Kingston shares ideas of downtown development with Watertown delegation

A delegation from Watertown, N.Y., spent the day on Thursday sharing city-planning information with their counterparts from the Limestone City.

The main focus of the get-together — the revitalization of Watertown’s downtown core. Advantage Watertown is a group comprised of elected officials, city planners, economic development personnel and others who came here to find out how Kingston has developed a vibrant downtown.

“This is what we want to be when we grow up, and a lot of the practices they put in place are things that we want to look at doing in Watertown,” said Don Rutherford with Advantage Watertown.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is what we want to be when we grow up, and a lot of the practices they put in place are things that we want to look at doing in Watertown," said Don Rutherford with Advantage Watertown.

The daylong visit dealt with various topics including tourism and marketing, development and maintenance of public spaces as well as residential projects and outdoor cafes.

An hour-long tour of various locations in downtown was also on the agenda. Michele Langlois is with Downtown Kingston BIA, the host for the event.

“We have a very vibrant downtown. I think some of the delegation has been to Kingston before and recognized that and reached out and asked if they could come visit.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have a very vibrant downtown. I think some of the delegation has been to Kingston before and recognized that and reached out and asked if they could come visit."

It was an international day of sharing and learning that benefits both cities.

Downtown Kingston BIA is an association funded by over 700 downtown businesses dedicated to the maintenance and promotion of a vibrant and healthy downtown.