main street advocacy€¦ · achieving this goal would require strong advocacy and lobbying...

THE MONTHLY JOURNAL of THE NATIONAL TRUST’S NATIONAL MAIN STREET CENTER®

No. 214 JANUARY 2005

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BBuuiillddiinngg tthhee BBuuzzzz……Spanning two neighborhoods andencompassing nearly 100 businesses,the 16:62 Design Zone has brought aonce-declining area of Pittsburgh backto life. Read about the successfulbranding efforts of this arts-relatedbusiness cluster.

NNeettwwoorrkk NNootteessMain Street Iowa gets another federalgrant to assist property rehabilitation;Kentucky Main Street managers woo thegovernor with a candy gram; and themayor of Washington, D.C., goes shop-ping on main street. Also, find out howyou can learn more about preservationadvocacy on Lobby Day next March.

VViissiitt OOuurr NNeeww WWeebbssiittee!!The National Trust Main Street Centerhas launched its new website. Findout what you need to know to navi-gate the new site and take advantageof all its new features!

MMaaiinn SSttrreeeett aatt 2255!!Join us as we begin a year-long celebra-tion of Main Street’s 25th anniversary.See what we have planned and take alook at what local programs haveaccomplished over the past two decades.

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MAIN STREET ADVOCACYNew Mexico | California | Illinois | Missouri

Ahh, January! New Year’s celebrations, snowfall,and, yes, the return of thousands of legislators totheir state capitols for another legislative session.This auspicious season brings with it both oppor-tunity and danger for many statewide Main Streetcoordinating programs across the nation. Despitemodest improvements in the economy, many stateswill again be wrestling to balance budgets andclose revenue gaps. If recent history is any indica-tion, this session is likely to bring additional scruti-ny of budgets and expenditures for state govern-ment programs, including Main Street. In the pastfew years, several statewide Main Street programshave teetered on the brink of death, only to besaved by the valiant and dedicated advocacy effortsof participating local Main Street programs.

Getting Started | Forming a Coalition | Communicating with Legislators

2. M A I N S T R E E T N E W S No. 214 JANUARY 2005

which would accommodategrowth while maintaining aquality program. The group ofmore than 20 managers andboard members unanimouslyagreed that the greateststrength of the program wasits statewide presence and thecombined professional experi-ence and talent of the localmanagers and boards. Thegroup had no reservationsabout remaining in theEconomic DevelopmentDepartment as all viewed NewMexico MainStreet as a pro-gram with quantitative impacton the local and state economy.

What was needed, theydecided, was for the local pro-grams to band together andcall for the reestablishment ofthe state program as the premiereconomic development toolwithin the New MexicoEconomic DevelopmentDepartment. The first step inthis process was to restore thebudget. The group decidedthe best way to do this wasthrough a direct appropriationfrom the state legislature tothe Economic DevelopmentDepartment. Achieving thisgoal would require strongadvocacy and lobbying efforts.Thus, the New MexicoCoalition of MainStreetCommunities was born.

Immediately, the groupelected officers from amonglocal program managers.Next, they developed a time-line, with goals, and assignedspecific tasks to each personpresent. Coincidentally,regional representatives fromthe New Mexico EconomicDevelopment Departmentwere scheduled to attend thequarterly MainStreet meetingto present changes to theirprogram. The Coalition decid-ed to hold its first businessmeeting as part of the quar-terly meeting. It was put onthe agenda just before theregional representatives’ pres-entation so the governmentofficials would see the newlyformed Coalition in actionand report back to the

across the state instead ofdwelling on the past.

Through a SWOT(Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities, and Threats)analysis, facilitated byStephanie Redman of theNational Trust Main StreetCenter, the group identifiedcritical issues and prepared topresent them to the rest of thelocal program managers andboard members who would beattending a two-day quarterlyNew Mexico MainStreetmeeting the next day.

The critical issues identi-fied and presented at thequarterly meeting, again inthe SWOT format, includedthe following:• the need to determine

whether the state Main Streetprogram should remainhoused in the EconomicDevelopment Department;

• the need to immediatelyrestore the budget to anappropriate level for thenumber of existing programs;

• the need to conduct educa-tion and outreach whileestablishing minimumrequirements for programparticipation; and

• the need to reestablish aonce-successful capitalimprovements program. The overriding theme of

the meeting became therecognition that the localprograms needed a reasonableexpectation of program stability,

Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development Rick Homans(center) and New Mexico Mainstreet Coalition membersHayley Klein and Maria Rinaldi (far left and left) meet withstate representatives and senators during a press conferenceat the 2004 session of the New Mexico Legislature.

The New Mexico Coalition of MainStreet Communities By Hayley Klein and Maria G. Rinaldi

WWhen the new director of theNew Mexico MainStreetProgram, Rich Williams, metwith what had become a“skeleton crew” of programstaff and a few senior localprogram managers from acrossNew Mexico for a strategicplanning session in the fall of2003, the state program wasin serious decline. The budgethad been slashed from $450,000to less than $125,000. Thestate program had seen littlegrowth and local programswere operating without thestrength of a cohesive net-work. What had once been amodel program at the stateand national level was beingscrutinized by the NationalTrust Main Street Center,which voiced concerns about“the use of the trademark andcopyrighted name ‘Main Street’in association with downtownrevitalization activities.”

During the previous twoyears, local program managershad met with the state staff inan attempt to address the lackof leadership and the loss ofprograms and associates at thestate level. They eventuallygave up to concentrate onholding their own local pro-grams together. At the strate-gic planning session, however,their faith was restored. Theparticipants decided to puttheir faith in new leadershipand concentrate on restoringand growing the program

Our message this month: don’tlet this happen to you! As theadage goes, an ounce of [advo-cacy] prevention is worth apound of cure. Your actions inthis legislative session canmake the difference, either bysaving your state program fromthe chopping block or byenhancing the amount andtype of resources available forMain Street revitalization. Tothat end, we have assembled aterrific line-up of statewideadvocacy efforts initiated bylocal Main Street programs tohelp you understand what theyhave done to rescue or improvetheir state programs.

By educating your legislatorsabout the importance of MainStreet revitalization and thesupport you receive from yourcoordinating Main Street pro-gram, you can significantlyinfluence its future. (Note thatthese lessons are equally appli-cable to citywide Main Streetprograms, or to starting a newstatewide Main Street program.)

We’ve got some great “warstories” and lessons learnedfrom four different states,along with useful tips on waysyour local Main Street networkcan advocate on behalf of yourcoordinating program. As youread these articles, please con-sider whether you should bedoing more to ensure legisla-tive support of your state MainStreet program. If the answer isyes, follow the recommendedsteps, and let us know what wecan do to assist.

As you’ll see in the followingpages, associations of local MainStreet programs can wield a lotof muscle on behalf of the entirestatewide Main Street network.Borrowing from noted anthro-pologist Margaret Mead:“Never underestimate thepower of a small group ofcommitted people to changethe world. Indeed, it is theonly thing that ever has.”

-Stephanie Redman, NMSC

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M A I N S T R E E T N E W S No. 214 JANUARY 2005 3.

secretary of the EconomicDevelopment Department.

The business meeting ransmoothly, with very highenergy and all local managersparticipating. To recap thewhirlwind of activities, withinthree days, New MexicoMainStreet was evaluated, thedire condition of the programwas presented to the statewidenetwork, a coalition of allcommunities was formed andformalized, and the Coalitionthen presented itself and itswork plan in the form of abusiness meeting to theEconomic DevelopmentDepartment. Needless to say, itwas a very intense three days!

Obviously, the work wasjust beginning. With the NewMexico Legislature conveningin January, the Coalition hadonly three months to pulltogether a legislative packetsupporting restoration of thestate Main Street budget to anacceptable level. After designinga logo, business cards, and let-terhead, the Coalition drafted aletter and did a statewidemailing to request support.

The next three months werespent gathering letters of sup-port from businesses, nonprofitcommunity developmentorganizations, elected officials,and other friends of MainStreet. Hundreds of local let-ters were combined with NewMexico MainStreet marketingmaterials, program profiles,and a general operating budgetrequest formulated to meet thenational standard. This becamethe Main Street package intro-duced to the legislature.

Local program managersand Coalition officers beganmeeting with legislators andthe cabinet secretary and hisstaff prior to the legislativesession. Coalition officers metwith the EconomicDevelopment Commission,the New Mexico MunicipalLeague, and the New MexicoPreservation Alliance andgained their support andendorsement of the legislativeproposals. And after meeting

with the Coalition, GovernorBill Richardson, during hisState of the State address tothe legislature, made restora-tion of New MexicoMainStreet a priority.

The Annual MainStreetWinter Conference was held inthe state capital of Santa Feduring the legislative sessionso that local program managersand board members couldlobby the politicians in force.Speaking for the Coalition,groups of up to 15 managersand board members were con-tinually present during the 30-day session. The Coalition heldpress conferences honoring leg-islators and the cabinet secre-tary with “Friends ofMainStreet” awards. All lobby-ing activity was orchestrated asa coalition of the programs,with a heavy presence of localmanagers and supporters fromall parts of the economic devel-opment community.

Due to this tremendouseffort, the New MexicoMainStreet budget was fundedat a level of $425,000, whichincluded, through the effortsof Cabinet Secretary Homans,a grant from the McCuneFoundation. Additionally, thegovernor announced a $2 mil-lion dollar capital outlay fundfor the state’s Main Streetcommunities. Most impor-tantly, New MexicoMainStreet was back on theminds of the powers that be asan effective and cohesive pro-gram that not only needed tobe sustained, but would play apowerful growing role in theEconomic DevelopmentDepartment “tool box.”

While fighting for restora-tion of funding, the Coalitionbrought attention to the stateMain Street program and thesuccesses local communitiesenjoyed as a result of the MainStreet approach. The effort cre-ated an unprecedented level ofcooperation and positive rela-tionships between local com-munities and state government.

