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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 JA N UA R Y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S A U G U S TA / WAT E R V I L L E has two one-way streets that make tra- versing the town diffi cult. e recom- mendation is to make traffi c two ways on those streets, Front and Main, and to create more parallel parking rather than perpendicular angle parking. Colby also bought an area for parking to off set the 90 spaces that will be taken by the new student apartments, which are located on a large parking concourse with 600 parking spots in the center of town. It also assured there is space for the displaced farmers market, says Colby Vice President of Planning Brian Clark. He came to Colby with President David Greene from the University of Chicago, where they worked on a simi- lar project. "What's unique here is the partnerships, including with the Alfond Foundation and the city," he says. Clark adds that the student apart- ments located downtown encourage engagement with the community. " at matters a lot," he says. e 20,000-square-foot apartment building will have retail on the ground fl oor and four fl oors of student apartments with their own kitchens. Students in the complex will focus on civil engagement work at the local jail, soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Like many an academic, Colby President Greene looks to history to explain the impetus for the current redevelopment of Waterville. e college struggled during the 1800s, and Gardiner Colby, whose company made uniforms for the Union Army, raised enough money to keep his namesake college afl oat. As the college faltered again during the Depression, Waterville's towns- people came together to raise $107,000 to assure Colby stayed in the town by buying the land on which the col- lege currently sits. On a barren hill, the townspeople bought bricks as they could aff ord them and the buildings were erected one-by-one, Greene says. Paying back Greene is no stranger to the new realities of colleges connecting more strongly with their communities so both survive. He came to Colby in 2014 from the University of Chicago, where he helped transform a food and cultural desert on nearby 53 rd Street into a more vibrant local community with a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, hotels and boutiques. "On my fi rst visit to Waterville in July 2014, I saw a beautiful campus, then drove downtown and stayed at a local hotel," Greene says. "It was a Main Street I recognized right away: Victorian-era buildings, empty stores, buildings not taken care of for decades, second and third fl oors of buildings that looked vacant. I did not see people but I did see elements of urban decay that could have long-term deleterious eff ects." Helping draw interest to downtown Waterville are nearby institutions omas College and Kennebec Valley Community College, as well as the local arts scene. Greene says Colby's art museum itself draws 50,000 visitors a year. "We have real assets and coordi- nated leadership," he says. " ere's no way we can do this work without tensions around the development and how it changes the lives of people. is is earnest collaboration." He also talks about job creation, including 100 jobs at Colby the last few years as it grows with $65,000 as the average salary, and the down- town development that is expected to bring hundreds of jobs, including the 200-plus promised by Collaborative Consulting and its new owner CGI. ere also will be hundreds of con- struction jobs along with jobs at the new hotels and retail stores. " ese jobs are starting to replace mill jobs with 21 st century ones. We need the next iteration of this economy to evolve," Greene says. He expects that activity to draw more high tech and other companies. Greene fi gures that when all is said and done, Colby will spend more than its own $10 million and dip into the general capital fund of the university. He estimates some $65 million in invest- ment from all sources, including private developers, will go into Main Street in Waterville over the next fi ve years. "I hope within fi ve years we'd be in a place where we have a vibrant Main Street that's becoming a destination," he says, "and in 10 years have a sus- tainable business model…where the market takes over." L V , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . a n d @ L V smile by javier No one has a smile like you. And no one can keep it healthy like us. Like Javier, your smile is unique. It deserves Delta Dental, the nation's leading dental benefits provider. With the largest network of dentists nationwide, quick answers, and personalized service, we make it easy to keep your smile healthy. www.nedelta.com Northeast Delta Dental I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years I hope within five years we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we'd be in a place where we have a vibrant Main Street that's becoming a destination, and in 10 years have a sustainable business model. — David Greene Colby College president

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