by Julie Martorana | Jun 17, 2020 | Emerging Projects
Community can directly help local downtown businesses as they recover from the impact of COVID-19
Brunswick, MD (June 17, 2020) — During May 2020 Brunswick Main Street was proud to award 11 Downtown Brunswick businesses with $1000 micro-grants. This program was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Frederick County. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on small businesses is unprecedented and downtown Brunswick businesses feel this impact deeply.
To continue supporting our downtown businesses as they face new challenges (and expenses) as their businesses re-open, Brunswick Main Street is seeking to offer a second round of micro-grants. We need help from the community to replenish our micro-grant fund and continue the support we have begun to provide to our downtown business owners. Balancing the need for fund-raising with sensitivity to the ability to give in this current situation, Brunswick Main Street has launched a unique campaign to achieve this delicate balance.
Join our Power of 5 campaign, which asks for a donation of only $5 and then that each donor, in turn, asks 5 people they know to also donate $5 each and, so on. This campaign has the potential to help Brunswick Main Street reach our goal to raise the funds to offer a second round of micro-grants to our local downtown businesses.
We ALL LOVE downtown Brunswick, show your support for downtown! To join the Power of 5 to help our downtown thrive, visit www.brunswickmainstreet.org and click on the “Donate Here” button.
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About Brunswick Main Street
Brunswick Main Street is part of Main Street America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that supports communities in their efforts to revitalize struggling downtowns while retaining their unique, historic characters. Dedicated to the economic success of its downtown, Brunswick Main Street, created in 2004, works to revitalize the charm and history and show residents and visitors why Downtown Brunswick is a great place to live, work, shop and play. To learn more about Brunswick Main Street and how you can get involved, please visit brunswickmainstreet.org.
Connect with us on social media:
Facebook: @BrunswickMainStreet Instagram: @brunswickmainstreet
Media Contact
For more information, please contact Julie Martorana at brunswickms@gmail.com or (301) 834-5591.
by Julie Martorana | May 4, 2020 | Emerging Projects
| Julie Martorana |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| Chairman, Board of Directors |
May 4th, 2020 |
| (301) 834-5591 |
|
| brunswickms@gmail.com
|
|
COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant received to provide aid to Downtown Businesses.
Grant rewarded by The Community Foundation of Frederick County.
Brunswick, Md. (May 4th, 2020) — The Community Foundation of Frederick County in partnership with the COVID Collaborative recently announced that Brunswick Main Street will be provided $10,000 for its emergency micro-grant program to provide financial assistance to existing downtown businesses. This grant was made possible by the Our Heavenly Cause Foundation, Truist Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Levine.
The micro-grant program has been established in order to provide temporary relief to local downtown businesses. Downtown businesses and local non-profits adversely affected by COVID-19 will be able to apply to receive this grant which will aid them with paying expenses during this time of crisis. 10 downtown business will be awarded $1000 each. The application period opens May 4th at 10:00am and closes May 11th at 11:59pm. Visit our website for more information at: www.brunswickmainstreet.org. Brunswick Main Street will be notifying recipients shortly thereafter. Also, Brunswick Main Street will be launching a giving campaign to raise funds to continue the micro-grant program to meet the needs of our downtown businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds.
The Community Foundation was established in order to help individuals connect with causes that matter in the community and to the individuals. They work together in order to provide scholarships to students and to create funds to aid local nonprofit organizations. In conjunction with the COVID Collaborative, an organization that consists of several organizations in the community working together to create funding for local businesses and individuals, they raised over $285,500 for emergency grants. Of this money, Brunswick Main Street was honored to receive a grant of $10,000 for their micro-grant program.
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About Brunswick Main Street
Brunswick Main Street is part of Main Street America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that supports communities in their efforts to revitalize struggling downtowns while retaining their unique, historic characters. Dedicated to the economic success of its downtown, Brunswick Main Street, created in 2004, works to revitalize the charm and history and show residents and visitors why Downtown Brunswick is a great place to live, work, shop and play. To learn more about Brunswick Main Street and how you can get involved, please visit brunswickmainstreet.org.
Connect with us on social media:
Facebook: @BrunswickMainStreet Twitter: @BrunswickMS Instagram: @brunswickmainstreet
Media Contact
For more information, please contact Julie Martorana at brunswickms@gmail.com
by Julie Martorana | Mar 10, 2020 | Emerging Projects
Brunswick Main Street Grants Six Façade and Interior Improvement Awards This Year
Awarded projects will lead to a $112,000.00 investment into downtown buildings.
