A year and a half ago community members came gathered at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the Green to brainstorm how to protect our downtown and thrive and survive the disruption of the bridge and rail project.  “Neighbors, Together” was conceived and hundreds of ideas were put forth. 
One of those ideas was to have “ambassadors” downtown during the construction to guide visitors and residents around the construction.  Having this list at the ready allowed us to spring into action with very short notice and, hopefully, provide some calm and assistance.  The wonderful Wednesday night block party that the Better Middlebury Partnership put on during the construction was also suggested at the Neighbors, Together forums.
We now have a little experience under our belt. We know that we have a community of people who are eager to help and a lot of positive suggestions on how to succeed during the construction.  We’ll be ready for the next round.
Thanks for your help.
Nancy Malcolm and
Linda Horn
Neighbors, Together
Middlebury