Christian LaPlante wants to help.

The 26-year-old, lifelong Franklin County resident is the new downtown district coordinator under the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and Regional Tourism Council as part of the Rural Downtown Revitalization Pilot Project.

LaPlante, who started on Monday, July 14, is taking on a year-long, grant-funded role to support economic development in the downtowns in Northfield, Turners Falls and Shelburne Falls by working with business owners, new downtown working groups and existing groups in each town, and municipal leaders to identify priorities for economic, recreational and cultural growth over the next year.

For LaPlante, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with and support the communities he grew up in in a professional capacity. Previously, he spent four years at City Hall in Greenfield in the Economic and Community Development office, working with municipal leaders and residents after graduating from Greenfield Community College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

LaPlante, of Montague, was selected by a hiring committee made up of business owners in Turners Falls, Northfield and Shelburne Falls alongside leaders from the Chamber of Commerce, Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and the Franklin County Community Development Corporation. He stood out among 30 candidates for his passion for these communities and work experience.

LaPlante feels that his time in a municipal office gave him the experience to take on this position, a one-of-a-kind role for New England.

“I grew up in these downtowns,” LaPlante said. “I walked the Bridge of Flowers when I was a kid, went to the Northfield Creamie, saw shows at the [Shea Theater Arts Center], so to be able to give back to these communities now, in my professional capacity, is an incredible honor.”

The Rural Downtown Revitalization Pilot Project has been in the works since 2023, and to take it from a 2023 to 2024 BSC Group study that identified the need for downtown support to hiring LaPlante required shared goals and partnership, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessye Deane explained Friday.

A statement from the chamber explains that the Revitalization Pilot Project expands on a two-year planning process and the BSC Group study, which “identified a need for stronger coordination and administrative support in Franklin County’s rural downtowns.”

The chamber was awarded an $87,800 contract from FRCOG in April, which received a $100,000 Rural Development Fund grant through the state Executive Office of Economic Development to support the new position as part of the project.

Deane said LaPlante’s position is to support the downtowns by being a liaison to stakeholders by connecting them to existing resources through the chamber, FRCOG and the Franklin County Community Development Corporation.

“I think from the chamber standpoint and the FCCDC and the FRCOG, we were really excited about this initiative and the potential to be able to pilot a first-of-its-kind downtown revitalization initiative,” she said, “and we’re really excited that now we have this final piece, which is the person who’s going to be doing this work.”

LaPlante explained that over the next few weeks, he’ll make weekly visits to the three downtowns to speak with stakeholders about two to four priorities he can help them with. From there, he plans to connect business owners to begin planning priorities for the next year that will be decided on this fall.

Additionally, LaPlante is there to help business owners connect to grant or funding opportunities, marketing options for community events, navigating necessary paperwork, event planning and more.

“I think my role here is to help them all collaborate better together and figure out how we can be productive with what we have and maximize our potential for our downtowns,” he said.

Already less than two weeks on the job, LaPlante said there is a common interest in adding signs to the three downtowns. He has already connected with municipal leaders and sign-makers to improve wayfinding. LaPlante and Deane say the pilot project allows for flexibility in what success looks like in the 12 months for each downtown based on individual goals, whether that is a “quick win” or a longer-term project.

“Some of the goals that we have established may take longer than 12 months, so how do we continue to move those forward? Also, what are the quick wins we can do?” Deane said. “We want to make sure we can do as much good as we can in the next 12 months.”

While this position is grant-funded for 12 months, there are plans to extend it longer through municipal contributions to keep the momentum of the downtown district coordinator going, and possibly expand the model to other communities in the county. For now, Deane said, given LaPlante’s lived experience in Franklin County and prior professional work, he’s been able to “hit the ground running.”

Asked what he hopes the community can take away from this downtown position, he said he hopes for the development of a collaborative model that helps the three downtowns thrive.

“Creating a position like the one I’m in right now, and having that be something that can connect us all together, I really hope that people can find a way to continue to support that idea,” he said.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.