Brunswick Main Street is pleased to announce that six downtown buildings will be receiving Community Legacy Grant funds for property improvements. The Brunswick Main Street Façade and Interior Improvement Program aims to financially support redevelopment and revitalization initiatives in the Brunswick Main Street district. The 2019-2020 Façade and Interior Improvement Program specifically looked to assist projects related to City of Brunswick and Frederick County occupancy code improvements. The objectives of this recent grant cycle were to fund (1) façade improvements and signage which will enhance the appearance of the downtown and/or preserve the historical appearance of the buildings, (2) interior improvements, especially those that will bring a property up to code, facilitating occupancy, and (3) other related projects. This past year, Brunswick Main Street was awarded $50,000.00 to disperse among chosen applicants.
The Brunswick Main Street Façade and Interior Improvement program is funded through a Maryland State Revitalization Grant – the Community Legacy Grant. All projects must obtain Community Legacy Grant approval and Maryland Historical Trust approval (each improvement must not produce any adverse effect on the preservation of the building). The Brunswick Main Street Façade and Interior Improvement Program has been used to maintain and enhance some of downtown Brunswick’s most important downtown buildings and businesses. The program also contributes to improving the attractiveness and revitalization of our core downtown business district. Brunswick Main Street will be continuing the Community Legacy Grant Program in Fiscal Year 2021. Brunswick Main Street was awarded more funds this year ($55,000.00) for the program.
Brunswick Main Street’s 2019-2020 Façade and Interior Improvement Program will yield improvements valued at approximately $112,000.00. In this grant round, the following properties have been awarded funds:
- Potomac Street Grill (31 E Potomac Street) for new awnings;
- Antiques N Ole Stuff (25 E Potomac Street) for new interior and exterior lighting fixtures;
- Towpath Creamery/ Boxcar Burgers (12 S Maple Ave) for new air-conditioning systems;
- “The Arts Center” (14 East A Street) for new plumbing, heating and cooling systems, electric work and new windows;
- Beans in the Belfry (122 W Potomac Street) for a new kitchen floor;
- The Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Company (200 W Potomac Street) for a new roof.
by Julie Martorana | Sep 17, 2019 | Emerging Projects
Pictured: Clean Up Day 2018, Gene and Diane Farmer and David Roberts of Brunswick Crossing, April 28, 2018
Volunteering at Brunswick Main Street
By Brunswick Main Street
Volunteers are the heart and soul of Brunswick Main Street.
They are the Board members who spend hours contemplating the direction of the organization, they are the committee members who pull out the weeds in the flower pots or organize a property tour, and they are the ticket collectors, wine pourers, race officials and cleaners for one of our many events. Without them, Brunswick Main Street would only be a fraction of what it has become. This community cares deeply about our downtown, its history, and its importance to our identity.
Brunswick Main Street could not be more proud of who we are, where we have come from, and where we will continue to go.
OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE THE BEST.
And we want you to meet a few:
“I volunteer for Brunswick Main Street because I want the people of our town to come together and have fun. I volunteer for a lot of the events BMS puts on — you can often find me at the registration table for an event — but I also hand out shirts for the Potomac Street Mile, help at other events, and sometimes drop by the office for a few hours to help with mailings.”
Has volunteering for Brunswick Main Street been rewarding?
“Volunteering for Brunswick Main Street has been a great thing for me. The events themselves are fun and I have met so many great people by volunteering. I enjoy meeting the other volunteers — both BMS regulars and people who volunteer for one event a year — and the people who come to take part in the events.”
What would you say to someone considering becoming a BMS volunteer?
“If you want to have fun and feel useful, come volunteer for one event. Try us out and I think that you will like us.”
Event Volunteer, Pictured Right
“If you believe as I do, that it is important for our downtown to be a lively, attractive commercial center of our town, then we should all help to make it happen. Brunswick Main Street is the best organization to do this. It’s a proven nationwide program with methods that have worked in many towns across the country.”
Has serving on a BMS committee been rewarding?
“Volunteering for Brunswick Main Street has been personally rewarding because I’ve made many friends and we all work with the same sense of purpose. It’s rewarding to see our accomplishments, even though we have a long way to go to make our downtown all we want it to be. We’ll never stop trying.”
What would you say to someone considering serving on a committee?
“I encourage others to become Main Street committee members. Committee work is where things really get done. You can use your ideas and skills to make things happen. It’s also a great way to meet people and make new friends.”
Design Committee Member, Pictured Right
“I volunteer for Brunswick Main Street because I come from a place where my small-town upbringing shaped my character positively and profoundly and I want to do my part to contribute to a strong community that can benefit my own children and others in the same way.”
Has volunteering as a Board member been rewarding to you?