Of course, the Coalitioncould not have achieved its

goals without the advocacycampaign. The Coalition usedevery avenue at its disposal topublicize the impact the stateMain Street program has hadon New Mexico communities– north and south, liberal andconservative. The Coalitionsponsored editorials, articles,and radio spots. It held meet-ings with politicians and con-ducted press conferences torecognize and honor MainStreet’s friends in the legisla-ture. And it gathered hun-dreds of letters of supportfrom key community players– from chamber directors tomayors – across the state, aneffort that involved each andevery local program.

In the darkest moments,local managers began to seethat the state program couldeither take its last breath orchoose to fight for its life.Only one entity could effec-tively lead that fight – thecoalition of managers whomthe program served.

Despite all the success andhard work invested over thepast year, the Coalition can’tsit back and enjoy the fruits ofits labor. Its work isn’t done.It never will be. The Coalitionmaintains an active publicrelations campaign and contin-ues to develop and strengthenrelationships with state legis-lators and the EconomicDevelopment Department.

And the need for theCoaltion’s work hasn’t dimin-ished. More communitiesacross the state wish to join theMain Street team. With NewMexico MainStreet’s budgetrestored, the Coalition’s legisla-tive agenda for 2005 willinclude a budget increase tosupport new communities andappropriate state program staff,a request for a capital outlayfund to support local Main

Street projects, development ofa satellite community programso that small rural communitiescan reap some benefits from theMain Street approach, and theestablishment of MRAs andBIDs to help Main Street com-munities develop additionallocal support and growth.

Communication and educa-tion must be the key words inany strategy to keep a stateprogram alive. Local managersmust organize. They mustthink outside the realm oftheir own communities, learnabout the level of support astate program can offer, andbecome active advocates forthe state program that sup-ports them. Then, they mustcreate a strategy that will edu-cate the public and the deci-sion makers. The lessons localMain Street managers learnedover the past 14 months inNew Mexico will continue toserve and strengthen the NewMexico Coalition ofMainStreet Communities. Theeffort was great, and so wasthe success. New MexicoMainStreet’s future will bedetermined by a continuedsuccessful network.

Hayley Klein is the manager ofArtesia MainStreet, Inc., and iscurrently serving as the president ofthe New Mexico Coalition ofMainStreet Communities.

Maria G. Rinaldi has been thedirector of Community Development,in her hometown, Bernalillo, NewMexico, for 15 years. In this capac-ity, she has administered economicdevelopment programs, includingMain Street, planning and publicinfrastructure programs, subsidizedhousing programs, and tourismdevelopment. She is also co-chair ofthe Coalition of MainStreetCommunities and the executivedirector of the New Mexico WineFestival at Bernalillo.

MAIN STREET ADVOCACY

You should be aware that there are laws on a federal, state, and possiblyeven the local level governing what types of lobbying activities are allowablefor nonprofits and government employees. Before your organization engagesin lobbying activities, you should contact your lawyer about the specificrestrictions that apply to your program. For more information about advoca-cy by 501(c)(3) organizations, see Main Street News, February 2003.

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The nonprofit California MainStreet Alliance (CAMSA) wascreated in November 2002, as a501(c)(3) corporation to advo-cate on behalf of CaliforniaMain Street, as the program,which was housed in state gov-ernment, could not. CAMSA’soriginal intent was to keep statelegislators informed about theMain Street program so thatthey understood the MainStreet Four-Point Approach™and the positive impact our 39programs around the state werehaving on downtowns andsmall businesses.

The mission statement ofCAMSA is “to serve as theprimary nonprofit advocate forthe principles and ideals ofCalifornia Main Street; and inso doing, to offer educationand other assistance on behalfof the California Main Streetprogram, California MainStreet communities, and allcommunities aspiring to prac-tice and sustain the MainStreet approach to downtownrevitalization, which strives toenhance the economic, social,cultural, and environmentalwell-being of the historic andtraditional downtowns andneighborhoods in California’sdiverse cities, towns, andneighborhoods.”

Dues were set at $250 a yearper community. Individuals, corporations, and non-MainStreet communities were alsowelcome to join.

We scheduled our first gath-ering for February 2003, dur-ing our statewide networkmeeting in Sacramento. Duringthis meeting we planned to setaside time so that local pro-gram managers could meetwith their assembly representa-tives and state senators to edu-

Main Street, and we mightnot have had any cuts in theprogram.”

To prepare program man-agers for their meetings withlegislators, CAMSA providedspecific talking points aboutthe California program,including statewide percent-age increases in jobs, numberof businesses, retail sales,rental rates, and commercialproperty values, and percent-age decreases in vacancy rates.The value of the program, notonly to the local community,but also to the state, wasstressed. We also soughtadvice on advocacy from lob-byists and formulated strate-gies through many long con-ference calls held prior to themeetings.

In addition to makingappointments with legislatorsand officials in the governor’s

office, we also invited state offi-cials, including the state treas-urer, who spoke at a breakfast,to our network meeting andissued invitations to all legisla-tive officials to attend a recep-tion in downtown Sacramento.

After meeting with our leg-islators, we reconvened to“tally-up” support for rein-statement of the program.While we found that somelawmakers were noncommittalabout supporting or co-author-ing our reinstatement bill, wedid find seven individuals whowere willing to co-author thebill, and many more whowould support it, from bothpolitical parties.

In May 2003, then-Governor Davis put theCalifornia Main Street pro-gram back in the budget forthe next year, but funding wascut back to support only one

cate them about the MainStreet program.

Then, on January 10, ourown “Black Friday” hit!Then-California GovernorGray Davis announced that heplanned to eliminate theTechnology, Trade, andCommerce Agency whereCalifornia Main Street washoused. CAMSA membersquickly switched gears froman “education-only” type ofmeeting with their legislativerepresentatives to a “restoreour program/support our leg-islation” meeting.

“If we had started CAMSAfive years ago, we probablywouldn’t have been in thisposition,” recalls Emily Low,executive director of theFairfield DowntownAssociation and CAMSA’s sec-retary. “Our legislators wouldhave been educated about

The California Main Street Alliance serves as the primary nonprofit advocate for theCalifornia Main Street Program and its communities. (Above) Board members meet in SanLuis Obispo, Calif., in October 2004.

California Main Street: “We’ll Be Back”By Laura Cole-Rowe

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full-time employee for thestate program. Unfortunately,because of partisan politics, anumber of bills, includingours, were deleted from thebudget package before theSeptember 2003 deadline. Wewere discouraged, but deter-mined not to let this setbackbe the demise of the program.

Because the previousCalifornia Main Street staff hadall left the program to takeavailable jobs in other depart-ments of the state government,CAMSA worked with theinterim person assigned to theprogram to shut down theoffice. We made sure that fileswere boxed-up, secure, and putin a place within the stateoffices where we could accessthem when the need arose.

In October 2003, Californiavoters recalled Gray Davis andour new governor, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, was sworn inshortly thereafter.

Without state governmentto oversee us, CAMSA organ-ized another network meetingfor February 2004. Programmanagers again visited theirlegislators and held strategy ses-sions to map out a plan to rein-state California Main Street.During these sessions, welearned what the program man-agers considered important:education, networking, estab-lishing a presence for CAMSA,and maintaining National MainStreet certification.

The California DowntownAssociation helped us meetour educational needs, as ithad a longstanding partner-ship with California MainStreet that allowed communi-ties to attend its semi-annualconferences. A California Main

Street list-serve was set up sothat program managers couldcommunicate with each otheron problems and opportuni-ties. Our new website,www.camainstreet.org, show-cases the efforts of CAMSAand the California Main Streetprogram and how communi-ties have prospered using theMain Street Four-PointApproach™.

CAMSA also worked withthe National Trust MainStreet Center to assume therole of state coordinator andcertifying entity for CaliforniaMain Streets so that commu-nities could maintain theirNational Main Street certifica-tion status. Toni Gaylord,CMSM, of Coronado MainStreet, volunteered to be thecertification manager.

“Because the frameworkwas already in place throughCalifornia Main Street andcommunities were used tocomplying with those require-ments, it was easy to transferthe certification process toCAMSA,” says Gaylord.

Communities that wantedto retain their certificationwere required to submit semi-annual reports for 2003 andmeet all the requirements pre-viously established byCalifornia Main Street. CAMSAcompiled the informationrequired by the National TrustMain Street Center, and as aresult of our efforts, 29California communities werecertified as National MainStreet communities.

Meanwhile, CAMSA hit theadvocacy trail again by work-ing with lobbyists and legisla-tors to place the CaliforniaMain Street program in the

state Office of HistoricPreservation (OHP). A trailerbill re-establishing the pro-gram was introduced in thelegislature, and language wasadded to the state statute torevive the program.

Through the efforts ofCAMSA and Californians forPreservation Action, the MainStreet provision was includedin Senate Bill 107, signed byGovernor Schwarzenegger onAugust 16, 2004. The billallowed for re-establishmentof the program and included abudget of $175,000, but didnot provide funding throughthe state’s general fund.

Noting that he was “verypleased to receive this majoreconomic and preservationprogram in our office,” StateHistoric Preservation OfficerMilford Wayne Donaldson,FAIA, who was appointed byGovernor Schwarzenegger tohis position in April 2004,held out hope for the future ofthe program. “Although theCalifornia Main Street pro-gram comes without statefunding, I am confident thatnecessary funds can be foundto energize the program,” saidDonaldson. “The much want-ed assistance provided tolocal communities and propertyowners needs to continue.”

CAMSA representatives andOHP staff meet on a monthlybasis in Sacramento and arecurrently working together toprocure funding for the pro-gram, as well as provide train-ing for existing Main Streetcommunities, and those thatwant to follow the Main Streetapproach.

CAMSA will keep certainresponsibilities, such as serving

as an advisory partner to the program and assisting withMain Street services, whileOHP will take the lead in the

design and implementation oftechnical assistance to commu-nities and data collection.Our next network meeting, tobe held in Davis in February2005, will include a one-day“boot camp” for new programmanagers, board members,and towns interested inbecoming California MainStreet communities in thefuture. Of course, during thethree-day meeting, we willalso be making the short trekfrom Davis to Sacramento tovisit our legislators!

