Take-Aways from the Inter-City Visit 2012

I don't have a summary of today's sessions because I had a work conference call, so perhaps another attendee can provide one (I'm talking to you Lee Storrow). However, at the end of the sessions today we talked about what we were going to take away from the Visit. Here is a listing:

Take-ways

-       This trip helped the director learn more about Chapel Hill and now I want to look into working with other UNC campuses.

-       I really liked the idea of the Hoosiers Community Support Program in which items that students leave behind are collected, sold, and the money given to organizations like the United Way.

-       Value of arts as economic driver was a take-home for many, Jeffrey York, Chapel Hill Public Arts Administrator is committed to bringing together a task force to connect arts aspects of towns, county, and UNC

-       Folks loved Bloomington’s Downtown attractions – including the theater for live music and the B-Line Trail

-       Bloomington has a larger downtown than we do (64 blocks), so we need to be creative in our promotion of the arts and entertainment.

-       Bill Cook! Who are the Bill Cooks of our community? (The Cook Family has bankrolled a large number of projects in Bloomington and at IU)

-       Public-Private Education/partnerships

-       Student housing –there is going to be a focus group in Chapel Hill with Trinitas (developers from Bloomington, developing Bicycle Apartments in Chapel Hill), to talk about what we actually want as students from housing (do we really need concierge service?)

-       Find innovative ways to attract new business, health care industry, create a TIF district

-       Lots of small tweaks we can do, no need for huge mountain moving

-       Economic development is not all about real estate in Bloomington, refreshing

-       Tom Stevens – willing to do a bourbon tasting class for Durham Tech (Ivy Tech in Bloomington has such a class), Hillsborough has a cultural district – so come learn about it, get a personal tour from the mayor

-       Preserving older buildings is important

-       Artists can exhibit and have a reception at Terra Nova (Mariana Fiorentino)

-       Trips like this help us learn about our own community

-       Information kiosks/way-finding signs are great (map with shop locations on one side and events on the other)

-       Parks & Rec – amateur athletics fields have been a boon for Bloomington

-       Let’s court a bike race/conference/event – as a destination to bring folks in.

-       Durham Tech interesting in having more collaborations with UNC and schools

-       Make link between local economy and public schools

-       Get a committee together to bring more athletics to the community

-       People are very friendly in Bloomington, hope we give that impression at home too.

-       Everyone walks or rides their bikes here, need to encourage that at home, especially for students.

-       Everyone loved the courthouse square lights.

Only about 20 of the 80 attendees had time to share their reflections, so add any reflections you weren't able to share today.

If you didn't attend the Visit, what more would you like to know?