Heart of Biddeford wins national award

People who love to live, work and play in Biddeford now have something else to brag about.

Although there is no doubt that the city has been on an upward path over the last 20 years, that positive transformation has now been recognized by Main Street America, a national organization that focuses on community and local economic development.

Biddeford’s Main Street program is encompassed by the Heart of Biddeford (HOB), a non-profit collaborative that was first formed in 2004.

Although there are more than a thousand member communities in the Main Street America program, Biddeford was selected as one of eight semi-finalists for the annual award, and then won top honors during a Monday ceremony in Richmond, Virginia.

“This is a really big deal for Biddeford,” said David Flood, one of HOB’s founding members. Flood, who now lives in Delaware, was formerly the owner and publisher of the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier. He also owned two commercial properties on Main Street in Biddeford.

 “It’s really an amazing accomplishment,” he said.

According to the National Main Street Center, the Main Street movement grew out of a recognition that a community is only as strong as its core.

Although Biddeford’s downtown area was once a bustling core of economic and community activity, the city’s central area begin to deteriorate in the 1980s, as once vibrant textile mills were shuttered and consumer trends across the country favored shopping malls and shopping centers away from congested downtown centers.

Furthermore, Biddeford’s downtown and reputation suffered from the placement of a trash incinerator smack dab in the middle of the city. Biddeford became known as “Trash-town, U.S.A.” Local leaders, it seemed, had given up on the city’s downtown area.

But former mayor Wallace Nutting had a vision for the city. Nutting, a retired four-star U.S. Army general, believed the city had enormous potential, despite its challenges. Flood recalls a meeting that Nutting organized with a handful of downtown business owners, some city representatives and a few members of the public in 2004.

“It was certainly a challenge. Everyone liked the idea, but not everyone was willing to actively participate,” Flood said, recalling what Bob Dodge, then the city’s director of economic development, told him. “If this is going to happen, you need to lead the effort,” Dodge told Flood.

Thus, the Heart of Biddeford was created to work on beautifying the downtown area, creating opportunities to bring people downtown through events and to promote economic vitality through redevelopment.

Delilah Poupore has been the HOB’s executive director since 2011. When contacted Monday evening, Poupore said she was “thrilled” by the award and the recognition.

“We were already blown away that were semi-finalists,” she said. “It was an extensive application process and it is very affirming, not just for me but for all our board members, volunteers and so many others who keep Heart of Biddeford rolling.”

Poupore said she believes that Biddeford took top honors because of HOB’s diverse membership and commitment to engaging a wide range of community members, including business owners, non-profit directors, minority residents and people who might otherwise not participate in a community program.

Although Poupore said the city is going through a period of revitalization, those changes also present challenges such as increasing housing costs in the city’s central area.

 “There has been a complete shift in attitude about our city,” she said. “But we cannot lose sight of the challenges we still face.”

Joe McKenney, a downtown business owner, is the vice president of HOB’s board of directors. I wasn’t surprised that we won,” he said. “I’m proud that we were recognized for all of the work so many have done over the years.”

McKenney said HOB is much more than just a downtown booster group.

“We have such strong relationships across the entire community,” he said, pointing out that HOB helped secure a $50,000 federal grant for improvements at Clifford Park. “Yes, downtown is our focus, but we all love Biddeford and are committed to increasing the quality of life throughout our city.”

Mayor Alan Casavant said the award proves what he has long been saying about the city.

 “We are experiencing a renaissance,” he said. “This award is proof that the Heart of Biddeford has been on the right track. The bones have always been there, but for so many years our city was like a kid with low self-esteem. Today, people believe in the potential of our city.”

Flood agrees with the mayor’s assessment.

 “Things certainly didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “It took a lot of work to get here. I think some people may have doubted that we could get here, but I am irritatingly confident. It’s all about an incremental process. You can’t do it all at once, but I am very proud of HOB and this accomplishment is well-deserved.”

Randy Seaver can be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com