CAMSA’s grassroots advoca-cy has paid off. While we didnot always get what we want-ed when we wanted it, with-out the efforts of CAMSA andits partners, California wouldhave lost its Main Street pro-gram completely. The advocacy

California AssemblywomanNicole Parra receives a plaquefrom former CAMSA president,Craig Sharton, in appreciationof her efforts to reinstate theCalifornia Main Street Program.


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effort has been a positive expe-rience for everyone involved.As Main Street managers, weseem to fit so much work intoone day that we don’t knowhow to say no to extra work.We all volunteered our timeand energy for CAMSAbecause we care about theMain Street program. Thispassion is the reason we nevergave up the fight.

One of our proudestmoments took place at the2004 National Main Streets

California Main Street: “We’ll Be Back”(CONTINUED)

What You Can DoLessons Learned from the California Main Street Alliance

Conference in Albuquerque.We watched with pride as twoof our own, Paso Robles MainStreet and Encinitas MainStreet, were honored as GreatAmerican Main Street cities.At that moment we knew ourefforts would pay off.

Against all odds, CaliforniaMain Street has perseveredwith the help of CAMSA.Through all the ups anddowns, I’ve often thought ofthe famous words said by ourgovernor, “We’ll be back!”

Laura Cole-Rowe is presidentof the California Main StreetAlliance and executive direc-tor of the Davis DowntownBusiness Association.

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Form an advocacy group - NOW! If your Main Street coordi-nating program is located in state government, it could bethe difference in having a program or not. Even if your stateprogram is strong, there is always the possibility that budgetcuts could eliminate or diminish funding for your program.An organized effort with your fellow program members iswell worth the time spent to help ensure the future of yourstate program.

Keep in touch with your legislators. Send them your newsletters,invite them to your events and ribbon-cuttings, and attendtheir town hall meetings. Don’t just call on them when youneed something. Try to meet with them face to face at leastonce a year. They should know not only about your program,but also about the work Main Street is doing in communitiesthroughout the state.

Know your state program’s successes and statistics. Whendiscussing Main Street, you must describe what it means to allthe cities and towns in the state. Legislators love to hear thatthe program has created jobs and prosperity, not only in theirdistrict, but throughout the state. Success stories are important;be sure to know the number of businesses gained, jobs created,and dollars invested, both private and public, in your community,as well as the total figures for the state. These statistics areavailable from your state program coordinator.

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Find out what your state program needs. If your state programis under-funded or under-staffed, your group can lobby yourlegislators for additional funds. Remember, state employeeshave limitations on what they can request, it’s your advocacygroup’s job to tell your legislators what is needed.

Follow up and send thank-you notes. Several lawmakersasked our Main Street managers for information on state statistics, and received that additional information promptly.Legislators and their staff see dozens of constituents eachday. You will stand out and be remembered for your profes-sionalism and credibility when you follow up with the infor-mation requested and with a thank-you letter.

Ask for help and advice. The National Trust Main StreetCenter, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, andstatewide preservation organizations helped us when weneeded it by providing contacts, writing letters, and makingphone calls. Other states that have been through budget cutsor elimination were helpful – and our cheerleaders! – duringour process.

Don’t give up. Advocacy must be a constant effort – fromyour local city council to your elected officials in Congress.You just don’t do it once and forget about it. The old adage,“If you don’t succeed at first, try, try again” is paramount.CAMSA didn’t give up after its first year, and it paid off.

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Illinois Main Street: A Valiant EffortBy Donna Ann Harris

On May 30, 2002, GovernorGeorge Ryan effectively elimi-nated the Illinois Main Street(IMS) program by allocatingonly $200,000 toward its $1.2million dollar budget for the2003 fiscal year. This came asquite a shock as the program,which began in 1993 in thelieutenant governor’s office,had grown quickly to becomethe largest staffed and budget-ed Main Street program in thenation. In July 1999, the pro-gram’s day-to-day operationsmoved to the state’s economicdevelopment agency (DCCA),although the lieutenant gover-nor remained chair of the MainStreet Council. When Ibecame state coordinator in2001, we had 56 towns, a staffof 10, and four architectsworking for the IllinoisHistoric Preservation Agency(IHPA).

The IMS advocacy effortfocused on getting local man-agers and their key boardmembers to contact their leg-islators directly about the fateof the program’s funding. Weknew that some of the townshad good, longstanding rap-port with their Illinois StateHouse Representatives andSenators, but most of thetowns had no ongoing rela-tionship with their legislators.In some cases, we had to iden-tify the representatives for thetowns.

Before our staff could begincalling towns to encouragethem to contact their legisla-tors and urge that our fundingbe restored, however, we need-ed to get express permissionfrom the head of our agency.Although we received thatpermission the next day, our

staff was warned not to contactlegislators directly. Six staffmembers began calling theIMS towns every few days tofind out what the towns werehearing from their legislators.This feedback was important asit told us why our budget wascut in the first place.

We also quickly contactedour partners. The NationalTrust Main Street Center stafffrom former Director KennedySmith on down helped makecalls and secured letters to leg-islators from National TrustPresident Richard Moe. Theyarranged for the membershipoffice of the National Trust toe-mail Trust members inIllinois and urge them to con-tact their representatives torestore our funding. TheLandmarks PreservationCouncil of Illinois also alertedits members to push to restoreour funding. The lieutenantgovernor’s office pushed hardas well. And we were successful!

The Illinois house voted byunanimous consent to put $1million for IMS back into itsappropriation bill. The senatedid the same. Both budgets,now with full funding for IMS,were sent back to GovernorRyan for his signature. After allthe work we had done in such ashort time to get the neededlanguage in the bills, we hopedthe governor would sign.Instead Governor Ryan chose toline item veto the Main Streetbudget from both appropria-tion bills. While this was acruel blow after our over-whelming success with our leg-islators, we were undeterred.

To override the governor’sveto, we needed a three-fifthsmajority, or 36 votes, in the

Illinois senate when it met onJune 11, 2002. As time for thesenate vote drew closer, we madecalls to the towns daily, and inthe last days, often several timesa day, urging them to press theirsenators on the budget.

Despite intense lobbying,we got only 32 votes.Although there was bipartisansupport for the program, sev-eral key senators from thegovernor’s party who hadMain Street communities intheir districts voted “present”;this was the same as a “no”vote but allowed them to saythey didn’t vote against thefunding. The fiscal year offi-cially ended on June 30,2002, with no money forIllinois Main Street in DCCA’sbudget. All of us, staff andtowns, were devastated. Still,many communities, as well asLt. Gov. Corinne Wood, urgedIMS staff not to give up.

Lieutenant Governor Wooddecided to approach individuallegislators and seek “memberinitiative” funds (aka., “walk-ing around money”). IMS staffcontinued to call towns toencourage them to contacttheir legislators about thelieutenant governor’s memberinitiative fund effort.

Mike Jackson, the chiefarchitect of the IllinoisHistoric Preservation Agency(IHPA) and one of thefounders of the IMS program,suggested that we keep intouch with towns through aHotmail e-mail account. Thise-mail account served as a use-ful vehicle to communicatewith the towns outside of thestate e-mail system.

We also hoped that thenewly formed Illinois Council

of Main Street Communities(ICMC) could serve as an advo-cate for the state Main Streetprogram. When ICMC met inmid-July, I asked them if theywanted to use the organizationas a lobbying vehicle toapproach the gubernatorialcandidates. After discussion,they agreed. To make our case,however, we needed a formal“statement of support.”

A case statement was pre-pared to give the towns rein-vestment statistics; relevantgraphics; and a clear, concisedocument to use in any meet-ings they could schedule withan incumbent legislator, chal-lenger, or candidate for gover-nor or lieutenant governor. Itis an excellent document thatcan be found at this link –http://www.mainstreet.org/Medialibrary/IL_FundingRestorationBrochure.pdf.

We e-mailed the case state-ment to all the towns over theHotmail account in earlyAugust. By August 15,Lieutenant Governor Woodhad raised $195,000 in mem-ber initiative money from sixlegislators. This funding wasused to continue the designservices for Illinois Main Streetcommunities for six months.

While few towns held outmuch hope that IMS fundswould be added to the budgetduring the November 2002 vetosession, many were enthusiasticabout pressing the candidatesfor a commitment to restoreIMS funding the next year. Ibegan keeping track of thetowns that were requesting thegubernatorial candidates tovisit. We urged the communitiesto invite the candidates to visittheir downtowns so they could


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Illinois Main Street: A Valiant Effort(CONTINUED)

see how much Illinois MainStreet had accomplished. Wealso asked the towns to use thecase statement whenever theymet with the candidates.1

By early fall, the candidateswere beginning to state pub-licly that they would restoreIllinois Main Street’s funding.These statements came becausethe local managers persisted incalling to get meetings withthe candidates. In earlySeptember, a scheduler for PatQuinn, the Democratic candi-date for lieutenant governor,called a local Main Street man-ager and asked for a meeting.This was a dream come true.

Two managers, a highlysupportive and well-connectedmayor, and I met with Quinnto press our case. About a weeklater the Quinn campaignwanted to schedule a pressconference at one of the towns,where he announced that heand another legislator wouldsponsor a bill for a supplemen-

tal appropriation during theNovember veto session. Thebill did not surface, but thegroundwork was set for thepost-election.

When he took office, Lt.Gov. Pat Quinn followedthrough on his promise to con-tinue Illinois Main Street. Yes,Illinois Main Street’s resourceshave been reduced but theprogram still exists, primarilybecause Lieutenant GovernorQuinn believes in it.

The thing about being apreservationist is that most of ushave at least one war story. Thishas been mine. Would I do itagain, knowing what I do now?Sure, and with even more gusto.

Donna Ann Harris recentlyretired from the State ofIllinois and runs HeritageConsulting, Inc., a nationalconsulting and training firmwith specialties in historicpreservation, downtown revitalization, and organiza-tional development.

In January 2002, Illinois MainStreet (IMS) was considered anexemplary state program. Itwas pointed to with pride andseemed safe from any adverseactions. This was a crucialmistake. No local or state pro-gram, no matter how good orworthwhile is “safe.” Ever.

