Nader, community lawyer hold forum for Friends of Main Street

WINSTED — Members of community organization Friends of Main Street attended a forum organized by the Office of The Community Lawyer and the Nader family on Friday, June 20.The discussion was held at Law Works, a retail space at 414 Main St. leased by the Nader family.The forum was part of a series involving community organizations in the Northwest Corner. Previously, Community Lawyer Charlene LaVoie and the Naders held forums for the Highland Lake Watershed Association and for first responders that included he Winsted Fire Department, the Winchester Center Fire Department and the Winsted Area Ambulance Association.More than 50 people attended the June 20 forum including LaVoie, Ralph Nader and sister Claire Nader, Friends of Main Street president Fran Delaney, organization director Helen Bunnell and Northwest Connecticut’s Chamber President JoAnn Ryan.“We’re doing this forum in order to recognize the volunteers of Friends of Main Street,” LaVoie said in an interview before the forum. “The organization is an outgrowth of the urban charrette that was conducted in 1993 by the Yale Engineering Design Team.”LaVoie said the charrette was a design process for the town.“Part of the process of the design team was to have a community group as part of the process,” LaVoie said. “A community group was formed called The Winsted Design Coalition. Out of that coalition grew the Friends of Main Street because we knew there was a need to have the town be a part of the Connecticut Main Street program.”LaVoie said the organization plays important roles in town, including sprucing up Main Street.“It’s nice to have plantings in the Main Street median instead of having a sand filled median or a cement block,” LaVoie said. “They also hold events including Bubbles and Truffles. They provide a focal point for us to think about Main Street and its importance to the town both in historic and economic development perspective.” During the forum, Ralph Nader said the town is full of potential when it comes to Main Street.“When I go up and down the street I see a lot of antique stores which were never there before and a lot of empty stores,” Nader said. “I marvel at the opportunities. When people ask me about Winsted I tell them it is the same size as Manhattan island, except not as many people. This town has a lot of potential for renewal activities. This town should not be hard to turn around. How many people left the town right after they graduated high school but come back to it realizing that it looks like paradise? A lot of times when you are too close to something you don’t know what you have.”When asked about the current state of the organization, Delaney said that the organization is underappreciated by residents.“We’re all aware that we have an awful lot of challenges, but we also have a fair number of successes in the community,” Delaney said. “If nothing else, we would be sorely missed if we weren’t here. A lot of people don’t voice their appreciation as much as we would like them to voice it. To some extent we are unsung heroes in the town. But the bottom line is the town is a better place because of Friends of Main Street and we have to keep it that way.”Nader said that positive attitudes from residents would help the organization and the town itself.“Towns go through cycles,” Nader said. “What makes a town rebound is a sense of spirit. It doesn’t start with money, and it doesn’t start with material. It’s a spirit of ‘We are going to do it!’”The organization is receiving $5,000 from the town’s fiscal 2014-2015 budget.