By Michelle Fields, Standard Correspondent
The Economic Development Commission took a leap forward in their objectives this week as the select board approved the hiring of a public relations firm to market Woodstock.
The select board also approved two new events to be funded through the 1 percent option tax but learned that the EDC goal for higher speed internet in the community will not be met by ECFiber at this time.
EDC chair Charlie Kimbell informed select board members that initial efforts in December (after $74,000 came in through the 1 percent option tax in November, another $63,000 came in February) to hire a public relations firm brought only a few responses. A second effort earlier this year brought in eight applicants, four of whom made presentations to the EDC.
The goal of a public relations campaign would be to “drive relevant traffic to us and help foster relationships,” EDC member Keith Anderson told the select board.
Anderson noted that Werner Communications offered the best package committing to 30 news and feature stories about Woodstock in the first 12 months as well as 1,000 print and digital articles based on press releases or media alerts as well as an extensive social media campaign.
“I think this is something critical for the town. It is going to be a growth thing,” EDC member Joe DiNatale added.
Anderson noted that Werner Communications has done work for the past three years in Rockport, Massachusetts and “they have a very similar population base.”
The select board approved $70,000 from the 1 percent option tax for Werner Communications of which $60,000 will be the primary fee with an additional $10,000 to help defray administration and advertising costs.
In addition to hiring the public relations firm, the select board approved EDC funding for two new events.
The Bluff Island Music Presents Concert Series is being put together by Hartland music producer Jay Nash, in coordination with Pentangle Council on the Arts.
The series would be five concerts bringing in current, relevant artists who pass through while going to perform at larger venues such as Burlington and Albany. The $5,000 EDC funding would help cover costs for travel and marketing.
“It’s more of a cultural thing…Jay can get people who would normally not perform here at all,” said DiNatale.
The second new event is co-sponsored by Woodstock Rotary and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and will be called Lobsters on the Green. This will be held on July 23 as a fundraiser for the Woodstock Rotary Club. The $3,500 which the EDC recommended and the select board approved is a one-time funding request for what the organizations hope will become an annual event.
“This is just to get them going,” DiNatale said.
In order to foster their goal of bringing more people to the community as residents, the EDC felt that it was important to have high-speed internet service.
“What we wanted to figure out is what could the EDC do to facilitate one gigabyte service to the community,” Kimbell told the Board.
In their efforts, Kimbell noted that they contacted Fairpoint, Comcast and ECFiber to see if any of these services could meet that goal.
David Brown of ECFiber said that they rapidly sold $40 million in Vermont Municipal Bonds through MCM Capitol Management and are committed to bringing high speed fiber internet service to whichever of the 24 member towns showed the most interest first.
Although he encouraged town residents to express interest in the service at Town Meeting and the Select Board ran some ads in the paper about this, Brown noted, “Unfortunately we failed.”
The towns that showed the most initial interest in ECFiber service were Barnard, Thetford, Stratford, and Pomfret and thus they will get the service in 2017. The next towns in phase two will be determined in August, according to Brown. He did note, however, that ECFiber will come as far as the South Woodstock Country Store by this summer so “over time there will be a natural creep.”
“We formed a sub-committee to work with the telecommunications companies to extend service, Kimbell said. He explained that Comcast has the ability to bring one-gigabyte service but does not reach all of Woodstock and does not want to extend its service at this time. Fairpoint is interested in providing the service but does not currently have the speed and cannot justify the expense of about $4 million to bring it to the whole community at this time.
Finally, the Sustainable Woodstock East End Group noted that they have hired White and Burke to create a development package for the East End using the $12,000 grant they received from the EDC for this purpose in the December grant process.
“We have heard from realtors that when they bring people down there, there are too many unknowns,” East End Committee member Joby Thompson told the Select Board. She noted that this development package will answer the unknowns about East End properties and will provide information to allow the area above the new riverfront park to be developed appropriately.
The select board approved $70,000 from the 1 percent option tax for Werner Communications of which $60,000 will be the primary fee with an additional $10,000 to help defray administration and advertising costs.
This article first appeared in the April 28, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.