Six months later, in June,Illinois Main Street was one ofmany state programs that fellvictim to an end-of-the termbudget shortfall. Althoughthe lieutenant governor, theIllinois Main Street staff, localmanagers and the NationalTrust Main Street Centerquickly mobilized to spreadthe word of Illinois MainStreet’s importance and effec-tiveness, in the end the pro-gram’s budget was eliminatedfrom the Department ofCommerce and CommunityAffairs (DCCA).

Yet two years later, IllinoisMain Street is moving into anew era. What we learnedduring those two years is thateffective advocacy is not adefensive strategy that reactswhen things go wrong.Advocacy is an offensive planthat continually educates andpersuades, influencing deci-sions that are yet to come.

The saving grace in thisstory is that the former lieu-tenant governor, CorinneWood, had funds in her budg-et that could be used forIllinois Main Street. Woodalso moved one employee toher office and lobbied for andfound funds to continue archi-tectural services within theIllinois Historic PreservationAgency through the end of2002. Illinois Main Street hadbeen badly beaten but wasstill alive. And fortunately,

the lieutenant governor-elect,Pat Quinn, had expressed hissupport of the program.

One of the first thingsaddressed after LieutenantGovernor Quinn’s inaugura-tion was the need to spreadthe message that Illinois MainStreet was still around.Contacts from many local pro-grams had generated a num-ber of news stories and, withMain Street’s funds cut fromthe DCCA budget, the gist ofmany of these stories was thatIllinois Main Street was gone.

Illinois Main Street took amulti-faceted approach.Lieutenant Governor Quinnsent letters to all of Illinois’sactive Main Street programsto assure them that the programwas still alive. An IllinoisMain Street website was createdand included as part of thelieutenant governor’s site. Alink to the new website wasput on the DCCA website torefer anyone looking for theprogram to the new location.Lieutenant Governor Quinnpersonally attended a meetingof all the Illinois programmanagers to stress his com-mitment to continuingIllinois Main Street in hisoffice, and over the past twoyears, has visited nearly half ofthe state’s designated MainStreet communities.

With fewer staff and asmaller budget, it was impor-tant to provide the servicesmost important to the com-munities. IMS developed asurvey that was sent to all thelocal programs to find outwhich of the program’s activi-ties had been most helpfuland what the towns’ mostpressing needs were. Oneglaring need was architectural

Illinois Main Street: A New EraBy Wendy Bell

Illinois Main Street staff, program managers, and volunteerspose with Lieutenant Governor Quinn during the first“Illinois Main Street Day at the Capitol” in 2004.

1501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited by federal law to work for or against the elec-tion of a political candidate, whether federal, state, or local. However, a 501(c)(3)organization can inform candidates on its position on issues, urge candidates to supportits position, and ask candidates to go on record on the issue. It is important that organ-izations ensure that what they do for one candidate is done for all candidates.


continued on page 10

design services. The servicehad been interrupted whenthe funds garnered ran out sixmonths prior. Quinn found agraduate of the University ofIllinois School of Architectureand brought him on staffthrough a fellowship program.

The survey results alsoshowed that the local pro-grams highly valued theAnnual Conference andAwards Dinner. Moreover, theconference provided an oppor-tunity to publicly showcaseMain Street’s good works,especially as 2003 happenedto be Illinois Main Street’s10th anniversary.

An event this vast usuallystarts planning a year inadvance with a considerablebudget. There was neither thetime nor the previous budgetto devote to it. Utilizing basicMain Street principles, part-nerships were created andsponsors sought. Previous con-ference surveys had indicated ashorter event schedule wouldbe appreciated, so the agendawas condensed to two days.The results justified the effort:the 2003 conference was pro-duced with about one-third ofthe previous budget yet evalu-ations were overwhelminglypositive.

This same approach hasbeen taken for the entireIllinois Main Street program.Over the last year, IMS hasconducted a regionalizedtraining program rather thanholding workshops in eachcommunity. Training for newMain Street managers is heldquarterly at the state programoffice rather than in remotelocations. This practice is notonly efficient but alsoacquaints the managers with

the lieutenant governor’s office.The annual calendar of serviceshas been reassessed so that thestate conference is held aboutsix months after the NationalMain Streets Conference, andthe semi-annual manager meet-ings fall in the other two quar-ters. This schedule gives localprogram staff an opportunityfor personal networking aboutevery 90 days.

Two staples of state MainStreet services – basic trainingand annual program reviews –returned to our calendar in2004 after a two-year hiatus.Previously, basic training wasoffered in both the northernand southern areas of the state;this year we chose one central-ized location that was easilyaccessible for all.

Illinois, Iowa, andWisconsin have a long-stand-ing tradition of holding a Tri-State Conference about everytwo years. Host and adminis-trative duties are rotatedbetween the states, and pro-grams with unique projects orbest practices are utilized as

speakers. This year, however,the three state programs chose“Speaking Up for Main Street”as the theme and included anafternoon workshop on advoca-cy by Stacey Mahaney of theNational Trust for HistoricPreservation. Illinois served ashost for almost 200 MainStreet professionals from thethree states, providing greatnetworking as well as educa-tional programs.

The lieutenant governor’soffice has publicized the pro-gram in many media outlets.Consequently, interest in theMain Street approach hasgrown and the number ofinquiries has increased. Toaddress this growing interest,IMS created a new tiered sys-tem of services. In the newstructure, “designated” pro-grams keep their status andtowns that were accepted intothe program and are workingto complete their designationrequirements are termed“associates.”

Two new levels have beenintroduced – “introductory”and “premier.” Introductorytowns are just beginning toexplore downtown revitaliza-tion or a management struc-ture. They learn about theMain Street Four PointApproach™ and have accessto basic services, which helpthem build a foundationbefore they apply for associatestatus. The premier status wasinstituted to recognize excep-tional programs. Premier pro-grams meet additionalrequirements, such as havinga Certified Main StreetManager and agreeing tomentor a new community.The first four introductorytowns were named by

Governor Rod Blagojevich aspart of an economic recoveryplan for west central Illinois,and five associate programshave been accepted in the last13 months, including our firstcountywide program.

As mentioned earlier inthis article, effective advocacyis an offensive strategy. In allof Illinois Main Street’s 10years, the program had nevermade its case at the Capitol.And though LieutenantGovernor Quinn is committedto the program, it is impor-tant to tell the Main Streetstory on a regular basis.

“Main Street Day at theCapitol” was held for the firsttime in 2004. The day startedwith a short meeting wheremanagers received a lesson inadvocacy and a legislativeoffice directory. Main Streetersthen left to meet with theirsenators and representatives.Displays from local MainStreet programs lined thehalls of the State Capitol, andLieutenant Governor Quinnand legislative leaders led arally in the rotunda after around of lively entertainment.An informational meeting fortowns interested in MainStreet, a legislative receptionat the newly opened ArtsCenter in downtownSpringfield, and an UpperStory Development Tourrounded out the day.

Wendy Bell is program coor-dinator for Illinois MainStreet, which is housed in theOffice of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.


...effective advocacyis not a defensivestrategy that reactswhen things gowrong. Advocacy isan offensive plan thatcontinually educatesand persuades,influencing decisionsthat are yet to come.

What You Can DoLessons from Illinois Main Streetby Donna Ann Harris


1. Do not expect state Main Street staff to take the lead onlobbying efforts. Most of the time, they are expressly prohibit-ed from making contact with legislators unless the legislatorhas requested information directly. Create an independentorganization to help press your case.

2. Be prepared. If your state program is housed in a state agency,set up a separate nonprofit organization composed of managersand board presidents that have good connections with electedofficials. Find a core group of a least five managers or localboard members who are willing to visit key legislators andexplain the importance of the program in advance of budgetnegotiations or to support specific legislative programs. Don’twait until there’s an emergency to form this group; do it now!

3. Develop a communication plan. Using your nonprofit organiza-tion, develop a plan to communicate quickly with all managers andorganizations in a crisis, particularly a fiscal crisis. Make sure all man-agers throughout the state know and understand the plan. Reviewthis plan regularly at manager meetings and state conferences.

4. Educate local managers on the need for ongoing advocacy.Make them aware that they need to establish and nurture a relation-ship with their local and state elected officials. The Illinois MainStreet program’s annual Main Street day at the state capitol duringthe spring legislative session has been a great help in keeping ahigher political profile for the program.

Other suggestions

» Start or expand a Lobbying 101 session at your next state con-ference. Find out how other statewide associations educate legislators and adjust your program as needed.

» Offer an annual award for the most innovative or effective localor statewide lobbying effort by a town during the previous year.

» If you do not have one already, offer a “Friend of Main StreetAward” to a legislator at your annual state conference. Consideroffering a similar award to a legislative staffer; these individualscan play a critical role in bringing your issue to the attention oftheir boss.

» Make sure all legislators, their chiefs of staff, and their con-stituent services staff get the state Main Street officeannouncements, invitations, press releases, and newsletters.

» Revise the annual program review to include a section requiringeach town to undertake some type of annual educational effort forlocal and state elected officials. Keep these lists up to date.

» Demystify what constitutes educating, advocacy, and lobbying for501(c)3 organizations and provide good advice so people under-stand what they can and cannot do to support legislative issues atthe state capitol and at home. The website for Charity Lobbyingin the Public Interest – http://www.clpi.org/FAQ.html – providesexcellent information on this topic.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation regularly sup-

ports Main Street coordinating programs through advocacy

work. The Trust can mobilize its members and partners to

advocate on behalf of Main Street and other preservation

issues through its Main Street Center, regional offices, and

its public policy and membership departments.

Advocacy for Main Street coordinating programs begins with

the National Trust Main Street Center. Once we receive a

request for advocacy help, Center staff members enlist the

support of other Trust departments to reach as many con-

stituents as possible. Together, we activate Trust Advisors,

Main Street and National Trust membership bases, Trustees,

senior Trust staff, and partner organizations to contact state

legislators and elected officials to encourage their support of

Main Street programs or other preservation-related activities.

We are proud to have played an active role in each of

the advocacy efforts fea-

tured in this issue of

Main Street

News.

