The Westbrook Community Chamber needs you to fill very important positions on the Board of Directors.  The future of our community chamber can be enhanced and influenced by the leadership that we show in the activities and policies of your local community chamber. Each member (including all employees at member companies) have the opportunity to be a leader, and the board would welcome your expertise.  You do not have to be the CEO of your company to represent them on the board – you can be the leader in your department that has ideas that help meet challenges; or you can be an interested resident of Westbrook with business interests elsewhere in our region who would like to be a part of the growth of our community.  Please contact Michelle Philbrook at michelle@tfre.com to find out how you can be a part of this exciting time for the City of Westbrook.

31^st Westbrook Together Days:   Save the Dates:  June 4 & 5, 2010 

The planning is under way and the committee chaired by Darryl Wright is very busy pulling everything together. Volunteers are still needed to help the Westbrook Community Chamber make this event a big success!

Leona Glidden has once again agreed to chair the Auction Committee. She will be helped by her daughter. You should start deciding what you have to contribute because Leona will be contacting you very soon. As you know this is the major fund raiser for the event.

The committee is still looking for someone to sponsor the Fireworks display.  The cost is between $5000–$6000.  The costs could be shared by more than one company.  The committee has determined that without a sponsor there is not enough money in the budget to have fireworks. 

Darryl is the contact person for the Westbrook Together Days event.  dwright@mainebank.com

Area’s Newest ‘Affordable Housing’ Is Urban Condos in Downtown Portland

A unique take on “affordable housing”—one designed to attract young professionals to an urban lifestyle of shops, restaurants, public transportation and nearby jobs—has arrived in Portland.

The conversion of St. Patrick’s School—a former Catholic elementary school at 1251 Congress Street—is the most recent creation of Westbrook Housing and its affiliate Westbrook Development Corporation.

Units—some already sold or under contract—are ready for occupancy. The exterior of the 15-unit condo building has retained its school building look—and many of its interior features are reminders of its former use—but this structure is definitely home to a new kind of resident.

The need today is for affordable housing for young professional singles and couples, says John Gallagher, Westbrook Housing executive director and president of the Westbrook Development Corporation.

This demand—coupled with the desire by many 20- and 30-somethings to live downtown—was the impetus for the St. Pat’s conversion to “upscale, yet affordable” condo units starting at $159,900, a price point considered “affordable” for young professionals in the Portland area.

“When people think of ‘affordable housing,’ they need to understand that it has many different meanings,” says Gallagher. “In this case, it means at or below 120 percent of median income.” 

Some income restrictions do apply. Down payment assistance is available. Buyers acting soon may qualify for the $8,000 first-time homebuyer federal tax credit.

Gallagher says prospective buyers have already found plenty to like about St. Pat’s, particularly its centralized location in what is viewed as a clean, safe, secure neighborhood at the corner of Congress and Whitney, near Westgate Shopping Center.

If the Westbrook Housing/WDC conversion of an old Westbrook textile mill into Riverfront Lofts, a similar urban condo community two years ago, is any indication, St. Pat’s will generate lots of interest.

There, Gallagher says, the most frequent comment from prospective buyers was “If this were only in downtown Portland.”

Learn more at www.st.patscondos.com or call Realtor Willie Audet, Jr. at 797-7777, Ext. 21. Open houses are held every Sunday, noon to 2 p.m.

DATES TO REMEMBER:  

BOARD MEETING:                   

Tuesday March 9, 2010 

Time: 7:45AM – 8:45AM                    

Location: Prudential Northeast Properties, 386 Bridgton Road, Westbrook

ALL WCC MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.  THE BOARD WELCOMES YOUR INVOLVEMENT.        

BUSINESS AT LUNCH:

Wednesday March 31, 2010

Time: 12:00 – 1:30PM

Location: Westbrook Housing

Program: Gloria Noyes, 2009 Teacher of the Year

LOOKING AHEAD:                   

31^st Westbrook Together Days  June 4 & 5, 2010