“It has absolutely been rewarding. I have met many good people that I would not have gotten to know and it has tied me into the community in a way that I don’t think would have happened otherwise. It is incredibly satisfying to be able to go into a business or walk down Potomac Street and to stop & chat with friends & acquaintances. It is tremendously comforting to know that when my boys run around a crowded city event, there’s a good chance there’s at least two other pairs of eyes on them who know where & with whom they belong. My volunteer experience has been the “knitting” force that people invoke when they say “close-knit community.”
What would you say to someone considering becoming a Board member?
“Don’t stand in your own way! You can do it! There really are resources out there that a person of vision & action can access through Main Street to make our common dreams for a vibrant downtown a reality. Becoming a Board Member is the most profound step you can take towards putting yourself where you turn an idea into an achievement.”
Board Member, Promotions Committee Chair
WE NEED YOUR HELP
As Brunswick Main Street pushes itself as an organization, our need for community input and volunteer power becomes greater. If you have been thinking about becoming a volunteer, now is the time! Visit this page to find out what our current volunteer needs are: CLICK HERE
by Julie Martorana | Jul 9, 2019 | Emerging Projects
Call to Artists
With support from the Tourism Council of Frederick County, (Visit Frederick), Frederick County’s (Maryland) five Main Street Programs are collaborating on a project to bring temporary public art to each of its five Main Streets. These communities are the following: Brunswick, Frederick, Middletown, New Market and Thurmont. The Frederick Main Street partners are seeking an Artist/Team to design, fabricate, and install temporary public artworks (to be installed for approximately one year) at each of the Frederick County Main Streets.
Deadline has been extended to July 31st at 5:00PM
Examples of Temporary Public Art:
APPLY:
Please note that the deadline for the proposals has been changed to July 31st at 5:00PM. All applications must be sent to Susie Leong at publicartonmain@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please contact Susie at 301.455.4487 or email the above address.
- One Artist/Team will be selected to provide five (5) temporary public art pieces, one for each of the Main Street sites. These must be five (5) unique public art pieces.
- Total budget for the project is $38,750
- All professional Artists or Artist Teams living within 80 miles of Frederick County are welcome to apply
- The Selection Committee (comprised of Main Street representatives and art professionals) will review all applications and select up to five (5) Finalist Artists or Artist Teams. The Finalists will be invited to develop proposals for the five sites. Each Finalist will receive an honorarium of $200.
To apply, please review and download the below attachment:
CALL TO ARTISTS Frederick Main Street Project
by Julie Martorana | Jun 12, 2019 | Emerging Projects
A Guest Blog Post by our Board Chairman, Julie Martorana
This year Brunswick Main Street celebrates its 15th anniversary. 15 years and going strong! So what will the next 15 years look like?
As an organization, Brunswick Main Street faces the same challenges our city faces: embracing our past and looking forward to our future. The past provides us with knowledge from lessons learned and a solid foundation. However, we must be willing to change. None of us can afford to remain stagnant. The best way to honor our past is to continue to envision our future, just as our founding members did when they began.
This past year Brunswick Main Street has been doing just that. We are looking for ways to build on our strong organizational foundation while recognizing the changes occurring around us. A sign of a strong, healthy organization is continually asking, “How can we improve”? And that sentiment, I am happy to report, is alive and well at Brunswick Main Street.
Our newly developed Strategic Plan charts an ambitious course for the organization into 2025. Through 2020, we will be concentrating on expanding our foundation by working to increase the capacity of the organization through the following efforts:
- Developing a comprehensive fundraising plan to ensure we have the resources to carry out our plans
- Expanding our volunteer base, again giving us the necessary diversity of resources
- Recruitment and development of our Board of Directors to ensure we have a sustainable organizational structure for the future
- Updating and documenting internal processes to support our growth and expansion
- Increasing our grant-seeking efforts to support our proposed programs and internal development
My intent here to show what Brunswick Main Street will be doing to build our organization. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the plans for our future. We have many goals in each of our committees which include the Design committee, the Promotions committee and the Economic Restructuring committee. For more information about these committees and their plans please check out our our pages HERE.
In the next 15 years Brunswick Main Street has created a vision for our downtown that includes:
1. Attracting new and vibrant businesses to our downtown corridor and strengthening our support systems for the exisiting businesses within our Main Street district.
2. Making our downtown an attractive city center that is clean, green and safe.
3. Promoting all of the wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities right outside of our downtown. Everyone should experience the beauty of the C&O Canal in Brunswick!
I hope that this look into the future of Brunswick Main Street generates hope and excitement for what is to come. At Brunswick Main Street we are motivated by the vision for our future and what we can do for Brunswick’s downtown district. If you feel this same hope and excitement I urge you to join us. It will take all of us, involved and engaged, to create the vibrant city center that will make us all proud of the town we love so dearly.