To learn more about the advocacy support that the National

Trust can provide to both coordinating and local Main Street

programs, please contact us at [email protected] or

(202)588-6219. But remember – our efforts have a greater

impact when local programs (the primary beneficiaries of

coordinating Main Street services and resources) have estab-

lished and maintained good contacts with elected officials so

that the importance of the coordinating program is already

well understood.

The National Trust: An Advocacy Partner

I


In January 2004, Main Streetprogram managers in Missouriformed the Missouri MainStreet Connection (MMSC) tobreathe new life into theMissouri Main Street program(MMSP), which was losingstate funding. This 501(c)(3)organization assumed thedaunting task of not onlyreviving the state program,but also building a bigger andstronger program that couldserve more communities.

Missouri launched its state-funded Main Street programwithin the Department ofEconomic Development(DED) in 1989 with five pilotcommunities. Five more wereadded in 1990. In what wasto become a trend for the pro-gram, however, state legisla-tors soon cut funding, therebyreducing services to the 10pilot communities.

With only one staff personin place at the state level,adding new communities wasput on hold. The state pro-gram remained in placethrough the 1990s and into2002, although some of thepilot programs closed down.Even though two new pro-grams had been brought intothe state network, no morethan 12 programs existedsimultaneously, and a few ofthe pilot programs had closed.

When rumors began flyingin the spring of 2003 thatMMSP might lose its fundingaltogether, many of the localMain Street program leaderscalled their legislators andcontacts within the DED,which had continued toadminister the program. TheMissouri Main Street commu-nities did not launch anorganized effort to save theprogram at that time, however,

primarily because the net-work wasn’t a cohesive unit.

The Missouri DowntownAssociation (MDA), mean-while, did try to save thestatewide program by propos-ing to move it under itsumbrella. MDA’s proposal,however, requested a budgetof only $75,000, a $50,000reduction in the MMSPbudget. While this was awell-intentioned effort on thepart of MDA, timing wasshort, and not all networkMain Street communitiesagreed that that the associa-tion was the proper home forthe state program.

Ultimately, the DED elim-inated funding for the MMSPin the fiscal year 2004 budg-et, which began on July 1,2003. To date, Missouri Main

Street remains an unfundedprogram within DED.

Fortunately, prior to July1, 2003, DED had negotiateda contract with the NationalTrust Main Street Center forspecified services to the 12designated Main Street pro-grams. Those services includ-ed local program assessments,quarterly manager meetings,and workshops and trainings.Sheri Stuart, a National TrustMain Street Center (NMSC)program associate, wasresponsible for contacting the12 communities, conductingthe program assessments, andcoordinating services.

Losing the state programbecame a unifying force for theprogram managers and theircommunities. Local MainStreet managers met for the

first time since the loss of statefunding in January 2004. Theirfirst question was, “How do weget our state funding restored?”

The discussion, facilitatedby NMSC staff, examined thestrengths and weaknesses ofthe former MMSP and oppor-tunities for re-establishing astatewide program. The groupidentified its two main chal-lenges: (1) the need tostrengthen communitiesalready within the state net-work; and (2) the limitednumber of communities servedby the state program.

Everyone agreed that thetop priorities were the deliveryof services to more communi-ties and the education of statelegislators so they wouldunderstand the need and sig-nificance of the Main Street

Missouri Main Street: Connecting Communities

Members of the Missouri Main Street Connection meet to discuss strategy in February 2004.

continued on page 12

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Four-Point Approach™. Toaccomplish this, the state sys-tem needed to be overhauled.

A basic training workshop,held after the managers’ meeting,attracted 50 participants frommore than 20 communitiesthat were interested in learningmore about Main Street (a sub-sequent basic training attracteda similar turn-out). It was obvi-ous that many Missouri com-munities were interested instrengthening their downtownrevitalization efforts, and thelocal managers wanted to find away to help them in theabsence of a state program.

At the next meeting inFebruary, the local managersdeveloped the outline for a new“tier-system” to serve Missouricommunities more effectivelyin their revitalization efforts.After several meetings, the fol-lowing tiers were defined:

• Certified. The Certifiedprograms must meet allof the criteria forNational Main StreetProgram status.

• Associate. Associate pro-grams are utilizing theMain Street approach,have paid staff, but havenot yet reached Certifiedstatus.

• Affiliate. Affiliate com-munities have a pro-gram in place but mayonly be working withvolunteers and not apaid manager, or theymay just be beginningtheir revitalizationefforts but want to workup the tiers.

• Aspiring. Aspiring com-munities were generallythought of as those thatwould like to have infor-mation and attend work-shops but may not beready to put a programin place.

The managers then decidedto take the plan a step furtherand specify standards for thequalifications of a manager ofa certified program. One ofthe most important criteriaestablished throughout thecourse of the meeting was thatfor a Missouri Main StreetCertified Program to retaincertification, it would beexpected to mentor an associ-ate or affiliate program.

This group of nine MainStreet program managers (sixat the certified level, two atthe associate level, and one atthe affiliate level) decided thebest way to advocate for theirprograms and other Missouricommunities was to form a501(c)(3) nonprofit organiza-tion. Thus, the Missouri MainStreet Connection (MMSC)was born. The group electedofficers from among the sixcertified communities andcommitted to bi-monthlymeetings throughout 2004.

“Rebuilding the state pro-gram has been a good experi-ence for all of us,” says DianeHannah, manager of ClintonMain Street, Inc. “Not only hasit got us thinking outside of thebox; it has been an invaluableexperience in teamwork andgetting beyond first impres-sions, forming relationships,and establishing and reachinggoals. These are all good thingsfor a Main Street manager tohave experience in!”

Of importance to all thelocal programs was continua-tion of the quarterly man-agers’ meetings on a rotatingbasis around the state, rou-tinely followed by anadvanced workshop for anyMissouri community interest-ed in Main Street. In April2004, at a meeting in

Jefferson City, the state capi-tal, the group had the oppor-tunity to meet not only withstate legislators, but also withstaff members of the DED.

At that time, MMSC dis-covered that the DED staffhad eliminated Missouri MainStreet funding from thedepartment budget, not the

legislators as they had origi-nally thought. The legislatorshad mandated that a certainpercentage be cut, but theDED determined which pro-grams would lose funding.MMSC realized it had to ham-mer home the economicdevelopment impact of down-town revitalization inMissouri communities.

Discussions with DED staffindicated that they would sup-port the efforts of the managersto develop a stronger program,although funding was stillunavailable. The DED was alsointerested in finding outwhether more communitieswere interested in and wouldbenefit from using the MainStreet approach.

While in Jefferson City, themanagers were unsuccessful inrestoring the MMSP fundingfor FY2005 but were able toget enough funding to once

again contract for serviceswith the NMSC, thus keepingtheir relationship with theNational Trust alive.

During MMSC’s meeting inJune, the leadership developedarticles of incorporation andbylaws. More details wereworked out regarding the tieredsystem, as well as contracts for

mentoring and suggested con-tracts between the state anddesignated communities.

MMSC plans to meet inJefferson City in January 2005so the managers can meetwith state legislators to advo-cate for restoring MMSP with-in the DED. The group hopesto bring in more communitiesto help with advocacy and willbe working to obtain statefunding for FY2006. Animportant lesson learned thispast year is that April is toolate to start work on obtainingfunding, so MMSC will makeits presence felt in January.

The schedule of services for2005 has been developed; itincludes quarterly managers’meetings, MMSC board meet-ings, and advanced workshopsall in the same communityduring the same week. Inaddition, MMSC decided touse some of its contracted

Missouri Main Street: Connecting Communities(CONTINUED)


calendar of eventsFebruary 2-4, 2005Colorado Preservation, Inc.,Saving Places 2005: BringingPreservation Home!Denver, Colo., 303-893-4260Website: www.coloradopreservation.org

February 4-7, 2005International Downtown Association,Downtown InstituteSt. Petersburg, Fla., 202-393-6001E-mail: [email protected]: www.ida-downtown.org

February 7-11, 2005NNMMSSCC,, CCeerrttiiffiiccaattiioonn IInnssttiittuuttee iinnPPrrooffeessssiioonnaall MMaaiinn SSttrreeeett MMaannaaggeemmeennttWashington, D.C., 202-588-6219Website: www.mainstreet.org/Conferences/Institute/certification.htm

February, 10-11, 2005Ohio Main Street Program,Ohio Main Street Institute Columbus, Ohio, 614-224-9020E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.downtownohio.org/calendar.htm

March 19-23, 2005American Planning Association, 2005 National Planning ConferenceSan Francisco, Calif.E-mail: [email protected]: www.planning.org/2005conference/index.htm

services with the NationalTrust Main Street Center toassess communities that havebeen using the Main Streetapproach but have not, up tothis point, been part of thestate program. As ofNovember 2004, three com-munities had been assessedand one more is scheduled forearly 2005.

In August 2004, MMSCbegan producing a newsletterfor anyone interested in the pro-gram. More than 300 copieshave been mailed out, andrecipient organizations havebeen asked to contribute $50toward mailing and websitecosts. In the future, the newslet-ter will be sent electronically.

The managers hope that thenewsletter and website willserve as effective communica-tion tools, assisting the MMSCin its efforts to provide revital-ization information to more

Missouri communities. Thewebsite is also used by theMain Street communities formonthly reporting of statistics.The current mailing listincludes nearly 100 communi-ties and is growing every week.

The six community pro-grams that compose theMMSC’s board of directors aremaking a commitment tobring back the Missouri MainStreet Program, not only forthemselves but for allMissouri communities. Theselocal programs are commit-ting time and dollars not onlythrough the work of the man-agers but also by hostingmeetings and workshops.

This spirit of unity has had apositive effect on local commu-nity leaders. “It is exhilaratingto see program managers fromcommunities that have receivedtechnical assistance in the pastbanding together to ensure that


Missouri Main Street managers attend a merchandising workshop at a regional training session.

