Driving through Route 302 in Raymond, you hopefully have noticed a few changes in the last year. The Raymond Beautification Committee work effort would be one change. Driving through Raymond on Route 302 it is difficult not to notice the well kept plantings. This group evolved as the Town of Raymond asked the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber Of Commerce to create a committee to look at ensuring recent upgrades in the corridor were taken care of. Specifically, this meant caring for the plantings and various growth areas in Raymond on Route 302. While the Chamber began this effort, very quickly a (hard) core group of volunteers came together to get it done.

This group includes local citizens Donna Johnson, Sharon Dodson, Mary Lentine, Mary McIntire, Eileen Stiles, Christine McClellan and Elisa Trepanier. They have taken this work on (as volunteers) and not only solved the problem but have excelled at what they do. Initially, the group created a mission and vision. This included centering on the Route 302 corridor but includes future plans to look at all parts of Raymond. The group was fortunate throughout to have the support and expertise of Raymond Town Manager Don Willard and Raymond Road Commissioner Nathan White. This group of town officials, having a mission and vision, then picked up the work done in the original planting project. This included learning specifics about the various plants, watering and replacing dead growth. Weeding the beds became a tedious job but as contact hours grew, a source of pride to do more kicked in. Nathan White particularly must be commended for his efforts to ensure the watering, so important to new plants, was accomplished.

As the group worked toward goals they began to solicit input from the public and particularly the business owners of Route 302. Even though there had been publicity about this work, the group found that many store owners had noticed the work but were not sure who the volunteers were. Another interesting occurrence was that the members listed above joined the effort and only were connected as Raymond citizens. None would say they joined as friends of each other. Now this is a very close-knit group. The second change (perhaps you thought I forgot this one?) is that business owners liked what they saw and over 20 have joined the effort by adopting the growth area around their business. You can now see crA? ?me colored signs acknowledging this participation.

You might ask why this is the topic of a column dedicated to business issues? The answer, of course, is that this is a topic that impacts business. We have all heard the saying about the importance of first impressions. In Raymond, travelers get a great first impression due to the Raymond Beautification Committee and its town support. Do I have statistics to show shopping is up in Raymond, well, no I do not. But I know in my marketing heart that this is a good thing, and that is good business!