Author Archive
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: March-April 2013
After three hearings with the Department of Public Works (DPW), the last signature to cap off the approval of the Site Plan was penned. In addition, McDonald’s is officially moving from the Riverside Avenue site. Renaissance also began conversations on a second set of zoning amendments for transition areas of downtown, including the West End, Summer Street and West Street, to create a more contiguous downtown experience consistent with a walkable urban environment.
Meanwhile, at 11 Summer Street, a local developer began construction on a new 6-unit residential building as the Summer Street residents celebrated their collective involvement in transforming (image above) what was formerly a dangerous, drug-ridden place into a safe, welcoming neighborhood.
At the end of April, 139 LOIs had been signed for residential units, with a goal of 150. 8 LOIs have been signed from prospective retailers.
In mid-March, the crowd put on a demonstration of crowdsourced placemaking applied to storefront business development when it supported Dawn McKenna’s Dawn’s Deli idea with 100 Likes in two days (a Bristol Rising record) and sold out a tasting event (image below) with 100 tickets three weeks later in early April. That prompted Dawn to receive an offer to incubate her business within an existing venue, the Downtown Cafe as she seeks to open her own place.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: February 2013
After a 90-minute discussion and strong verbal support from the crowdsourced placemaking community, Bristol Rising, the City of Bristol Zoning Commission unanimously approved Phase 1 on February 13, 2013. Several months of collaboration between City boards, the Zoning Commission, and Renaissance helped finalize the plan after its November 2 submission, just two and a half years after Renaissance Downtowns first won the RFP to develop the downtown site.
Renaissance Project Manager Ryan Porter detailed to the Commission what the next steps were after approval of the site plan. The next steps include:
- Staff level cleanup to receive stamped site plan
- Approval from Public Works Board
- Accelerate financing
- Seek construction permits
- Break ground, estimated end of Summer 2013
The Bristol Rising community celebrated at Barley Vine, an ale house and wine bar inspired by the Bristol Rising community itself, underscoring the importance of supporting new local businesses prior to residential development. To that end, the Bristol Rising community and Renaissance are developing the concept for a shared pop-up retail incubator to support entrepreneurs who aren’t quite ready to commit to a permanent retail space. Named by Risers as The Shops of Downtown, this one-month weekends-only venture will hopefully be a prototype for a permanent shared pop-up retail space, like MoDiv in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: January 2013
- Nov 2012: Renaissance submits Phase I Site Plans for review
- Dec 2012: Renaissance receives first set of City department comments on site plan
- 82 comments received, examples of comments include items such as:
- Extend sanitary sewer laterals onto property prior to branching off. Location of private sewer-line at right-of-way line is not recommended.
- Clarify storm drainage within piazza. Install storm drainage in area of proposed berm along Riverside Ave. to prevent water runoff onto roadway.
- Install blow-offs at end of each dead-end water line even if it’s only temporary.
- Dec 2012: Renaissance Downtowns receives second round of City comments
- 50 comments received, examples of comments include items such as:
- Clarify area of proposed pavement transition detail. Geotextile fabric not required on pavement patch within City right-of-way.
- At the north end of the development, remove the “stop” signs and “stop” bars from the east-west through roadway, and add a “stop” sign and “stop” bar on Depot St. near its intersection with the through roadway.
- Provide a four-foot concrete walkway to each Fire Department connection.
- Dec 19, 2012: Renaissance Downtowns resubmits second round of plans
- Dec 19, 2012: Renaissance Downtowns presents at first Zoning Commission Public Hearing
- Jan 2013: Renaissance Downtowns receives third round of City comments
- 42 comments received (approx. 30 new), examples of comments include items such as:
- Label (and/or provide legend for) walkways.
- Clarify locations of proposed removable fence on Site Materials Plan (Sheet C-102) (locations along Riverside Ave. and Main St. are obscured by 10-ft. build-to line).
- Suggest that more “reverse angle parking” signs be installed on Main St. (It appears that only one sign is proposed.)
- Jan 9, 2013: Discussions of comments held at Second Public Hearing
- Largest Items that needed agreement for adjustment prior to 3rd public hearing included:
- Fenestration issue with Main Street end of building A
- Renaissance agrees to extend commercial use to train trestle
- Width and use of 1 way drive aisles in Main St. permanent parking lot (RD used 1 way 22.25 feet and commission requesting 2 way 25 feet)
- Feb 13, 2013: Public hearing scheduled for Phase I
- Oct 2011: Downtown Master Plan approved
- Feb 2012: Downtown zoning amendments approved
- Apr 2012: Unified Downtown Development Project (UDDP) special permit approved
- Nov 2012: Phase I Site Plan submission
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: December 2012
25 Bristol Risers showed up in their signature orange to support Renaissance Downtowns as they presented Phase I of the site plan at the Zoning Commission Hearing on December 19, 2012, including addressing topics such as parking, fenestration, service lines, lighting, engineering of the site/ grading and building breakdowns, addressed in relation to the current zoning regulations. Due to the amount of information presented by Renaissance, the commission deferred a vote until January 9th to review everything in detail.
The first Rising Mob took place at Bare Bones as a two-day juried art fair on December 14 and 15, featuring local artists and vendors selling unique hand-made creations. Bare Bones hopes to repeat this type of event and is proud to have accomplished what they feel Rising Mobs is all about – giving the crowd something new and in-demand while boosting local small businesses.
The Bristol Young Professionals, founded by leading Bristol Rising members, held their inaugural happy hour on December 11 at Barley Vine, also founded by leading Bristol Rising members.
Bristol Rising launched the Downtown Living Pioneers Facebook Group, beginning with 26 members who have signed letters of intent to live in the downtown, which is key to Renaissance securing a residential development partner. This is the very beginning of Bristol’s emerging generation of downtown residents – exciting! Founding members received a $100 credit to be part of the group, and will receive local business perks in the coming months.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Inside Depot Square’s Land Appraisal Numbers
Hi folks. In this post we’re going to go inside the numbers on the Depot Square land appraisal. There’s been a lot of questions since the numbers were announced at the BDDC meeting regarding Depot Square netting a negative investment appraisal number ($30-plus million) based on the project’s projections.
