New leader tapped for Manchester Downtown Special Services District

Jul. 4—MANCHESTER — Bernadette LeBel, a former insurance claims adjuster, recently became the new manager of the Downtown Special Services District, replacing Joy Press, who has taken a new job as secondary principal at the Cornerstone Christian School.

Press will remain with the district in a part-time role as a marketing assistant.

LeBel takes over during a transitional time for the downtown area, whose identity is changing from a traditional retail and office space setting to a more immersive living experience, downtown officials say. LeBel, who said she would spend her few first months absorbing information, will oversee the district as it aims to stimulate further development of transformational projects.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Bernadette LeBel, a Manchester resident and former insurance worker, has taken over as the new manager of the Downtown Manchester Special Services District.

WHO: LeBel replaces Joy Press, who is starting a new job as a secondary principal for the Cornerstone Christian School. Press will remain with the district in a part-time role as a marketing assistant.

Established in the early 1990s, the special taxing district is an association of downtown businesses stretching south from approximately Center Street to Hartford Road, according to its website. Businesses within this community collaborate to maintain clean facilities, manage parking, handle improvement projects, and offer promotional activities and group events.

A volunteer board of commissioners governs the district and the downtown manager handles the day-to-day operations.

LeBel joins the district after spending more than a decade working at Travelers Insurance Co. in Hartford as a claims adjuster and account executive, handling environmental and homeowner claims.

As she becomes more sure-footed in her new role, LeBel said, she aspires to be a "tremendous resource for support of the Downtown District," working closely with Dan Pesce, the downtown development specialist. That position was created in 2018 to help facilitate real estate and economic development downtown.

Before Press, Tana Parseliti held the manager's job for 18 years.

Pesce said LeBel brings a "tremendous amount of experience and organization" to the district. He called her cordial and easy-going — two leadership qualities that he said would be useful as issues arise.

"You need somebody who's going to have a level head and bring everybody to the table, and it seems like she'll be able to do that," Pesce said.

The vacancy rate of downtown storefronts wasn't immediately available, but officials say the figure is very low. Pesce said the area was fortunate not to see a "mass exodus" of retail businesses during the pandemic, a time when many businesses struggled to stay afloat.

One of Pesce's main responsibilities includes finding adaptive reuses for downtown buildings with upper-floor vacancies, spaces that traditionally house business offices. But as businesses adapt to more efficient models of remote work, the need for office space has dwindled.

Since 2020, the town has offered a zero percent interest loan program aimed at developers who remodel second and third floor downtown buildings that are in need of upgrades to attract tenants. The program, initially launched to increase downtown vibrancy, is helping the town promote some of its less marketable properties.

So far, two loans have been approved under the program: $200,000 for the conversion of the former Pinewood Furniture building on Main Street to the Firestone Art Studio + Cafe, and another $200,000 for the renovation of the former Catsup & Mustard building, which will now feature a first-floor restaurant and eight market-rate apartments on the second and third floors.

Firestone is now open and construction on the other building is underway, Pesce said. He added that there are also other developers interested in converting properties for residential use.

Even before the pandemic, downtowns nationwide had begun to shift from being traditional business sectors to having more of a residential, open-air market feel, Pesce said. COVID-19 only exacerbated that trend.

"It's going back to what downtowns used to be decades ago when people were riding trolleys, biking more, using public transit," Pesce said. "Downtowns are starting to almost revert back to serving that purpose."

Residential property values in Manchester grew an astonishing 18% in the latest revaluation-fueled grand list. And while that number accounts for residential property growth throughout the entire town, it does partially illustrate why town officials are eager to convert unused upstairs office space to accommodate the high demand of eager potential tenants.

"The town is recognizing that the upper-floor office space is still there but it's changing," Pesce said. "We want to attract people to come live downtown so we can benefit from all the extra things that you get from people living downtown." Economic benefits include customers spending more time at restaurants and retail businesses, he said.

The increase in residential properties could "continue the momentum of those types of business," Pesce said.

The return of certain events, such as the Silk City Fest and the Manchester Road Race, are also boosting profits for downtown businesses.

The Off-Main Experience that launched last year is also returning again to Purnell Place on Thursdays throughout July from 5-8 p.m., officials said. The popularity of this event, described as a pedestrian-friendly, open market with live music and art installations, shows how the community enjoys a more interactive downtown experience.

Last year's event hosted over 15 vendors and seven live painting exhibits, and provided an immediate benefit to local businesses, local officials said. Urban Lodge Brewing Co. reported that it roughly doubled its sales on those evenings.

Extended outdoor dining, a boon for many downtown restaurants during the pandemic, may also continue given its popularity, Pesce said. Once Connecticut is no longer under Governor Lamont's relaxed order for outdoor dining, the town may "strongly consider" making permanent the conversion of street parking spaces into outdoor dining.

Mulberry Street Pizza owner Bob Sulic called his restaurant's extended outdoor dining area an "oasis" for customers during the pandemic. Although it was difficult to accommodate, Sulic said the extended dining "helped break the back of the COVID situation, and made people feel more comfortable."

Building a new library downtown would also greatly benefit surrounding businesses, Sulic added. He said the library would be a "keystone attraction" for Manchester's diverse population.

"In order to take (downtown) into the next century and continue to compete with Glastonbury, South Windsor, and anything west of the river ... these changes that they're talking about have to come to fruition," Sulic said. "We have to get them done."