Downtown Norwich is just one of several historical downtowns located on the waterfront in Connecticut.  A couple of years ago agencies from these towns got together to talk about difficulties they were having and an initiative sprang forth: Destination Downtown.  The idea being that if you love going to Rock the Docks on the waterfront in Norwich, you would probably also like going to concerts on the waterfront in other downtowns also, but how do you know what is happening and where?  Enter luvdowntown.com.

Downtown Norwich partnered with Downtown Mystic, Downtown New London, Downtown Niantic and Downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck to form a collaborative to promote and market these distinctive, historical downtowns.  The organization applied for a received a grant to build a website and Miranda Creative was hired to oversee the enormous challenge of satisfying five distinctive communities. The website was launched in December and it promotes each downtown separately and lists places to shop, dine, and park in the downtown areas as well as a calendar cataloging all upcoming activities.

Moving forward the partners will collaborate to create joint promotional material for display and distribution at events in each city and are hoping to collaborate on a single event that will encompass all downtowns.

We would like to thank our sponsors Chelsea Groton Bank, Dime Bank, Keep Space Westerly, The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Washington Trust Company. If you or your business would like to sponsor Destination Downtown or advertise on the website, please let us know.

The 2013 tax season is well underway! Have you filed your taxes yet? Don’t know where to start?

There are more options available this season than ever before!

IRS now offers a free tax preparation software available through their Free File System at IRS.gov. There are fourteen commercial tax software companies partnering with IRS that make their products available for free. Each of these companies set their own eligibility criteria. Some offer Free State tax returns, and some charge a fee. Generally, if your adjusted gross income is $58,000.00 or less there will be one or more options for you. IRS provides a list of free software offers: http://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp?ck or you can take advantage of Find Free File Software Tool: http://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/wizard.jsp?ck

If you are not comfortable to fill tax forms on your own or have questions, you can take advantage of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, also administered by IRS. This assistance comes with an income limit of $50,000.00 or less. IRS-certified volunteers can assist you filling your return, answer questions and guide you through it as well as provide basic income tax return preparation. These volunteers will help you take advantage of special income tax credits for which you may qualify, such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. You can find a site near you through an IRS site locator:  http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

If you would like assistance, these sites are open currently in Norwich:

NORWICH HUMAN SERVICES (Appointment required)

80 BROADWAY

NORWICH, CT 06360

860-823-3748

CAPITAL GOOD FUND VITA (AT OTIS LIBRARY) VIRTUAL

261 MAIN ST

NORWICH, CT 06360

TVCCA/ CT WORKS (Appointment required)

113 SALEM TURNPIKE

SUITE 200

NORWICH, CT 06360

860-425-6626

Are you more of a Do It Yourself type?

If your income is over $58,000.00 you can take advantage of Free File Fillable Forms. This forms-based program allows taxpayers to choose the forms and schedules they need, e-file, sign a form electronically and print a copy for personal records. The forms are designed to be a simple electronic equivalent of paper forms that don’t ask about or explain tax situations. The forms do math and offer only basic guidance, you must know how to do your taxes yourself. State tax preparation in this case is not available.