April 6-8, 2005Colorado Community RevitalizationAssociation, Main Street 101 and 202 Training Gunnison, Colo., 303-282-0625E-mail: [email protected]: www.planning.org/2005conference/index.htm

April 27-28, 2005South Carolina DowntownDevelopment Association,2002 Community Builders ConferenceGreenville, S.C., 803-933-1224Website: http://www.sccommunitybuilders.org/

April 27-28, 2005Main Street New Jersey,Guiding Design on Main StreetTrenton, N.J., 609-633-9769E-mail: [email protected]: www.state.nj.us/dca/dhcr/msnj_dri.shtml#2

May 8-11, 2005NNMMSSCC,, NNaattiioonnaall MMaaiinn SSttrreeeettss CCoonnffeerreenncceeBaltimore, Md., 202-588-6219Website: www.mainstreet.org

May 14-16, 2005International Downtown Association, Spring ConferenceE-mail: [email protected]: http://www.ida-downtown.org

May 23-25, 2005LISC, Urban Forum 2005San Francisco, Calif.E-mail: [email protected]: www.lisc.org

June 4-11, 2005NNTTHHPP,, PPrreesseerrvvaattiioonn LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp TTrraaiinniinnggSan Antonio, Tex., 202-588-6067E-mail: [email protected]: www.nationaltrust.org/cpl

July 27-28, 2005Main Street New Jersey, Creating Economic OpportunityTrenton, N.J., 609-633-9769E-mail: [email protected]: www.state.nj.us/dca/dhcr/msnj_dri.shtml#2

Calendar entries of state, regional, andnational interest may be submitted inwriting by the fifth of each month for thefollowing month’s newsletter. We reservethe right to edit all entries based onappropriateness and space.

other Missouri communitieswill receive technical assistancein the future,” says RalphHuesing, executive director ofClarksville Main Street.

MMSC has no authority

with the state. It is hoping tobe retained in an advisorycapacity after funding hasbeen restored to MMSP.

For more information,visit www.momainstreet.org.

PPrreesseerrvvaattiioonn AAddvvooccaaccyyRReessoouurrcceess

The National Trust for HistoricPreservation’s Advocacy website:www.capwiz.com/nthp2Preservation Action’s websitewww.preservationaction.org Main Street News, Vol. 194,February 2003.

16:62

BUZZBUZZBUZZ


Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has created quite aname for itself. Literally.

Community leaders who work and live in therevitalizing Lawrenceville and the Strip Districtneighborhoods of Pittsburgh knew they had a lotto offer new residents and entrepreneurs…despite

the blight that had taken over this once-productive industrialriverfront. The neighborhoods are near downtown and have plentyof historic red brick and sandstone row houses starting at $35,000(not renovated), as well as equally affordable commercial stock withinteresting architecture. But the biggest draw was the 75 scatteredarts and interior design shops and studios. Together, these assetsheld promising economic potential. Local leaders were looking for ahook to draw more people to the struggling area. Realizing theyhad the basis of a strong business cluster, they named the area the16:62 Design Zone and a branding effort was born.

The 16:62 Design Zone is the cooperative niche marketing ini-tiative of the Lawrenceville Corporation, the local CDC and thelead agency of the Main Street program, which was incorporatedin December 1999. It promotes a business cluster, rather than atraditional commercial district, and spans two neighborhoods,from the 16th Street Bridge of the Strip District to the 62ndStreet Bridge in Lawrenceville.

Since the initiative was launched in 2000, 51 businesses haveopened in the Design Zone, 30 of which are cluster-related busi-nesses. More than 200 new employees now work there, and manypeople have been moving in as well. This is a large accomplish-ment for a neighborhood that for decades people considered emptyand unsafe. Today, with more than 90 arts and interior design-related businesses, the image of this part of town is shifting.

BRANDING THE DISTRICTAlthough a lot has happened in four years, change didn’t happenovernight. “Affordability set the stage for the influx of artists andpeople working in creative businesses,” says Pam Devereux,Lawrenceville Corporation’s business development manager.“Finding that they could afford to buy or rent space to set up

shops, galleries, or studios was a great opportunity that didn’trequire a large financial investment.”

The Lawrenceville-end of the Design Zone had been home to anumber of mills and factories that ultimately shut down duringthe 1970s and 80s. The Strip District has its roots in industry aswell and is largely made up of warehouses for wholesale produceand distribution. The loss of employers and suburban flight con-tributed to the deterioration of the community and its buildingstock. But in the 1990s, the area began attracting artists, who sawthe dilapidated structures not as a deterrent but as a creative chal-lenge. Using sweat equity and skills, they renovated buildings anddeveloped a close-knit business community. They realized some-thing bigger was happening in the area and wanted to let otherpeople in on the secret.

“It was a grassroots effort that started with the business own-ers,” says Devereux. “The business owners saw that they fell intothe same niche and they wanted to know how they could build onthat and promote the neighborhood’s emerging asset.”

In 1998, a few business owners began to look at branding andcreated a vision for the commercial corridor. Working together toattract similar businesses, they decided, would attract more cus-tomers for everyone. They counted and analyzed the types of busi-nesses, which included a variety of arts-related shops and special-ized craftspeople, and saw they had a burgeoning business cluster.While the Strip District was known for ethnic food shops andnightlife, the rest of the area didn’t have a reputation for offeringmuch. Community leaders decided to change that by turning thearea into a regional and national destination for home owners,interior designers, and building facility managers looking for cus-tom-made or unique, design-related goods.

To strengthen the revitalization effort, the LawrencevilleCorporation was formed less than two years later when two localcommunity groups merged. The Design Zone initiative waslaunched soon thereafter in 2000. With an organizational structurein place, they sought funding. They caught the attention of thePittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, which hasbeen Lawrenceville Corporation’s major funder for its programmatic

BUILDING THE BUZZ: PITTSBURGH’S DESIGN ZONE GRABS A MARKETING NICHE AND RUNS WITH IT

Pittsburgh’s Design Zone ishome to a fascinating collection of design-relatedbusinesses housed inbuildings that range froma former firehouse (far left),now an architectural mill-work company, to an 1860sstable (center) that houses ahome furnishings store. Thecustom cabinetry business atright benefits from a show-room on “main street” whilethe actual work is done in amanufacturing shop acrossthe alley in back.

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16:62


and operational needs from the program’s beginning, and securedfinancial contributions for promotional tools from the city’s UrbanRedevelopment Authority. Since its inception, the Design Zoneprogram has had an annual budget of less than $75,000.

The first step was to bring the other business owners on board.Getting their buy-in wasn’t too difficult because the brandingstrategy essentially repackaged and sought to expand what alreadyexisted. Also, thanks to the funding, Design Zone membershipinitially sought only participants’ support, not money.Lawrenceville Corporation’s leaders, who were local business own-ers, went door to door, discussing their ideas with colleagues andsparking enthusiasm for the district’s potential.

“It was very organic and driven by grassroots energy,” saysDevereux. “We wanted to raise visibility and assert a new identity.”

To do that, the organization needed to get the word out. Thishas been one the strongest elements of the Design Zone strategy.Without a formal marketing plan, word of mouth and exposurewas critical to generating a buzz about the district. In December2000, the organization designed and published its first businessdirectory, which listed all 75 of the businesses and included amap. These guidebooks were distributed among local businesses,restaurants, and hotels.

By fall 2004, the fourth edition had been published, with alisting of 89 businesses that includes additional categories such ascafes and restaurants. Since the publication of the first edition,more than 60,000 directories have been circulated, with anincreasing number being sent to people from outside the district.Now the organization is expanding its reach by working with theGreater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau, which activelyseeks to promote Pittsburgh neighborhood tourism. Local realestate agents also use the directory to help sell this area to theirclients, says Devereux, adding that the guidebook is a necessitybecause the Design Zone spans three business corridors and 46streets. It isn’t the kind of traditional commercial corridor where apatron can park and stroll along four blocks to get a completeexperience of the zone or even discover what is there.

“The map was key. Unless you had a reason to come to this areaor unless you lived here, you wouldn’t venture past The Strip,”says Devereux. “Giving people a visual showed them how close allthese great shops, galleries, and design studios are.”

The size of the Design Zone is both a challenge and an asset.Devereux points out that unifying a diverse group of people over alarge distance can be difficult, especially due to their differentcommunication preferences. Not everyone has an Internet connec-tion, for example, so sending out only an electronic newsletterwould exclude some members.

On the other hand, the plus side to the number of streets theDesign Zone encompasses is the potential for serendipity. Becausethe businesses are spread out, a client searching for someone torepair a stained glass window can “discover” other interestingshops nearby. Thus, the idea of “discovery” has become part of thefun for people visiting the Design Zone and something its brand-ing strategy capitalizes on. As the branding effort continues tostrengthen, more people are learning that the area’s businesses can

meet their design or artisan needs. Adding to the experience isthe variety of studios filled with talented people that customerscan watch and be inspired by as they work.

Managing the niche has also been important to protect thebrand. The Lawrenceville Corporation understands that the nicheconcept can’t encompass the entire commercial area because peoplewho live and work there need dry cleaners, drugstores, and otherneighborhood-serving businesses. Moreover, not every business,even if it is arts-related or has some kind of design element to it,will be a good fit to participate in the marketing cooperative.

“We had a clothing boutique owner approach us about partici-pating in the Design Zone,” says Devereux. “Although she is agreat addition to the neighborhood, her business didn’t fit intothe niche marketing focus and wouldn’t be the best way to pro-mote her shop. Although ‘design’ is a broad term, you have tostop it somewhere, and we’ve chosen to focus on interior design

because of the cluster’s history. We wouldn’t be doing anyone anyfavors if we stretch that definition.”

To further showcase the Design Zone, the group launched itsfirst website – www.1662designzone.com – in 2001. However,the site proved to be expensive to maintain because it was Flash-based and Lawrenceville Corporation had to pay a consultant everytime it wanted to update the content.

“We didn’t even have an events calendar because it cost toomuch to update,” says Devereux. Realizing the importance oftimely and new content and wanting to improve communicationwith its audience, in January 2003, the group launched a newsite, from which it is reaping enormous benefits. The redesign hasquadrupled the number of requests for the guidebooks.

“The Design Zone had so many activities going on and weneeded to communicate that,” says Devereux. “So we worked withsomeone to develop simple content management tools so we couldupdate the website on our own. Now it costs us less than $350annually to run the site, not including staff time, because all wepay for are hosting fees and minor edits.”

