Update as of June 18th: The Economic Development Commission report is now available for viewing at the Norman Williams Public Library.
The Woodstock Economic Development Commission has completed and issued a 24 page report of its first survey of 100 for-profit businesses.
Overall, what the report seems to indicate — no surprise to many — is that Woodstock still wrestles with the idea of being a charming historical village virtually stuck in time versus the idea of being a growing, changing place that embraces both tourism and progress.
Among other details, the report shows that despite efforts by Village Trustees to mitigate parking ticket anger, local businesses still believe parking problems are an impediment to locals, tourists and their ultimate business success. The report also indicates that high rents in the downtown district discourage many. Others say the signage and zoning process can be burdensome and unpredictable, despite efforts at education via the Town of Woodstock Municipal Manager’s website.
Others commenting in the report say the lack of exceptionally fast internet access may be preventing them from taking advantage fully of digital media opportunities. Some postulate that Woodstock is not seen as a place to establish a digital enterprise due to limitations on service compared to speed and consistency found in more populated areas.
The Economic Development Committee’s Charlie Kimbell presented the executive summary to Village Trustees Tuesday night. The report had a response rate of nearly 100 percent, with 99 businesses expressing a willingness to give their input. Kimbell said it was a rather daunting effort that required immense volunteer input and that, in the future, if this type of report is thought to be useful, Trustees should allocate funds for survey analytics.
Kimbell said he would be putting a copy of the report at the Norman Williams Public Library. It has also been distributed to Trustees and Selectboard members. For more info about the Woodstock Economic Development Commission:
http://townofwoodstock.org/Economic_Development_Commission.aspx
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 