Rep. Buchsbaum, New Milford Delegation Tout Cultural District Designation

New Milford, CT – The Town of New Milford is now just one of 13 municipalities in Connecticut to have a designated ‘Cultural District’ officially recognized by the state. The designated area was identified by New Milford officials because it contains several nonprofit and for-profit cultural facilities, activities, and assets. Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Director of the Office of the Arts Liz Shapiro were on hand to confer the title on Tuesday.

Cultural Districts are walkable, compact areas that are easy for visitors to recognize. They are centers of artistic and economic cultural activities.

“I’m excited to have this designated area highlighted for local residents and tourists. There are so many cultural assets, located near each other, that this will help bring attention to local businesses, antiques buildings, galleries and other facilities,” said Rep. Jason Buchsbaum (R-69).

The New Milford Cultural District Commission, established last September, is led by Liba Furhman and Lou Mandler. The Commission submitted a letter of intent to your Designated Regional Service Organization and was selected after a tour of the proposed district by CT’s Office of Tourism, State Historic Preservation Office, Marketing, and others.

Municipalities with the state Cultural District designation receive points in the Sustainable CT program for Action Item 3, Vibrant and Creative Cultural Ecosystems. New Milford has participated in Sustainable CT since 2018.

The legislation that created this program, An Act Concerning the Establishment of Municipal Cultural Districts, was passed unanimously by the General Assembly in 2019.

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