The PRIDE Board of Directors took a leap of faith on Wednesday, April 5^th (2000) in deciding to submit a Main Street Program application with a May 12^th deadline and a hefty financial challenge, the $200,000 requirement to fund a full time Main Street Manager for four years.

• Town leaders made a bold move in June of 1999 to purchase the large Brownstone Quarry and 45 acres of river front property. Just last week, the South Quarry was added to the town holdings.
• Notification is expected before summer that the Brownstone Quarries will receive official designation as a National Historic Landmark, one of only 14 such geological sites in the country.
• Monday, April 24^th, at 7pm in the Library John Monroe, our National Park Service Consultant, will report back the findings of the popular April 8^th Quarry and River Front Focus Day. Over 300 people visited the area and brainstormed ways to make Portland and popular, and economically viable, destination spot. This meeting is open to anyone interested.
• Rick Kelsey and the Dept. of Public Works have made tremendous progress in clearing an access area to the Quarries. The State Police are volunteering to help with the clean up.
• Congressman John Larson, whose grandfather worked in the quarries, is coming to town April 25^th, to visit the site.
• June 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th, John Monroe will be coordinating a 3-day intensive Charrette (a workshop with National Park Service experts and townspeople) to design the overall concept for the development of our Brownstone Quarries and the River Front, including linkages to Main Street. There is tremendous statewide community and media interest in this project.
• Pride is on the verge of receiving permission from the State Dept. of Transportation to "Adopt the Highway" from the Bridge to the Post Office, enabling us to implement a plan designed to beautify the Portland entrance to the bridge.
• The newly restored Central School is finished and Town Hall staff will be moving in Easter/Passover Week. The renovation of the empty Main Street building starts soon.

Things are happening FAST! It is easy to make a commitment to Portland's future now that results of three years of organization are beginning to show. Portland deserves a generous response.