Beyond the cover
While the front of the book appraisal numbers appear as though the project is a negative investment, one has to look at the totality of what that numbers mean, in addition to considering the expected adjustments over time of such a massive, long-term project. Alright, let’s get to it.
First, consider the project’s overall price tag; a healthy $250 million plus/minus for developing 15 acres of property over roughly 10 plus/minus years. Now consider the investment value determined by the appraisal. As a percentage of the total project cost, the investment value turns out to only produce a 10-15% gap over the life of the project. For most master plan developments of this size and scale this gap is certainly a challenge but a manageable one at that. Now let’s show you where some of these ‘missing values’ come from that contribute to that number.
Magnifying the numbers
The appraisal number is primarily due to just a few project components anticipated to occur in later phases of the development. In fact, the two future parking garages, the hotel, and the office building comprise over 70% of the that value. In looking at the parking structures as an example, Renaissance and Bristol Rising have been discussing for some time the need to build enough value in the project to make these parking structures feasible and/or look for State or Federal grant monies for infrastructure such as these.
Let’s all remember the majority of the challenges facing this project occur after Phase I, and because of that our team needs to be laser focused on getting Phase I built.
Renaissance is here to stay
For those who’ve had to trim costs in any of their budgets whether it’s personal or business, you know that identifying savings is all part of the process, especially for a developer who already has invested nearly $2 million into the project. The main point is, Renaissance is here to stay and is relentlessly committed to seeing this project launch successfully, and will work with all their partners and the community to achieve it. Neither Renaissance, nor Bristol Rising, the BDDC or the City, will not take any compromising short cuts. The goal has been and always will be to provide a catalyst project for inspiring downtown revitalization.
The bottom line
The fact is, the current assessed value of the Depot Square site is approximately $2.5 million at 17 acres, and Renaissance has committed to pay $2.1 million for 15 of those acres – in line with current property expectations. The majority of project challenges lie beyond Phase I, and with Phase I site plan approval around the corner Renaissance is excited to build buildings and value in 2013.
For additional questions please contact the Renaissance office at 860.582.0030, or visit at 111 N Main Street Bristol City Hall, 2nd floor. We hope we clarified a few items for you on this topic so you can understand what these numbers mean.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: November 2012
Publicity is vital to attracting investment to cities that are typically overlooked. Bristol Rising has done a tremendous job of securing such exposure, with the latest being a video (see below) produced by the Partnership for Strong Communities. Here’s a comment from the Partnership: “I know you understand that a big turnaround is happening there in Bristol, and that you’re a big part of it. But I wonder if you know how significant it is what you’re doing. Most cities in CT and elsewhere are beat down, depressed, sluggish, pessimistic. So for you to help one of these cities get its head on straight and believe in itself – it’s really amazing. And my hope is that others will learn from your success, and it can spread to other cities also.”
To assist with securing the all-important residential Letters of Interest (LOIs) that Renaissance Downtowns requires to attract financing for the first phase, local restaurants provided info cards to their patrons. The second ‘downtown living pioneers’ residential info session was deemed a huge success, with 19 more people signing LOIs for a total of 51.
Inspired by the Bristol Rising effort, the emerging generation in Bristol established the Bristol CT Young Professionals group to network with one another, and become a stronger voice in identifying what young people want in a revitalized downtown. This is a key demographic for Renaissance in developing urban residential, and citizens have taken it upon themselves to establish themselves as an identifiable community.
Bristol Rising also celebrated it’s second anniversary, recognizing five signature businesses that have opened as a result in the past year: Bristol’s Marketplace, Bare Bones, Bristol Billiards, Barley Vine, Firefly Hallow Brewing. These new businesses are key selling points in helping Renaissance sign new and compelling retail tenants.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: October 2012
Here are the official Renaissance Downtowns residential and retail recruitment documents for Phase I. Renaissance has also begun talks with other retail tenants through Bristol Rising members that have been frequenting the Barley Vine since its grand opening in October.
Residential Recruitment Documents
Retail Recruitment Documents
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: September 2012
Renaissance Downtowns is preparing first phase site plans for the piazza, 240 residential units, 22,000 s.f. of retail, with a goal of submitting them to the City in November.
Barley Vine (image above), a craft beer pub and restaurant opened by a Bristol Rising member and inspired by the crowd, held a soft opening on Thursday, Sept. 27 for Bristol Rising members to a full house of 120 people. They held a friends and family opening on Friday, Sept. 28 to a full house. They were scheduled to open on Wednesday, October 3 with a grand opening on October 11, but held a surprise opening announced on Facebook on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 29 that they were open, and had a packed house drawing at least 120 people. This continues to provide the evidence that Renaissance Downtowns needs that there is a market in Bristol that will support new retail establishments in the downtown.
Bristol Rising members announced an initiative on their own, to host a recurrent event to promote a local business that implements a crowd-supported idea, raising awareness and participation in the overall downtown revitalization effort. Known as Rising Mobs, the first event is scheduled in November and is being organized over Facebook. This will help develop the downtown market and build a sense of downtown community.
Renaissance’s main activity in September remains tenant recruitment. Members have assisted in securing 5 residential letters of interest and 4 commercial letters of interest.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: August 2012
Pop-up piazza festival. The 20,000 attendee event on August 4, 2012, assisted Renaissance Downtowns in multiple ways. The most conspicuous benefit was that it garnered additional attention to Bristol and its downtown redevelopment efforts. They were able to connect with thousands overall, as well as a few individuals that can have the ability to directly impact the revitalization process, including political figures that could potentially provide assistance; developers that may have interest in investing in the downtown, retailers that not only contributed and participated in the festival; but stopped through the booth and took interest in the new development. The Renaissance team also met with community members that saw the future residential development plans and renderings for the first time, many of whom were potential tenants.
Residential and retail Letters Of Intent. Renaissance has a goal of securing 20 retail letters of intent (LOIs) by November 15, 2012, and 150 residential LOIs by December 15. The Bristol Rising crowd is outreaching and presenting the downtown vision to potential retailers that are aligned with the ideas on the Bristol Rising site, and actively referring leads to the Renaissance staff. The Bristol Rising crowd is also assisting with referring potential residential candidates to the Renaissance team.
