Over ninety community members attended the Gorham Village Alliance (GVA) community vision workshop on March 11. Committee members Kathy Garrard and Dede Perkins explained that the vision and goals presented were based on town-wide surveys that were completed over a time period of close to a year. There were a total of 917 completed surveys, of which 95% of the responders stated that they lived in the greater village area.

The meeting was facilitated by Shanna Cox, a consultant from Project Tipping Point. She shared the results of the community surveys, the new GVA logo, and the vision of the GVA. She also explained that the GVA is officially a Downtown Network Community overseen by the Maine Downtown Center which will provide resources, training, and ideas to create a more vibrant and economically viable Gorham Village.

Based on the surveys, the top three suggestions for improvement to the village center besides shops, restaurants, and events were pedestrian pathways, flowers/landscaping, and green spaces. The surveys also indicated that residents believe attractive architecture is important for the downtown to thrive.

The main way people said they wanted to get around the village is on foot. On the other hand, it was clear that most people would need to drive into the village for activities so parking needs to be available. The report proposed two transformational strategies: creating engaging experiences on a regular basis, and developing safe, accessible, and pleasing ways to move around the village.