Business View Magazine - March 2016

20 Business View Magazine - April 2016 Business View Magazine - April 2016 21 According to Griffin, the new Harley-Davidson facility is also going to be the cornerstone of an innovative main street development, as well as the catalyst for spur- ring more business growth in the Bedford Commons development. Plans for the area include more walk- ability with better street lighting, and the construction of a few leisure and entertainment areas, all with the goal of creating a more pedestrian-friendly environ- ment. “We’re making it all walkable and with wide sidewalks,” Griffin says. “And we can use our “main street” in the evening to provide live street entertain- ment, people displaying their art, and family fun activi- ties. We want to transition from traditional architecture with large parking lots where you park and walk to a facility.” Bedford is also in the middle of a redevelopment proj- ect of the 68-acre, Boys Ranch Park, which is home to some of the city’s main recreational facilities, as well as its Senior Center and Arts Guild. The Park is also the venue for Bedford’s yearly ArtsFest celebration and other municipal activities. “We’re in our Phase One where we’ve dredged and reshaped our lake, we’re putting fishing piers in, we’ve added a disc golf facility, we’ve added new pavilions, and a new play- ground structure.” Griffin recounts. “We are planning additional improvements to the park and will be work- ing on those after we complete Phase One. There will be a grand opening for Phase One improvements tar- geted in March, but then we’ll also commemorate the whole aspect of the Boy’s Ranch Park with the Arts- Fest in April.” The all-day event has juried art, crafts, an art marketplace, and community performances. “It’s a wonderful community event that we draw from all over,” Griffin adds. “The other thing that we do on Labor Day – is our na- tionally known Blues Fest celebration,” Griffin says,