Revitalization of adjacent neighborhood. The demolition of an abandoned building is now underway, to be replaced by new residences. The development project was prompted by the revitalization of Summer Street, which is adjacent to the project site. The revitalization was initiated and continuously supported by the Bristol Rising crowd, transforming a neighborhood that was once overcome by drugs into an increasingly desirable neighborhood, proving that there are investors and residents willing to invest in the downtown development effort alongside Renaissance.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: July 2012
New businesses such as Barley Vine, a restaurant featuring craft beers and wine; a new grocery store, Bristol Marketplace; Bristol Billiards, a pool hall; and Bare Bones, a creative event space, are helping Renaissance Downtowns provide evidence to prospective retail tenants that people are willing to invest in downtown retail. This greatly aids Renaissance in recuriting additional businesses, and negotiating with financial sources and lenders for Phase I. With Barley Vine, the business owners, Victor and Terry Lugo, said they were inspired by the crowd’s strong interest in the “Brewpub & Restaurant” idea that was posted and voted for on the Bristol Rising website, also earning their enthusiastic support in a Bobbly Flay video contest. In very related news, the Bristol Rising crowd helped a local brewery, Firefly reach their $30,000 goal ($35,000) via Kickstarter this month to launch their business. Renaissance completed a retail recruiting brochure that Bristol Rising members will use to secure meetings between the business owners they would most like to see come to Bristol, and Renaissance.
Dozens of Bristol Rising members spent many hours planning the second annual Pop-Up Piazza Festival to be held on August 4, 2012. It’s Renaissance Downtown’s largest investment in Bristol Rising this year, as it was last year. The event, which attracted upwards of 15,000 in 2011, a record for the city of Bristol, provides a preview of what activities may happen in the future piazza, and supplying evidence that there is indeed a market for downtown life, even if for just one day. It is a venue by which Renaissance can showcase potential future retailers via pop-up venues, as Barley Vine will do prior to their Fall 2012 opening. Renaissance also hosts an information center to educate and accommodate those who express interest in becoming new tenants and residents in the initial phases of development via completing non-committal letters of intent.
Thanks to the event, thousands in Bristol have come to expect the development of the piazza in the downtown as a foregone conclusion. In less exciting, but very relevant bit of news, city officials signed an agreement in July with Renaissance and McDonald’s that includes a vital land swap that will see the fast-food restaurant move from its current location, which is currently sited directly where the future piazza development would be built, to another locale.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Revitalization Recap
June was a hot month for Renaissance and Risers and all that came to light in the very familiar space of Nuchie’s at this month’s meet-up.
Wall of Famers were recognized for last month, their contributions including Forestville Duck Race, referrals, their presence at Meet-Ups, and the continued support in the Pop-Up Piazza preparation. A virtual round of applause for Andy Adams, Gina Scalia, and RSVP attendee Jessica Griffin!
Pop-Up Piazza was discussed as Mark gave the run-down on all the programming intended to make this year’s event bigger and better. The Pop-Up Piazza committee is looking for help for the day-of so if you have a couple hours to spare, email jessica@bristolrising.com to add to the wave of orange that will be out in force!
Mark also took the time out to speak to the immense honor the Chambers of Commerce bestowed on Bristol Rising at the awards dinner.
Ryan provided a development update, answering questions formed by Risers in regards to the overall process up to this point. Click here to check out the full story on all the approvals, recruitment, and latest B.R. influence to the cause! 
Ryan then passed the torch to Barley Vine owner, Victor, who had some exciting news to share about the ongoing progress on the ale house! He and the Barley Vine team will be having an expanded role on Pop-Up Piazza Day, with a larger beer garden as well as the possibility of some food service. Speaking of food service, he allowed Risers to grab a sneak peek at the menu concept for the restaurant. There were some great enticing items so have your palette ready for their opening in the near future!!
Bare Bones then stepped up to the plate, giving a detailed account of their new home on School Street and all the hard work the Bare Bones ladies are putting in to make the space shine. It will be ready for Risers on July 13th at its Grand Opening. They continue to look for prospective resident artists and volunteers so be sure the contact one of the ladies if you can lend a hand!
Things switched gears a bit when Ryan turned to the Recruitment Campaign currently being tackled by Renaissance and Rising alike. The Renaissance Team is currently putting together a packet that can be handed to prospective entrepreneurs for new and existing, old downtown spaces. Once this packet is completed, Risers can then move forward with reaching out to the prospective entrepreneurs, and pitching the downtown revitalization to see who wants to get in on the action.
Many of these places listed on the Retail Recruitment page are existing businesses that mirror an idea proposed on the website and suggested overall by Risers. The hope is to have them open a second, complimentary establishment here in Bristol to suit our desires for eating, shopping, and playing.
With the revitalization becoming more real every day, Risers’ role has never been more imperative to the cause. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the Recruitment page or email mark@bristolrising.com if you wish to play a role and approach some businesses! We’ll keep you informed when the packet is complete and plan to keep the process as transparent as possible, documenting (via color code) which businesses are interested, not interested, or even meeting with Ryan to discuss possible tenancy!
Stay tuned all and be sure to come out for the July meet-up; we’d love to see you!
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Recap: June 2012
For Renaissance Downtowns, the growth of Bristol Rising has been integral to a planning and approval process that has been completed in a fraction of the time that a normal process would have taken. Master plans alone can take 2-3 years to complete. In Bristol, the Concept Master Plan, the main plan for the entire downtown, was completed in just nine months, submitted in April 2011 and receiving municipal approval in just six months in October 2011. More than twenty Bristol Rising members showed up at the approval hearing, many in their signature orange Bristol Rising shirts, cheering on the council members to ensure they approved the plan, which they did.
Other major approvals include zoning amendments in February 2012 with Bristol Rising support, and a Special Permit of Unified Downtown Development Plan that was submitted on the last day in April 2012, and approved in June 2012. These were important because they allow for rear outdoor dining and specific changes to on-street parking. Renaissance will be looking for the crowd’s support to garner site plan approval for building Phase I by years end, and immediately work towards building permits and ground breaking by first or second quarter of 2013.
