Local Rapid Recovery Planning and Economic Development plan initiatives from the updated Master Plan, including areas like marketing and way finding.
Town Planner Doug Alberston said that the economic plan that was created a few years ago indicates that Belchertown’s economic strengths are outdoor recreation, small-scale agriculture, forestry and arts.
“We need to capitalize on our strengths and build our local economy around those, then the economic multipliers can grow,” he added.
Haak-Frendscho was hired around the beginning of May and has been meeting with people from different departments and organizations to become more familiar with the town.
She said she has been looking towards a lot of cultural events that have a tie in economic activity.
“We have some events coming up that kick off a pretty big year of activities that in my role I am seeming to coordinate those kinds of activities that are happening across nonprofit organizational business, enterprise and town,” Haak-Frendscho said.
Haak-Frendscho said she also wants to work on the financial aspect of projects and be able to work on grants to make things more visible.
“There are some grants that are upcoming that I will be supporting and working on and collaborating to make this work more visible as well so that we have a framework and collaborative outreach happening so that there is ultimately an increased economic impact and community participation through this lens of creative economy,” she added.
Haak-Frendscho said she will look at the creative, print shops, agricultural, outdoor recreational to bridge things together.
Her intent is that this will create a platform that will be built for economic development and put in the budget that is dedicated to enhancing the business opportunity, investment and expansion in town.
Albertson added that the original idea of the position was for the coordinator to work with multiple groups and organizations in town to collaborate on projects for economic development.
Albertson added that there are plenty of businesses that are looking for land to put their company on.
“For years, decades we have been hearing people complain there is not a good restaurant in Belchertown besides a couple places. People want a place to go, and they want different activities. I think there is a mass of people who can be united,” Albertson added.
Haak-Frendscho’s main task will be to bring about more economic development and keep the money in Belchertown.
Albertson added, “What we want Maude to do is to bring about more economic energy in town. Not just for the creative types but ultimately for all the local businesses and get the whole movement of support your local business. She has a lot of work cut out for her but so far she seems to get it and that is what we want. I am happy to kind of pull the cord and let her go.”
The position is being administered under the Planning Board.
Planning Board Chair Dan Beaudette said, “The intent of it is economic development that is going to seep into all aspects of Belchertown. This is sort of a first step and hopefully it will be something that will be a platform that can be built on for the next step and the next step, so we have more of an organized activity in economic development in the future.”
Beaudette said he welcomes any constructive criticism Haak-Frendscho can offer as someone who is not from Belchertown.
Haak-Frendscho said she sees some opportunities to make things more streamlined but added that there is a good foundation that is already laid out so that Belchertown can have a shared framework.
“I am excited to keep diving in,” she added.