Vision to Reality Newsletter
Community & Economic Development Director, Bob Rulli, updated the Town Council on Tuesday (12/5) on the Vision to Reality initiative. He reviewed the activities to date and shared a schedule going forward for the next several months, with an emphasis on proposed zoning amendments which will include the adoption of a Form-Based Code.
As he explained to Council members and the public, the form-based code will offer both an expedited approval process for new development and also a predictable outcome that benefits the public. Rulli also provided additional details on the status of the proposed relocation of the MBTA platform to the Spring Street lot, as well as the results of a recently completed Route 18 Corridor Study completed by the Old Colony Planning Council.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Please like/follow the Office of Community & Economic Development’s Facebook page and be sure to visit the YouTube channel often as we continue to upload videos (both accounts have easy links in the upper right hand corner on the website’s homepage too).
Some of you have been asking, ‘how can I help?’ The more residents that understand Vision to Reality the better, so it would be great if you could please share this information with others in the community!
Bridgewater’s Office of Community & Economic Development:
Bob Rulli, Director
E: rrulli@bridgewaterma.org
P: 508-697-0950
Nicole Salvo, Executive Assistant
E: nsalvo@bridgewaterma.org
P: 508-697-0950
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Bob or Nicole if you have any questions!
Residents can download the town’s Report it! App to notify the town of issues that need their attention. For more information, click the link here. This is an app that can be downloaded and accessed via a smartphone.
At Tuesday's Town Council meeting (12/5) the Bridgwater Town Council, members of the public and Town Staff were treated to honest and inspiring remarks from Kelvin Bimha. Kelvin is a student from Zimbabwe who has spent the fall semester at Bridgewater State University as part of a United States State Department scholarship program. In addition to his class work, Kelvin also interned with the Office of Community and Economic Development. CED Director, Bob Rulli, described Kelvin’s always positive attitude as “infectious.”
“Our entire staff looked forward to Kelvin’s arrival on Mondays, we felt that he was giving more to us than what we could offer him.” Kelvin will be returning home to Zimbabwe at the end of the month to continue his studies. His experience in the States has opened a whole new universe of hopes and dreams. Kelvin has high ambitions and is interested in working with organizations such as USAID or an agency associated with the United Nations when he graduates from college.
We wish Kelvin the best of luck moving forward and are grateful for the time he shared with us.
SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAM:
The Town’s FREE program for Bridgewater businesses offers confidential one-on-one advising sessions with small business experts, as well as offers small business workshops on relevant topics.
We are in the process of building out a robust business resource center within the CED Office - if you have questions or need support, please reach out to Nicole or anyone in that office. Regular ‘office hours’ will be on Mondays starting in January but please feel free to email us to set up your private 1:1 session anytime.
Sample areas of one-on-one advising & support:
Social Media Marketing
Email Marketing
Sales!!!
Strategy Development & Execution
SEO
Website Development & Updates
We are already planning workshops for after the holidays - stay tuned for more information but mark your calendars now for January 17th, February 14th & March 20th from noon-1:30. We are solidifying the locations and topics/facilitators and will have more information in the next email newsletter.
LET’S TALK:
We have a bi-weekly feature on the Vision to Reality website called 'Let's Talk' in which Bob Rulli, the Office of Community & Economic Development Director, discusses different elements of the initiative.
We have the first 7 issues up on the website and encourage you to read them if you haven’t already! Please share with others! The link is here.
#VisionToReality