In June, Bristol Rising’s influence has directly resulted in compelling one of its most active members in securing a lease to open a craft beer and wine restaurant. Bristol Rising members, co-founders of the beloved Bare Bones, also announced the July opening of a neighborhood event space in the West End neighborhood, which has struggled to attract new storefront businesses.
In terms of future tenant recruitment, Bristol Rising members are assisting Renaissance in consolidating retail targets to compliment potential businesses that Renaissance has gathered. They are also assisting in shaping the initial retail recruitment package and retail spaces. They have compiled over a hundred potential local independent storefront businesses that Renaissance will be targeting the owners of for possible recruitment, prioritized by the most popular ideas on the Bristol Rising site.
In June, the Central Chamber of Commerce held their Awards Dinner in recognition of eight specific businesses and organizations that contributed to the community over the past year. Renaissance and Bristol Rising were among them as they were presented the Spirit of Bristol Award for their efforts in uniting the community to work towards a brighter future for Bristol.
Over the last month Renaissance was assisted in revitalization efforts by Bristol Rising with:
i) Participation in the Car Show, speaking to dozens of people about the revitalization efforts, attracting new vendors for the Pop-Up Piazza, and heavily advertising the Pop-Up Piazza event
ii) Participation in the West End Clean-up, assisting a fellow, local organization in the aesthetic improvements of a downtown neighborhood
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
The Magic of Enthusiasm
Champion Andy Adams speaks about the fire that fuels her contributions to Bristol Rising and the project:
Enthusiasm is considered “one of the most powerful forces in the universe.” What is enthusiasm and where does it come from?
Enthusiasm is a feeling of excitement and a state of impassioned emotion. It is the strong incitement of feeling on behalf of a cause or subject.
The source of one’s enthusiasm is belief. We create our own enthusiasm by believing in a cause or subject. Believing in this cause or subject generates a strong emotional commitment which then fosters intense enthusiasm.
Over a long period of time enthusiasm will diminish and confidence may waver because of hurdles and barriers.
Every project has its peaks and valleys and with that being said so does the intensity of enthusiasm. These should be viewed as challenges. Each milestone that is achieved is an accomplishment. Each one of these are celebrated, re-igniting our enthusiasm. Optimistic attitude and enthusiasm can overcome negativity and adversity. It will carry the momentum of the life cycle of a project, including this huge revitalization of our downtown.
From the first Bristol Rising meet up on November 4, 2010 to the most recent Zoning meeting approval of Renaissance’s proposal (UDDP victory -Unified Downtown Development Project) on June 13, 2012, Bristol Rising members and the Renaissance team forged ahead together, meeting each challenge with eagerness. There’s a passion within them which emits an undeniable energy.
Bristol Rising members are enthusiastic about the revitalization of downtown because they believe in Bristol and the impact the revitalization will have on the community. Their enthusiasm is the driving force of many positive things that have already occurred. With that enthusiasm is support and motivation. They go hand in hand.
They attend monthly meet ups, city council meetings, and special site presentations of the downtown project. They support the local events held at Bristol Billiards, Bare Bones and the Ingraham House who are part of the revitalization. They have begun a campaign to support local businesses that are in the downtown area like the Cash Mob held at Mike’s Tortoise & Hare in April 2012. And it doesn’t stop there! Local Summer Street and West End neighborhood clean ups were heavily attended by Bristol Rising members and some Risers headed over to the mall site to pick up trash as part of United Way Day of Caring.
How do we describe Bristol Rising members? Eager, passionate, motivated, excited, dedicated, hard working, spirited and ebullient are a few that come to mind. How can we continue to grow Bristol Rising membership?
As Paul J. Meyer once said, “Enthusiasm glows, radiates, permeates and immediately captures everyone’s interest.”
Enthusiasm is contagious. Catch it and spread it like an epidemic. Have fun doing it.
Just don’t “curb your enthusiasm!”
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Bristol Rising Receives Spirit of Bristol Award
Chamber Awards Dinner, June 14 2012
Risers, we’ve got something to celebrate!The Central Chamber of Commerce just held their Awards Dinner in recognition of 8 specific businesses and organizations that contributed to the community over the past year.
Of the eight honored, Renaissance and Bristol Rising were among them as they were presented the Spirit of Bristol Award for their efforts in uniting the community to look towards Bristol’s future.
Renaissance President, Don Monti, and Bristol Riser, Andy Adams, went up to accept the award. Don took the time to publicly thank Ryan who has been instrumental in the success of the project thus far as well as doing a genuinely warm shout-out to Andy and the other Bristol Risers at the event, who prove that communities can come together and make good things happen. Andy, holding true to her spirit, passionately asserted the 300 dinner guests to register and add to the growing voice that is Bristol Rising.
It was a lovely evening that emphasized the community support that is behind the project.
In reflection of that progress, Riser Gina Scalia looks back on Renaissance’s introduction to Bristol and how the revitalization has been a catalyst to unity in the city:
When Renaissance Downtowns arrived in Bristol, everyone- including myself- had many doubts as well as questions as to why in the world were they in our city. But now that almost 2 years have passed, they really have shown us what they are made of. Please join us as a “One Unit City” as we undergo a major revitalization in our downtown. We need to unite, even if you still have doubts about the project. Come and listen in and ask all the questions you have and get them answered. With a big city such as Bristol, we can unite as one with opposition as well. We all cannot agree on everything that happens in Bristol, but I do know that together, we can be the greatest city in the entire state of Connecticut. We need to hear the negative as well as the positive in order to make this city survive with this huge project. Please, I invite all ages, races, religions, groups, clubs, municipalities and anyone I didn’t mention to come and stand by your city and voice your suggestions and concerns. Because this type of activity is
EXACTLY how this city of Bristol, CT will be the safest, strongest, most diverse, supportive, and prosperous city in the state. It is One Word…..”UNITY”…. We NEED to ALL STAND together as ONE to get this City to acheive it’s TRUE SUCCESS!
If we all join in this once in a lifetime opportunity, we will all hold our heads up with True Honor because it does not take one company or one group or one club or one person to capture the spirit and success of a big city such as Bristol, it takes every single one of us that live in the city. So c’mon, jump on board this project and make your ideas part of this tremendous revitalization of TRUE SUCCESS.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Note to members re Login & More!
Password reset & notification emails now working!
