By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

After harsh weather canceled one of the Goffstown Main Street Program 's main fundraisers last year, members of the group's board say they are currently scrambling to cut costs and raise volunteer numbers.

Though the program has eliminated the $38,000 position of executive director, the program 's president said all scheduled activities will continue as planned.

“It was strictly a cost-cutting measure” to eliminate Cathy Ewing as the program's executive director, said Goffstown Main Street Program President Jim Beauchemin.

Beauchemin said this does not spell the end of the Goffstown Main Street Program, even temporarily.

“Our doors will remain open,” Beauchemin said, adding that the program will be run in the near future by a part-time coordinator.

The current funding troubles stem mostly from the cancellation of last year's Pumpkin Weigh-off and Regatta, said Beauchemin. That event usually serves as one of the program's main fundraisers of the year, he said.

Last year's regatta was scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 15 – a weekend that brought torrential rains and floods throughout the state. Weather conditions forced the event to be cancelled entirely.

“It was just a trick of Mother Nature, but it did cause the budgetary crunch we're experiencing right now,” Beauchemin said.

“We took a hard hit because of the Weigh-off, and it really made us think we needed to look at things like how we raise money and attract volunteers,” Beauchemin said.

Although the cancellation of the Pumpkin Weigh-off and Regatta did cause a snag in the Goffstown Main Street Program's fundraising efforts, Beauchemin said the program will continue with all activities unabated while focusing on how to step up its levels of volunteers and cash reserves.

The program's 10-member board of directors had a special meeting last Tuesday, Jan. 10, to discuss its current needs for cash and volunteers. Almost 50 people attended that meeting, according to outgoing executive director Cathy Ewing.

“The main purpose of that meeting was to decide if we're still relevant, and if we want to continue being a Main Street community or if there are other options we can look at,” said Ewing, who writes an occasional column for The Goffstown News.

The Goffstown Main Street Program is an independent organization whose annual budget generally runs approximately $100,000, Ewing said.

Approximately two-thirds of that budget goes to overhead, Ewing said.

“Varying from year to year, it costs about $62,000 to keep the doors open and the lights on,” Ewing said during an interview at the Main Street Program's offices at 7 Main St.

Though the program is not affiliated with any town governing body, there has been a warrant article on the ballot for the past several years requesting $15,000 for the program, Ewing said.

All other money for the program is raised through sponsorships and donations, she said.

Beauchemin and Ewing both said the volunteer levels are down, which Ewing said is particularly pronounced when the program is doing preparatory work for an upcoming event.

“We have people who want to participate in the events themselves, but there's a challenge in getting people to want to participate in support work,” Ewing said.

Volunteer levels have reached highs of approximately 70 people in the past, Beauchemin said. The numbers now remain relatively lower, he said.

Volunteers will be particularly important in helping to carry out the events scheduled for the upcoming year, Beauchemin said. Activities for this year include a silent auction fundraiser planned for St. Patrick's Day, a golf tournament in May, Old Home Day in June, and the Pumpkin Weigh-off and Regatta in October, weather permitting.

Despite the current setbacks in funding, those connected with the Goffstown Main Street Program said the organization's work remains as important as ever.

Assistant Town Administrator Jim Bingham, who sits on the program's board of directors, said the Main Street Program plays a vital role in keeping the community attractive to residents and businesses. He points to work done in conjecture with the planning, zoning and economic development departments in the village commercial district as illustrating the program's importance.

“The changes I've seen have been spectacular,” said Bingham, who said he recalls seeing snapshots of Goffstown in the early 1980s and says many improvements can be directly attributed to the activities of the Main Street Program.

Bingham cites improvements in the town's sidewalks and pedestrian walkways as further evidence of the program's contributions.

The Goffstown Main Street Program has compiled a list of accomplishments achieved since the organization formed in 1999.

Those accomplishments include landscaping at town hall, $3.1 million invested in building renovations and new construction projects along Main Street by the public and private sector in the past seven years, arts and promotional events, and work with other town committees on beautification projects.

Activities such as these play a role in keeping the town attractive and desirable, Ewing said.

“Vibrant downtowns don't happen by accident,” Ewing said. “Anyone who has been here more than five years can see what the Main Street Program has done.”