Not only does the new website design serve LawrencevilleCorporation well, it benefits its constituents, too. The site’sorganization makes it easy for first-time visitors to find what theyneed and get a good feel for what this emerging neighborhood isall about. Designed to target the district’s distinct and separatemarkets, the site clearly lays out information to meet the needs ofvisitors and shoppers, as well as potential business owners and res-idents. Features include an events calendar, a members-only sec-


tion, searchable business directory, and guidebook order form. Itsaesthetics match its well-thought-out functionality – its cleandesign pays attention to interesting visuals and white space aswell as presenting content intuitively so usability isn’t sacrificed.

The branding buzz continues to hum via other communicationtools. Using donated production time from a board member,Lawrenceville Corporation has produced a television commercialto promote the Design Zone. Last year, the organization rampedup its outreach by e-mailing a weekly newsletter to promote thedistrict’s business and cultural activities and also mounted DesignZone banners on building facades to take the brand to street-level.

Events also help increase visibility. A local business owner recent-ly negotiated a discounted fee for Design Zone members to exhibittogether at the spring Old House Fair, which attracts up to 10,000attendees. A holiday event produced by Lawrenceville Corporation,called “A December to Remember,” has proven a great way tointroduce new people to the neighborhood. The 2004 eventspanned three days during the first weekend of December and

included trunk shows, storepromotions, children’s activi-ties, and the annual “Joy ofCookies” tour. The cookie-tasting tour gives shoppers amap to 15 participating gal-leries and stores and invitesthem to snack, shop, andpick up a free recipe card.People who visit all 15 stopscan enter to win six dozenprofessionally baked cookies.Devereux says the event isvery popular and exposes newpeople to local businesses.

MEASURING SUCCESSDue to lack of funding, the Lawrenceville Corporation hasn’t beenable to systematically track the effectiveness of the branding effort asthoroughly as it would like. Outside of counting the number of newbusinesses, new employees, and memberships, the group can’t quan-tify the impact and can only guess at its success. In 2003, theDesign Zone initiative was recognized as a “Promising Practice” forattracting new customers, employees, and businesses to the area inthe Community Development Partnership Network report on “weakmarket cities.” The report identifies weak market cities as urban cen-ters that have seen home values and population plummet from 1990to 2000 as well as erosion of the tax base and public services.

Other evidence of the Design Zone’s impact can be found in astory Devereux likes to tell. She was chatting with a long-time resi-dent of Lawrenceville (who just opened her own business a year ago)who told her about an advertising representative who visited therestaurant where she used to work to solicit participation in a holi-day shopping ad. They had joked that the only presents you couldbuy in the district were a six-pack of beer, a pizza, or a carton of

cigarettes. A lot has changed since that ad rep came to town!“We can’t say, with certainty, for example, that we attracted

16,000 customers to the district last year,” says Devereux. “But wecan look at the business owners and see that they continue to investin the program and contribute their time and money. They tell meall the time that they have customers showing up with the guide-book in their hands. That is a great sign. If they didn’t think theDesign Zone initiative was doing anything for them, they wouldn’tbe renewing their memberships and we’d have a problem.”

To remedy the guesswork behind the power of the branding effort,Lawrenceville will be getting another injection of funds from thePittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development (PPND).PPND has selected the Design Zone to participate in a pilot cooper-ative communications project that will increase the visibility of mar-ketable districts by stepping up their public relations efforts throughfunding for design and publicity services. Devereux says the majorprojects for next year are conducting a market analysis, developingthe technology to set tracking tools in place, and working with afirm to step up the formal marketing campaign.

It might be surprising to know that all of the progressLawrenceville Corporation has made was achieved without a formalwork plan or even a mission statement. Although Devereux says thatthe committee members and board of directors knew what they wereworking toward, they put their mission statement in writing onlylast year. Partly this was due to PPND’s requirement that applicantsfor its grant have a three-to-five year business plan in place.

“Basically, we accomplished so much because we had this incred-ible momentum driven by spirit and team work. Only now are weat the point of finding a way for long-term sustainability and giv-ing that energy some structure,” says Devereux. “We had visionsfor what we wanted to do here, but when your funding is annual-ized and you spend a few months a year writing grant proposals, itis hard to see past the next year. We are now ready for the nextlevel since the pieces are falling into place. We have our missionstatement, membership defined, and long-term goals.”

Devereux says that the Design Zone initiative wasn’t the sole cat-alyst for the stark change that has taken place during the last fouryears. The credit is shared with Lawrenceville United, a citizens-based public safety group that has made great strides in workingwith police and bringing the issue of public safety to the attentionof other citizens and elected officials. Devereux says now that thetwo organizations have been building capacity they are looking towork together to bring public safety strategies to the district.

“Negative public perceptions take a long time to change,” saysDevereux. “Four years is a drop in the bucket. But the area is defi-nitely gaining a reputation as a neighborhood with a lot of inter-esting businesses, one that is worth the trip.”

But what about the “G-word”? We all know that with revital-ization success, quantified or apparent, gentrification rears its uglyhead and can push out the people who initially accepted the riskto make the neighborhood “cool” or safe. LawrencevilleCorporation doesn’t have a plan in place, but the neighborhoodhas two factors that may help protect it from commercial gentrifi-

Design Zone businesses often successfully merge historic and contemporary design elements.

BUZZBUZZBUZZBUILDING THE BUZZ


cation. The first is that 50 percent of business owners own theirbuildings. The second is that many private developers support thebusiness cluster and often contact Devereux for leads on potentialbusiness owners or entrepreneurs.

“Developers have bought multiple buildings and are doing anexcellent job of façade restoration and renovations. And their pricesseem reasonable for the market,” says Devereux. “They see the valueof getting a design business in their space and they prefer it. Theyknow there is a support system in place here already and they knowthat a small business that gets support in the start-up phase is morelikely to make it. That makes it easier for the developers becausethey won’t have to find a new tenant for that space each year.”

That community culture is another important aspect of growingthe brand in the Design Zone area. Stakeholders have been sup-portive from the beginning. Local business owners began workingtogether before the Lawrenceville Corporation was started and,especially before Devereux was hired, their volunteer work, total-ing more than 750 hours a year, has sustained the momentum ofthe movement. In 2003, the Lawrenceville Corporation finallydeveloped a membership program and raised more than 80 percentof programming funds from local business owners.

“Our biggest partners are our individual members. They do allthe legwork,” says Devereux.

This community spirit has also made it easy to work in theDesign Zone. There is a lot of camaraderie – there is a lot of cus-tomer sharing and referral among business owners as well as a shar-ing of resources. For example, a business owner who doesn’t have afax machine knows that he or she can use the one in the office nextdoor. These business owners know what it is like to get a small busi-ness off the ground; they know they aren’t alone in the struggle.

Devereux feels this attitude transcends the common bondsamong people in the same industry. “I believe there are two pow-erful forces at work here,” she says. “One driving force is thatmany business owners live here, and those that don’t still spendtime socializing here. They don’t leave after five. The other is thatin any neighborhood, whether it is a small town or an urban dis-trict, what keeps people together is the desire to connect withothers. In a struggling neighborhood, that desire is great. Theyhave faith in a brighter future.”

1. WALK AND TALK. Hit the street and explore your business dis-trict. Gain an understanding of the market demand and how itrelates to the location, physical infrastructure, and spaceinventory of your district. Understand emerging businesstrends and the needs of your business owners. They can revealthe challenges that can be solved by cluster development.

2. IDENTIFY A NEED. How can cluster development benefit yourdistrict? Customer attraction is an obvious choice, but it’s notthe only answer. Are there other solutions, such as job cre-ation or training or cost-reduction opportunities throughshared suppliers?

3. ESTABLISH GOALS. Set baseline measurements and short- andlong-term goals for your efforts. If your goal is business attrac-tion, ensure that you have accurate baseline figures and goalsfor the number of businesses to attract each year. If your goalis increased sales in the district, identify how you will meas-ure these goals and enlist partners in your measurement goals.

4. DEVELOP A PLAN. Tie your goals to a business plan. Whatresources do you need to achieve your goals, and how willyou acquire those resources? Possible sources include mem-bership fees, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

5. RALLY THE TROOPS. Successful development begins withsharing the vision. Enlist volunteers who will champion andexecute your projects. Include them in review of your plan,and modify the plan as needed. Achieving “ownership” amongyour constituents during the program’s early stages is key tolong-term success. Require investments of time and/or moneyduring the start-up phase.

6. UNDERSTAND YOUR MARKET. Your plan should include plentyof market research. Who will be your best customers, andhow will you reach them? Your participating businesses canoften provide insights on their current shoppers, what types ofcomplementary businesses might serve as an additional lure,and how to reach those customers.

7. ESTABLISH YOUR BRAND IDENTITY. When your cluster is success-ful, your target market will associate it with a distinctive identitythat acts as an umbrella over the individual businesses of yourdistrict. Consider the following stages in developing your brand:

• What is the brand essence of your cluster? Which oneor two words summarize the customer’s experiencewhen visiting your district? (Example: Coke = refreshment; Volvo = safety)

• What is the brand promise? Agree on the spoken or unspo-ken expression of the continuing, important, and specificbenefits that a customer will identify with your district.

• How are these ideas articulated through your brandimage? The visual and text messages you use in yourmarketing materials should reinforce your brand identity –the long-term strategy for positioning your brand.

8. DEVELOP MARKETING TOOLS THAT WILL REACH YOUR TARGETAUDIENCE. Tools can include events, printed materials, awebsite, streetscape elements, or a combination of all.Choose the most cost-effective methods of reaching the audi-ences that will become your best customers.

Developing and Marketing aBusiness ClusterBy Pam Devereux

Ready to explore niche-marketing for yourown cool commercial district? We will havefour sessions related to topics explored inthis article at the National Main StreetsConference in Baltimore, Md., May 8-11,2005: Creating Business Clusters &Wooing Their Customers; Building aNeighborhood Brand; Developing ArtistLive/Work Space; and Arts Development onMain Street. Also check out the arts-infusedfield tour: Cambridge Maryland: ThrivingSmall Town. Learn more by visitinghttp://conference.mainstreet.org.