We noticed that there was a little bug in the system causing some frustration. But thanks to a few members who let us know about it, we snuffed out the problem.
So you can now reliably receive emails to reset your passwords when you click on ‘Forgot your password?’ via the Login link on the home page of bristolrising.com
Not only that, but you will now also receive email notifications, unless you opt out, for replies to comments you make on ideas, and when people reply to your comments in the discussion forums.
We thank you for your patience and look forward to your participation!”
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Circle of Trust
Dave Fortier makes a confession… and by doing so, shines light on the best part of Bristol Rising:
In some ways, when it comes to Bristol Rising, I am a weak link:
I do not show up for every meeting
I miss important announcements
I tend to feel bad not being able to keep up. For instance, I missed the
West End clean-up. But I do make it to as many events as possible
Eventually, I get reconnected and reinvigorated
So… here is my point. Even though I cannot be everywhere and do everything,
I can still be a part of the action. So can you, anyone.
The reason?
People.
Bristol Rising is people, like you and me. All of us busy. But the difference
is that none of us has to feel like we have to do everything alone or by
ourselves because someone is willing to lend a hand. Somehow, over the
long haul, we share the burden.
When I got involved in Bristol Rising, I thought I knew a lot of people in Bristol.
And I do.
But I did not know the people whom I would soon rub elbows, so to speak, in
helping Bristol develop its city center/downtown and re-energize
itself.
The list just goes on and on: Dave H, Sarah J, Jess P, Charlie C, Robin M,
Michelle SP, Mike S, BB&K, Mike S, the Renaissance guys — Ryan P,
Mark W., and Neil, Terry and Victor L, and Mark P, and many more.
Of course, the list already included many others, such as, Lindsay V, Andy
A, Jessie G, Gina S, Athena and Huck, and so many others.
No doubt, I am a Bristol Rising cheerleader. I love what is happening
downtown. I love what Renaissance Downtowns is doing with its
crowd-sourcing approach to development. I love that so many people are
playing a part.
And- this is the truth- even though I do not know exactly what is happening
this week, I do know things are getting done. Because even when I am not
there, someone is. I only hope when they cannot be there, I will.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
May Rewind!
I know, I know, we’re already halfway through June you say! Yeah, but that means things are cooking and there’s a lot to talk about. So I figured amidst conversations about ramping up for retail recruitment, and furious Pop Up Piazza planning, we could stop and smell the May roses.
Looking back, May was an eclectic month for Bristol Rising in that we had one of our least stellar months in terms of outreach and new registrations, but we soon found out there were some real reasons why.
Regarding the registrations, I learned a few days ago that there may have been a major bug on the registration end of the site that was not allowing new members to join, as it falsely informed them that their username was already registered. Yikes! I can feel the confusion. For that we apologize. There had been a few people here and there that had come to us and explained their issues, but we never did get the sense that the registrations were amiss. I guess it makes sense how we had fewer people join the site this month! Knowing what we know now, there was likely a silent majority of people that never informed us of their problems, got frustrated, and up and left. So without feeling there was a resonating problem, we didn’t know quite how far the problem reached until recently. The moral of the story, tell us anytime you think there’s something a bit whacky going on with the site! But I am happy to say the issue has been resolved, and we apologize for any inconvenience in registrations, so we hope that you’re still with us and give joining the site another college try. We promise it won’t be as hard as college exams.
We had a bit of a drop in pure outreach as well, but I would partially attribute that to allowing ourselves a staycation following previous hardcore campaigning efforts (Downtown Living Campaign). With that said, I would say a great deal of disappearing from community events was due to a change in focus.
The apple of our eye had went from encouraging registrations and likes, to planning the Pop Up Piazza Festival as well as meeting with and brainstorming Phase I retail possibilities. So with there only being so many hours in the day, and the strong mobile BR core spreading it’s attention in several areas, there weren’t many large venues we could hit up as we were in lightbulb mode.
Myself and a few Risers did attend the West End Association meeting May 9th to speak a little about the Piazza. At the same meeting the Bare Bones introduced themselves to the West End Community (they now have a signed lease at 156 School St). We both showed support for each other’s events (West End Association has an event at Rockwell August 18), our intention to participate in the others, and drummed up excitement for both. The truth is when one group does well, we all do well. So we’re rooting for the WEA.
On May 12 a handful of Risers helped with the West End Cleanup, but that initiative was more about them than us, so beyond some face-to-face interactions where we mentioned Bristol Rising, we wanted to be respectful of the West End and it’s mission, as it goes to the greater good of the downtown efforts. We traded our orange Bristol Rising shirts for West End Green T’s, and waterfall’ed their message where we could.
May 18th brought forth another great community effort in the United Way Day of Caring. Much like the West End Cleanup, the effort was really to be focused on the United Way and their mission. More of a phenomenon than an event, the day’s goal was to raise awareness for cleaning up our town by having people step outside their business or home and clean up trash for 15 minutes, or whatever you could afford… We encouraged Risers to participate in the effort, and a few of us even made it out to Depot Square and Main Street to clean trash, but because times were so sporadic for everyone – it was during the day on a Friday where most people worked – it was difficult getting a group together. All in all, I feel we helped downtown where we could – which assisted in the United Way’s goal that day, which we were happy to be of service.
Finally, we had a great Bristol Rising meetup that balanced initiative with exciting new potential. I wrote an extended blog about that meetup, but it was very well attended – I think more than 50 folks showed up. We talked about recruiting retail, we had a presentation by the City’s Public Works Department, who is looking to engage the community in a similar fashion as Bristol Rising, and we had Firefly Brewing Co. come in and speak about their interest in opening a brewery downtown. Those three things really speak to the inspiration which we hope to create (retail), and are creating (City’s Public Works Dept, Firefly Brewing).
