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

2. 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.”

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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!!

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.