Planning and Development Fellow - Deer Isle / Stonington

Abstract:

Since fall of 2008, Island Institute' Planning and Development Fellow, Emma Miran, has been working on economic and community development projects in the capacity of Planning and Development Coordinator.  She has been working for the Stonington Economic Development Committee (SEDC) and Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House.  The projects have focused on planning and strategy development for the Stonington Economic Development Committee; as well as planning, marketing, and digital media work for the historic Stonington Opera House.

 The Stonington Economic Development Committee's overall goal is to encourage new business development and to create a more vibrant year-round economy so that more local businesses will function beyond summer months.  Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House is a non-profit focused on supporting downtown Stonington and bringing year-round theater and arts programming to the community of Stonington and Deer Isle.

Purpose:

 The purpose behind creating a Planning and Development Coordinator Fellowship was to support the local Stonington economy through grant and funding research, develop and write plans and strategies, and work with digital media and communication to create a stronger more vibrant community.  The Stonington economy is strongly base on the fishing and lobster industry and is supplemented by seasonal tourism.  Over three hundred lobster boats are registered in Stonington Harbor, and the island supports an extensive array of shore side infrastructure including dealers and gear and boat supply stores. Other major employers on the island include the construction industry and the tourism and hospitality industry.  The goal of the Stonington Economic Development Committee is to support all of the different unique business on the island and to encourage growth and new business development.  Many restaurants and shops close down during the winter, and the committee hopes to encourage more business to move towards a year-round model.  The Stonington Opera House is strongly involved with the community and provides free public access to its digital media studio: The Imagination Project.  Many budding filmmakers have used the studio to create films about local culture.  Some of the films include; Island Prom, a film about the prom in Stonington and Deer Isle and Tire Tracks, a documentary about the trend in Stonington and other rural communities to burn rubber and make a rubber mark on the roads.  The Island Institute Fellow splits her time between both organizations and is able to work hands on with the local community to support and develop the economy.

Results:

Since the implementation of the fellowship, the Stonington Economic Development Committee (SEDC) has successfully created an inventory of local business on both Deer Isle and Stonington.  The directory is a comprehensive list of island organizations including non-profit and for profit businesses and will be available on-line at the Stonington Town site.  Recently, the SEDC began writing a strategic plan for the next five years.  The plan will include specific goals and strategies that it will use to meet its objectives of sustaining and supporting local business. In conjunction with Penobscot East Resource Center, the Stonington Economic Development Committee created a sub-group called the Stonington Lobster Working Group which is addressing concerns of the fishing and lobster industry in Stonington.  The group is looking specifically at Stonington and what can be done in both the long and short term to increase the boat price for lobster. In other areas, the SEDC had worked on supporting and creating small businesses in the sector of energy independence.  The SECD helped organize three education workshops taught at the Deer Isle-Stonington High School in April and March of 2009. The workshops were Wind and Geo-thermal Power, Solar Power for Homes, Businesses, and Public buildings, and  Practical Energy Conservation for Home and Business.  Finally, through the fellowship the town has re-activated and developed its Micro-Loan Program.  The program was created and is designed to help support small business owners in Stonington by providing low interest loans and create and retaining jobs in the local economy.