So while our overall outreach wasn’t the focus, one always has to look beyond the spreadsheet at the impact and inspiration we are providing – like at the aforementioned meetup. And with the big push being putting time into the Pop Up Piazza, having a bit less exposure in May in exchange for 10,000 plus visitors to the Piazza in August will be a more than welcome trade off. Ditto on focusing on retail, where that will help to permanently anchor exposure for Bristol Rising, and more importantly gain momentum for developing a real, tangible business district that will ensure the revitalization of our downtown.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Renaissance Downtowns Cumulative Recap: 2010-2012
When Renaissance Downtowns, a visionary triple-bottom-line real estate development firm that won an RFP to develop 17 acres of failed shopping mall into a thriving downtown destination, decided to give crowdsourced placemaking a shot in October 2010, they didn’t quite expect such, well, extraordinary results…
For Renaissance, the growth of the crowdsourced placemaking community, known as Bristol Rising since an innocent happy hour of 14 people on November 4, 2010 (2300 members today), has led to a planning and approval process that has been completed in a fraction of the time that a normal process would have taken. Master plans alone can take 2-3 years to complete. In Bristol, the Concept Master Plan, the main plan for the entire downtown, was completed in just nine months, submitted in April 2011 and receiving municipal approval in just six months in October 2011. Dozens of Bristol Rising members showed up to support the plan at its hearing, many in their signature orange Bristol Rising shirts, cheering on the council members to ensure they approved the plan, which they did.
In addition, zoning amendments were approved in February 2012 with Bristol Rising support, followed by a Special Permit of Unified Downtown Development Plan, the first official land use plan, submitted on the last day in April 2012, and approved in June 2012, with of course, Bristol Rising members cheering in attendance. Renaissance will be looking for the crowd’s support to garner site plan approval for Phase I by year’s end, and immediately work towards securing building permits and ground breaking by early 2013. Check out the plans here.
Now, that’s just with city approvals. In November 2011 Bristol Rising launched a Downtown Living Campaign to identify 400 people who would be willing to live downtown, and they even hosted a face-to-face meetup so these downtown pioneers could meet one another. That was a tremendous success. Yes, they reached their 400 person goal, in March 2012.
Regarding retail, Bristol Rising’s influence has directly resulted in compelling one of its most active members securing a lease for a a craft beer and wine restaurant, the first dining establishment to announce a new lease on its Main Street in decades. Bristol Rising members also announced the July opening of a neighborhood event space in the West End neighborhood, a neighborhood which has struggled to attract any kind of new storefront businesses at all. They even inspired a crowdfunding campaign for a new local brewery, motivated by one of the most requested ideas, a microbrewery. Oh, and they also ‘cash mobbed’ a cafe in April, resulting in a record day for the business.
In terms of future tenant recruitment, Bristol Rising members are assisting Renaissance in consolidating retail targets to compliment potential businesses that Renaissance has gathered. They are also assisting in shaping the initial retail recruitment package and retail spaces, compiling over a hundred potential local independent storefront businesses that Renaissance will be targeting the owners of for possible recruitment, prioritized by the most popular ideas on the Bristol Rising site.
As far as surrounding neighborhood revitalization, in one of the most drug-laden neighborhoods within the downtown known as Summer Street, Bristol Rising members organized a street clean up, spurring one of its members to establish a new company to buy up and fix problematic buildings, resulting in recent testimonials such as this, “Hi there, as a new resident of Lower Summer St, I would like to say thank you… I think its getting better all the time,” and “I moved to lower Summer Street at the beginning of this year in order to be closer to work. I am thrilled with the improvements I had seen in the area and I am excited to see what else is in store.” Read more about Summer Street’s transformation here.
In August 2011 Bristol Rising members helped organize a one-day demonstration event for their most desired public amenity, a car-free piazza surrounded by storefronts, outdoor dining and exciting events. Expecting 2000 people, the Pop-Up Piazza event attracted 15,000, breaking a record for the most attended event in the city’s history. In August 2012 members continued the tradition as an annual event, again attracting between 15,000 to 20,000 people.
In June 2012, the Central Chamber of Commerce held their Awards Dinner in recognition of eight specific businesses and organizations that contributed to the community over the past year. Renaissance and Bristol Rising were among them as they were presented the Spirit of Bristol Award for their efforts in uniting the community to work towards a brighter future for Bristol.
In October, a long-time active Bristol Rising member opened a gastro pub based on the crowd’s input. Known as Barley Vine, the restaurant is the first dining venue to open in the downtown in years, and has become an overnight institution. Prior to that, startup Firefly Brewery Company exceeded their crowdfunding goal to open a microbrewery in Bristol.
Check out a visual timeline of events here.
Believe it or not, they’re just getting started in Bristol. I kid you not. Someone needs to write a book…
If you’d like to learn more, they’ll be more than happy to oblige. This has been one of the best kept secrets in real estate development and community organizing, aside from a NY Times article last year before much of what you read actually happened! For Renaissance, contact Ryan Porter at rporter[at]renaissancedowntowns[dot]com, and for Bristol Rising, contact [mark[at]bristolrising[dot]com].
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Donate for Firefly Brewery Downtown
The below information is directly from Firefly Brewing Co’s KickStarter campaign page. The Firefly team was at Bristol Rising’s meetup last month introducing themselves, their idea, and their brew – in the form of delectable samplings. We recommend everyone at least read the information below and then check out their kickstarter page, read about the different donation tiers, the schwag you’d receive for donating, and the good karma you’d be building for bringing a brewery downtown. They need our help, and we need their beer, let’s make it happen Bristol Rising!
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Identity
We are the guys who run Brew & Wine Hobby, a homebrew shop in East Hartford, CT. Rich Loomis is the soul of Brew & Wine Hobby. He’s forged a profitable business and gained the unwavering trust of hundreds of brewers and winemakers alike. Bill Collins is the guy who gives you the confidence to see into the future. He’s given direction to our collective passion and has driven us to pursue this with unwavering conviction. I, Dana Bourque, provide the technical knowledge to make a brewery happen. I recently finished with the American Brewer’s Guild and would love nothing more than to see Connecticut’s beer culture rival what Colorado and Oregon offer their populace.
Philosophy
Firefly Brewing Company is the expression of our collective pursuit of happiness through our shared passion for beer. We are a conglomerate of creative minds who believe we can make the world a better place by providing an atmosphere and a product conducive to positive thought and creativity. It is our sincerest hope that the beer we create helps you further your own creative journey and propels you down your own road to happiness. Our slogan, “Get Lit” is a testament to spreading our inspiration, because it takes more than one firefly to enlighten the world.
