Bowman Visits Carrington LinkND Community Impressions June 1 st & 2 nd

Prior to Arrival ▪ We expected Carrington to be a small-town community with similar qualities to Bowman. ▪ We did some prior research of Carrington on the city website and the Chamber website. ▪ We called the Chamber of Commerce about a Visitor’s Packet. They were very friendly and we received the packet right away. ▪ City had landmarks that were familiar to us ▪ Told people we were traveling to Carrington and the response was always, “That’s a really nice community.”

City Entrances ▪ North (Hwy 281) : Nice Signage, needs signage to Winery. (Big tourist attraction) ▪ South (Hwy 281): Nice Signage, well lit at night, great first impression of Carrington with the beautiful park at first view! ▪ East (Hwy 200): There was no city signage. Promote the community more! It’s a great one! ▪ West (Hwy 200): There was no city signage, it is a beautiful drive in from that way but there was no signage to promote the community or which community we were entering.

Downtown/Main Street Business District ▪ Beautiful buildings and architecture! It is very unique and a lot of communities do not have the advantage of historical architecture. ▪ The businesses on Main Street are great! Could use some fill-ins and clothing stores. ▪ The lighting on Main Street is beautiful! ▪ The businesses downtown were cool local assets that add a lot of character to the community. ▪ Main Street is underutilized and pushed to the side when it is a great asset to the community! More signage is necessary to bring people in! ▪ Some of the buildings could use a facelift and some upkeep. ▪ Great variety of stores but lacking clothing stores and/or boutiques. ▪ Visitors need to get out and stretch their legs, they want an area to get out, walk, and shop around, Main Street would be the perfect area for that.

Retail ▪ Good Variety: Quilt Shop is something we would love to bring to Bowman. Drug Store had great variety and great customer service. ▪ Lacking retail due to Alco being gone. (getting Shopko)!!! ▪ Clothing stores would be a great addition. ▪ Some businesses within the residential areas. Signage is needed to show where they are located. ▪ We loved your grocery store!!

Tourism Unique Features and Positives ▪ The Winery is great! Could use some signage and more advertisement! ▪ Great park – This is an amazing asset! ▪ The architecture was beautiful. ▪ Birding is very unique. Draws many people. Places to grow in tourism ▪ The winery is a great asset to the community but not a lot of people know its there. ▪ Signage ▪ Tourist Hut or visitor information center.

Housing ▪ Very nice variety of housing. ▪ Architecture is great ▪ Very well upkeep on houses ▪ Updated ▪ Expansion and new development is great for the future of your community ▪ Reasonably Prices

Business and Economy ▪ Well kept and good appearance. ▪ Good industrial parks. We saw that there were two (North and South) ▪ Great variety of businesses ▪ Dakota Pasta Growers and Agriculture seemed to be the major employers. ▪ There was an abundance of professional and financial services.

Education, Health, Social, & Emergency ▪ The schools were very nice, and well kept. ▪ The hospital was hard to find, it could use some more signage for directions. ▪ The grocery store was VERY NICE! Great variety, affordable, and good deli. ▪ A good looking senior center. ▪ The emergency shelter in the courthouse was a plus.

Government, Infrastructure, and Land Use ▪ Government offices were convenient to find; the City Hall could use some more signage. ▪ The map and area attractions are very helpful and available throughout town. ▪ The winery brochure was great. ▪ We felt safe the entire time being in Carrington. ▪ Main street needs more attention.

Recreation, Faith, and Culture ▪ The Putnam House was beautiful. The house itself could use some signage to it from the highway. ▪ Great recreation in the area, a lot of things for families to do! For example, golf, parks, bowling, youth center, swimming, movie theater, biking, birding, etc.

Overall Comments ▪ Community pride is so important. Carrington has a lot to be proud of. ▪ Revitalizing the main street business district will bring the people in to give your local businesses more business! ▪ The community felt very clean, safe, friendly, and progressive. ▪ We all agreed that we would all enjoy living in Carrington! ▪ We got a lot of ideas that we would love to take back to Bowman. This created a great group for us to work with from Carrington.