What Is This Website? What Isn't This Website?
Hi, I’m Chet Clem from Lyme Properties, and I started this website in January, 2020 to centralize all relevant information, efforts, and initiatives related to downtown West Lebanon (Old West Leb, West Leb Village, whatever you choose to call it). The original intent for this website was for use by the West Lebanon Revitalization Advisory Council, to be used in parallel to our Committee meetings, but that was rejected by the City of Lebanon given concerns about Open Meeting Laws.
The site has now been pivoted to be an independent website for the exchange of information.
It pulls together all of the Past Work that has lead us to this point, and highlights the three primary efforts underway right now which we believe to be inherently and intricately linked to West Leb’s future:
Downtown West Lebanon Revitalization Efforts.
Westboro Yard Clean-Up and Re-Use Efforts.
West Lebanon Greenway extension of the Mascoma River Greenway.
The primary purpose of this website is to
What is this website?
This website is intended as an open, democratic online platform for the exchange of ideas, news, and best practices related to the ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown West Lebanon, NH. Anyone can sign-up for an Account, allowing them to post articles and comment on the posts of others.
It is a place to facilitate 24/7 dialogue on these important issues, online and on social media where these conversations naturally take place these days. Committees, Planning Efforts, and formal processes are important but they aren’t the entire picture. Positive change happens incrementally and every day, not according to a schedule.
It’s a place to “cross-pollinate” the many efforts that are underway, without seeking to replace or confuse any of them. It’s just a centralized location where they can all collide, and hopefully it raises awareness and spurs collaboration.
It is a place to highlight the success stories of downtown West Leb, and to respectfully identify the problems and challenges we face in an effort to seek solutions.
The website (and related Social Media channels) is a place to post Best Practices, Case Studies, Planning Guides, Relevant News, and Success Stories that contribute to the West Leb efforts. They do not have to be directly, 100% applicable. It’s just a way to take advantage of the body of knowledge that exists out there.
We try to keep it positive, but occasionally it means posting the worst-case-scenarios and bad examples as words of caution against how NOT to revitalize a downtown.
It’s a place to have honest, open, and respectful exchanges of ideas from different perspectives without devolving into
It is a place to highlight the successful local businesses who contribute to our local streetscape, economy, and downtown identity. But it is NOT a place to advertise local businesses.
It is an effort to challenge our assumptions, expose ourselves to new ideas, and find new ways to work together to achieve some of the much-needed progress.
What Isn’t This Website?
This is NOT the official West Lebanon Revitalization Advisory Committee website with Meeting Agendas, Minutes, etc. managed by the City of Lebanon. That is here. Though the idea came out of the Committee’s work, and all Committee members have been invited to participate.
This is NOT the official West Lebanon Village Visioning website managed by the City of Lebanon. That is here. The Lebanon Planning Department (and any City employee) have been invited to participate.
It is not intended to replace or confuse any other efforts underway, but rather a place to bring everything related to downtown West Leb in one place.
It is not a place for political debate, campaigning, etc. despite politics always being a part of Civic life. Keep those conversations elsewhere, and just bring ideas from every perspective to the table here.
It is not a place for anonymous posting or negative comments. That’s the primary reason we require posters to use their real, full-names as we believe that will help keep the conversation civil and respectful.
That’s the foundation upon which this website is launched.
Chet Clem
WestLeb.org Admin
WLRAC Vice-Chair
603-676-7106
chet@lymeproperties.com