The beer we produce will be immediately available in our Taproom, where we aim to provide a relaxing and laid back beer drinking experience. Fresh beer always tastes the best, so we want to focus on keeping it that way. Pints in the taproom, growlers to go, and small scale, local distribution is our way of ensuring our product is in its prime when it gets to your glass. We will provide a rotating line of brews and dedicate a lot of time into developing a few unique, vintage styles.
We feel that giving back to a community that makes living our passion a reality is a very important part of this life, and we would like to return that favor to others down the road. We’ve decided to make Firefly Brewing a “Pay it Forward” endeavor. For every dollar donated to help launch Firefly Brewing, we will donate a dollar to help launch other small businesses or Kickstarter projects in the future. This is our way of thanking you for our success and allowing your donations to live on.
The Brewery
The Firefly Brewing Company Taproom and Lounge will be located in the heart of Bristol, CT. The town is currently dedicated to bringing in an energetic vibe by welcoming small businesses like ours.
There is already enough waste in the world, so we are committed to recycling, reusing, and supporting American manufacturing where-ever possible. Our goal is to start with a 7 barrel brewhouse fabricated from repurposed dairy tanks, modified syrup tanks, and miscellaneous stainless vessels. Wherever specialized stainless or manufacturing skills are needed, we will source the labor and goods from domestic companies. We want to get the most out of every dollar we spend while give a home to existing equipment and supporting the local business.
Your Donations
The most difficult part of opening a brewery is generating the upfront capital required to purchase equipment. We are asking for $30,000 to help fund a brewhouse, fermenters, pumps, and other crucial pieces. We are going to use some ingenuity, and a bit of craftiness to stretch these dollars to the maximum potential. Even though we are asking for a substantial sum, it is still only enough to get us off the ground. The more we raise upfront, the more money we can invest into additional parts of the business. Raising over our goal would allow us to put more money into funding additional fermentation tanks, dispense equipment, aesthetics of the taproom, kegs for local distribution…The list goes on. So even if we’ve met our goal, know that further donations will help get this project off on two sturdy legs.
You will also get cool stuff. Like this tee shirt, which also happens to glow in the dark.
Make it Happen
1. CREATE a Kickstarter account: all it takes is an email address.
2. SIGN IN at Amazon.com - if you already have an account, you’re all set. If not it only takes a moment.
3. PLEDGE what you are comfortable giving. We appreciate every dollar. If you find yourself wanting to help but unable to donate you can skip to the next step to help us spread the word. Your card will only be charged should we reach our full goal.
4. SHARE this with your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and whoever else crosses your path! Let everyone know you are a backer for Firefly Brewing Company.
Once again we thank all of you for your time and consideration, and we can’t wait to have you in the taproom once we’re brewing!
Cheers!
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Bare Bones 2.0
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Bare Bones New Home!
Written by the Bare Bones’ Michelle St. Pierre
Bare Bones has a new home at 156 School Street.
When we first went to view the space on School St., I left feeling so excited. I knew that was the place I wanted Bare Bones to be. Bare Bones will bring something different and fresh to the West End, we hope to get the whole community involved and to come together through creativity. The arts are something that everyone can enjoy and I know that the art and community feeling that Bare Bones brings will brighten up the West End.
On June 22nd Bare Bones plans to open our doors to the public with an art gallery opening. We are eager to get the community into our new space and can’t wait to exhibit these upcoming artists’ works. Please follow our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/barebonesbristol for upcoming details on this event.
In the mean time, we are putting a call out to volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering at Bare Bones, please contact Michelle St. Pierre at michellestpierre@att.net We are looking for volunteers experienced and/or interested in financial planning, public relations, and fundraising. We also welcome volunteers with any other skill sets or expertise. We will be looking for people to be a presence in the space and help out with patrons and programming as well, once we open.
Bare Bones is also in need of supplies. If you can donate these supplies (new or used), or if you would like to make a cash/check or gift card donation, please contact Sarah Johnson atsarahj.design@gmail.com
Items Needed: Art supplies (i.e. paint brushes, paint, paper, graphite pencils, erasers, easels, drawing boards, palettes, pastels, etc.), Craft supplies (i.e. crayons, paper, pencils, markers, colored pencils, construction paper, wire, yarn, etc), light bulbs, toilet paper, paper towels, toilet paper holder, paper towel holder, large cork board, cans of paint, broom, scrub brushes, paint buckets, recycling pail for inside the space, mop and mop bucket, misc. cleaning supplies (i.e. toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner, disinfectant wipes, dish soap) Kirby vacuum bags, power strips, extension cords, “L” brackets, picture hangers, nails, hammers, spackling paste, putty knives, smocks, tape measures, levels, calculator, step ladder, stool, city of Bristol garbage pail, printer ink, printer paper, plastic and/or canvas bins for storage of supplies.
We are still looking for an experienced business person and/or coffee expert to rent part of Bare Bones’ space and run the cafe. This person would own the cafe and sublet a portion of the space from Bare Bones. Our offer is to rent-share in an affordable venue with a like-minded business owner. The cafe will be part of our larger art gallery and community art space. We are looking for someone who is familiar with and responsible for dealing with health permits and insurance process. Our space will allow for a cafe permit only, meaning beverages and pre-packaged and cold-prep food only. No heating or cooking elements will become part of our space. If you or anyone you know is interested, please contact Robin Messerli at rmessy@gmail.com
At Bare Bones, we want to showcase local artists. One way we will do that is by having resident artists. We are requiring resident artists to pay a fee of $75 a month with a minimum of a one month commitment. We will also rent out wall space and limited floor/shelf space for three-dimensional art to artists who would like to use the gallery space. Prices for wall space and floor space vary, please inquire within. Interested artists can contact Michelle St. Pierre at michellestpierre@att.net for an application and more information.
Bare Bones will also continue its regular programming, such as open mic nights and Monday night suppers. We are seeking food donations from local restaurants, cafes, and markets for our Monday night suppers. If a restaurant donates food to one of our suppers we will promote that restaurant on our website and social medias, as well as post information in the Bare Bones space. We are always looking for musicians, writers, actors, and comedians to perform at our open mic nights. For more information, please contact Sarah Johnson at sarahj.design@gmail.com
We hope to have our grand opening at the end of June after we are able to perfect our space and get a handle on everything we need to make Bare Bones its best.
We are currently in the process of becoming a non-profit organization which is a lengthy process. We greatly appreciate your continued support of our programs during this time.
Please keep following us on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter for updates.
http://www.barebonesbristol.com
http://www.facebook.com/barebonesbristol
https://twitter.com/#!/barebonesct
You can always email us with questions as well.
Sarah Johnson sarahj.design@gmail.com
Robin Messerli rmessy@gmail.com
Michelle St. Pierre michellestpierre@att.net
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Bare Bones…Cafe?
Co-Founder Michelle St. Pierre gives us a new sneak peek of the much anticipated re-opening of our beloved Bare Bones:
Hey Bristol Risers,
I stayed in Stonington, CT last week with my family and it was so beautiful and quaint. I really enjoyed being able to walk to the little shops and restaurants from our condo. I was talking to my mother and said that I would love to live in a place where I can just walk to anything I need. Then I said, wait that’s what Bristol will be soon enough. I can’t wait to be able to live downtown and walk to the grocery store or cafe, etc. And I can’t wait for everyone to walk or drive to the soon to be new Bare Bones space.
This is my update for you all on Bare Bones.
Sarah, Robin, and I are so excited for our new store front. We are so close to signing the lease to our new place downtown. We’ve been working hard trying to make Bare Bones everything we dreamed it could and will be.
We are setting up new programming and also staying with the successful events we had at Main St. We had a series of open mic nights at the Bristol Historical Society which went very well. I’m excited to continue the open mics at our new space and see all of the amazing talent. Thanks so much to the BHS for supporting Bare Bones.
We know that there is a need for a cafe in downtown and we want that to be a part of Bare Bones. We are looking for an experienced business person and/or coffee expert to rent part of Bare Bones’ space and and run the cafe. This person would own the cafe and sublet a portion of the space from Bare Bones. Our offer is to rent-share in an affordable venue with a like-minded business owner. The cafe will be part of our larger art gallery and community art space. We are looking for someone who is familiar with and responsible for dealing with health permits and insurance process. Our space will allow for a cafe permit only, meaning beverages and pre-packaged and cold-prep food only. No heating or cooking elements will become part of our space. If you or anyone you know is interested, please contact Sarah Johnson at sarahjdesign@gmail.com
If you have any questions or would like to know more about Bare Bones, or if you would like to volunteer for BB, please visit our Facebook page and our website.
You can also help us out with ideas on our Bristol Rising crowd-sourcing page
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Rising Engagement from City Department
Sheree Gornealt from the City of Bristol’s Public Works Department shared her thoughts after speaking at the last Bristol Rising Meetup.
It was awesome having the opportunity to meet the Risers and introduce them to Public Works at the last meetup. As I told the group at the Carousel Museum, I was a skeptic about the whole Rising thing, but man – they proved me wrong in a big way. You can see and feel their enthusiasm, energy and belief in Bristol. Wow!
The group came up with some great ideas to help Public Works improve it’s image and connect better with the residents. I think we learned from each other during the meeting and I look forward to seeing them all at the upcoming events. I hope we can get Public Works out there more often to meet and greet the people we serve on a daily basis – it’s so cool to build a relationship with these folks.
In case anyone didn’t get a chance to write it down, our web site is www.bristolct.gov/publicworks, email is publicworks@bristolct.gov, and our new Facebook page is www.facebook.com/BristolPW
Thanks again!
Sheree Gorneault
Bristol Public Works
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Summer Street Once Again a Testament to its Name
Above,A look-back at Bristol Rising’s first efforts to help Summer St. shine
Manager of 8-30 Summer Street and owner of 78 Summer Street, Dave Haberfeld details lower Summer’s journey from a crumbling circuit to its reestablished roots:
Today I’d like to update you on Summer Street in Bristol. For those of you that are familiar with lower Summer Street, this is the area near the intersection of Main Street and Summer Street, across from the library.
Most people don’t have many good things to say about it, and rightfully so.
However, it doesn’t make sense that a bad area continues to persist in between our downtown and the nice area we know as Federal Hill. Renaissance recognized this neighborhood was a problem and began efforts to solve that problem.
I am still amazed every day at what I’ve learned through those efforts. At a meeting at City Hall, landlords that owned property on lower Summer Street met and shook hands for the first time. Some of them joined Bristol Rising and every one of them expressed a desire to make things better.
We then organized a Summer Street clean up day held last September, which was a great success! I met many of the tenants there and that was just the beginning. By coordinating efforts between the city, police, tenants, landlords, Bristol Rising, and investors, Summer Street today is leaps and bounds a better place to live than it was just 9 short months ago. Walking down Summer Street on a nice day is comfortable today, when it wasn’t just last summer.
This is a great example of things that this downtown revitalization project is accomplishing before we even break ground on the depot square site. Please stay tuned for more updates and positive changes on Summer Street in the months and years ahead. By the time the downtown has its first building built, I’ve made it my personal mission to make sure that Summer Street is a great place to live for the people that want to live walking distance from the new downtown and want to enjoy it. Summer Street will be ready for the new vision of what will become our downtown.
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
West End’s Clean Sweep
West End Association with the help of some Risers had a great day last Saturday, May 12, 2012, cleaning up the streets and neighborhood of the historic West End area.
Thanks to those that came out! It was just another piece of the puzzle in terms of unifying the community in the joint effort of revitalizing our downtown! Check out the pictures below of that sunshiny day and thanks to Carol Lass for catching such enthusiasm on camera!
Name: Bristol Rising
Website: http://bristolrising.com
Short bio:
We the members of Bristol Rising are crowdsourcing the market for the triple-bottom-line public, commercial and residential amenities that we’d like to see in the downtown!
Our mission is to represent the future downtown community of Bristol, Connecticut throughout its revitalization. Our goal is to create a vibrant destination that is economically, socially and environmentally beneficial to our culture and economy, where thousands of members work together in making it the best place in the country to be!
Submitted by Bristol Rising
Contact Us
860-582-0030Bristol City Hall 2nd Fl111 N. Main St.Bristol, CT 06010
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