E T W O R K N O T E SNSenator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa);Governor Tom Vilsack; andMike Blouin, director of theIowa Department of EconomicDevelopment (IDED),announced the funding of nineprojects to revitalize downtownbuildings across Iowa in mid-December. Funding for theseprojects is part of a grant to thestate for nearly $500,000.

Senator Harkin securedfunding for the programthrough a special appropria-tion from the NeighborhoodInitiative Account for SpecialProjects in the U.S.Department of Housing andUrban Development (HUD).Since 2002, Harkin hassecured nearly $1.5 millionfor this successful program.

“It is an honor to be joinedby Governor Vilsack andDirector Blouin in revitalizingmany of Iowa’s main streets,”Senator Harkin said. “TheMain Street Iowa projects are aclassic example of the kind offederal and state partnershipthat makes a real difference inour communities by creatingjobs and restoring the luster ofIowa’s downtowns.”

During a presentation at the

State Capitol, Governor Vilsackcommended the revitalizationefforts of Main Street commu-nities. “This program givescommunities the opportunityto leverage local funds to ensuregrowth and a strong future,”said Vilsack. “The economicimpact of these dollars is sub-stantial when partnered withthe outstanding dedication ofthese Main Street communities.”

The initial $500,000 HUDgrant in 2002 stimulated aninvestment of more than $2.8million in restoration/rehabili-tation projects in nine MainStreet Iowa communities.Funding was also used to pro-vide technical assistance to all34 of the state’s Main Streetcommunities from the nation’sbest business consultants and asix-part series of Retail BusinessDevelopment Workshops,which was made available to allIowa communities.

“The investment in thesecommunities paves the wayfor a stronger future acrossIowa,” said IDED DirectorBlouin. “We appreciate theefforts of Senator Harkin tomake this piece of the pro-gram a reality.”

The successful grant recipi-ents include: • Dubuque, $43,000 for the

Old German Bank/SilverDollar;

• Corning, $20,000 for theCorning Opera House;

• Waterloo, $40,000 for theFowler Building;

• State Center, $40,000 forthe M. M. Bishop Building;

• Bedford, $40,000 for theGarland Hotel;

• Valley Junction, West DesMoines, $43,000 for TheLagniappe;

• Jewell, $40,000 for a build-ing at 632 Main Street;

• Charles City, $37,000 forthe Charles City CulturalCenter; and

• Burlington, $40,000 toassist with the construction ofa new downtown grocery.

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The $497,050 appropriationfrom HUD’s NeighborhoodInitiative Fund will be used bythe Main Street Iowa programin the following ways:$300,000 of this grant will becombined with $43,000remaining from a previousHUD appropriation to providefinancial assistance for propertyrestoration and rehabilitationin the nine recipient MainStreet communities.Remaining funds will be usedfor business development train-ing and technical assistance –$132,000; environmentalassessments and administrativecosts – $65,050.For more information, contactJane Seaton, Main Street Iowacoordinator, [email protected] 515-242-4756.

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Last year, Kentucky MainStreet held a quarterly meet-ing in Frankfort, the statecapital. Many of theKentucky Main Street man-agers took advantage of theopportunity to visit with theirstate representatives.Rebecca Hall from MidwayRenaissance, Inc., and DiBoyer from Vision Versailles2000+ brought their legislators

jars of preserves with speciallabels that said “Preserve OurMain Street Funding.”

They also gave a candygram to Governor ErnieFletcher. The candy gramreceived lots of positive attentionand stayed in the governor’soffice for several weeks. Oneperson remarked that most ofthe state’s professional lobby-ists who earn six figures were

not as creative as the MainStreet managers. Di andRebecca received severalrequests for the text from peo-ple who wanted to use thecandy gram idea locally withtheir mayors and county offi-cials.

For more information, contact DiBoyer at [email protected] or859-879-5033.

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8

Left to right: Michael Blouin, director of the Iowa Dept. ofEconomic Development; Catherine Bergman, executivedirector of Hamilton County S.E.E.D.; Senator Tom Harkin;Fred Marcalus, Jewell board member; Governor Vilsack;and Hans Koehnk, Jewell board member, celebrate receiptof federal grant to assist Iowa Main Street communities.

Candy gram presented toKentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher by Main Street managers.


Main Street News is published 11times a year as a benefit of membershipin the National Main Street Network,an organizational membership programof the National Main Street Center®,National Trust for Historic Preservation,1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,Washington, DC 20036.Tel: 202-588-6219 Fax: 202-588-6050E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.mainstreet.orgAnnual dues are $195.©2005 National Trust for Historic Preservation

MANAGING EDITORLinda S. Glisson

DESIGNFrank. Strategic Marketing.

National Trust for Historic Preservation:Richard MoePresident

Stanley LoweVice PresidentCommunity Revitalization

Doug LoescherDirectorNational Main Street Center (NMSC)

Stephanie RedmanProgram ManagerTechnical Services, NMSC

Amanda B. WestProgram ManagerInformation Resources, NMSC

David R. TullyProgram AssociateInformation Resources, NMSC

Luke VanBelleghemProgram AssociateInformation Resources, NMSC

Andrea L. DonoEditorial AssistantInformation Resources, NMSC

The National Trust for HistoricPreservation is the only national,private organization chartered byCongress to encourage publicparticipation in the preservation ofsites, buildings, and objects significantin American history. The NationalMain Street Center,® a program of the National Trust, provides techni-cal assistance in downtown andneighborhood commercial districtrevitalization to communitiesthroughout the nation.

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On March 1, 2005, preservationadvocates from all around thenation will participate in LobbyDay – a chance to get trainingin lobbying and then meet withU.S. Congressional staff to pro-mote preservation issues.

Participants will includeMain Street coordinators,

National Trust Advisors,statewide and local preservationorganizations, PreservationAction, the National Conferenceof State Historic PreservationOfficers, the NationalAssociation of Tribal HistoricPreservation Officers, and theNational Alliance of

Preservation Commissions.Representatives from these organi-zations will come to Washington,D.C., to lobby Congress on mattersimportant to historic preservation.

For more information, contactStacey Mahaney [email protected] or202-588-6231.

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Washington, DC., MayorAnthony Williams visitedBarracks Row, a DC MainStreets community, in lateNovember to remind shoppersabout the D.C. Sales TaxHoliday. Each year, there is a10-day period beginning afterThanksgiving when most con-sumer goods priced $100 or lessare exempt from the 5.75 per-cent sales tax.

The mayor encouraged citi-zens to support local retailers,especially DC Main Streetsneighborhood business districts.After a few brief remarks aboutthe Tax Holiday and the neigh-borhood shopping districts, themayor visited with several storeowners and did a little holidayshopping of his own.

For more information, contactBill McLeod at [email protected] or 202-544-3188.

8After two years of meticulous revision, the National TrustMain Street Center has launched its new website!

Now when you go to www.mainstreet.org, you’ll find anewly designed and completely revamped website, full ofadditional information and features. Here are some thingsyou need to know about the site and its new features:

• Member login. As you did on our old site, if you want toaccess special members-only items, you will need tologin as a member.

• One-time user registration. The first time you log in asa member, you will need to register to use the site. Alink to register is on the front page and in theMembers area. You will need your membership IDnumber (located on your membership card or on the mailing label of this Main Street News)and your expiration date (located on your membership card) to register as a user of the site.You will also need to provide your e-mail address and create a personal password. Your e-mailaddress and personal password will be your login information from now on. Please note thatyou may register multiple users with your member ID number and expiration date. NationalMain Street Network membership is an organizational membership; and now your staff, com-mittee members, and board members can enjoy the benefits as well.

• Members area/Members-only items. Members-only items are now spread throughout the siteinstead of just within the Members area. You will see this most prominently in theKnowledge Base, the new online database of information.

• Solution Center. This is your one-stop-shop for information on preservation-based revitalization. Along withour online Knowledge Base database, it provides tools and informational resources for revitalization.

New National Trust Main Street Center Website Unveiled!

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Mayor Anthony Williamsand Marie Connelly, ownerof Stitch DC.

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National Trust for Historic Preservation1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20036

Nonprofit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDWashington, DCPermit No. 8803

A Quarter Century of Progress: Let’s Celebrate!

Twenty-five Years = $18 BillionHow much is our work worth? That’s easy… thanksto the dedicated gathering of statistics by more than athousand local Main Street programs over the past 25years. Here’s the latest numbers on reinvestment,shown as cumulative totals, since our inception in1980:

NATIONAL TOTALSNumber of local programs (since 1980) . . 1,834Total reinvestment (through 2003). . . . . . . . . . . $18.3 billionNet gain in new businesses . . . . . . . . . . . 60,577Net gain in new jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244,545Buildings rehabilitated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96,283

LOCAL AVERAGESAverage reinvestment/local program. . . . . . . . . . . $10.0 millionAverage program length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.05 yearsAverage cost per new job . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,847Average cost per new business . . . . . . . . . $11,492Reinvestment ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.17

Watch coming issues of Main Street News for details!

Notes: The average reinvestment per community reflectsinvestment in communities that have recently begun com-mercial district revitalization programs as well as those thathave been actively involved in Main Street for more than adecade. In addition, it includes investment in communitiesof all sizes and in all parts of the country. For these reasons,communities should be extremely cautious in using thisstatistic as a benchmark for local performance.

The reinvestment ratio measures the amount of newinvestment that occurs, on average, for every dollar a par-ticipating community spends to support the operation ofits Main Street program, based on average annual programcosts reported to the National Trust Main Street Center bystatewide and citywide Main Street programs.

The average cost of jobs and businesses is calculated usingthe total average program budget and total net jobs/busi-nesses reported.

Can you believe we are turning 25years old? That’s right… the year2005 marks the 25th anniversary ofMain Street as a national movementand network of local revitalizationprograms coast to coast. We thinkthat deserves a year-long party! Tocelebrate, the National Trust hasformed a special task force to plana series of program and mediaevents. Here are a few things towatch for in the next few months:

PRESERVATION MAGAZINEFeature story on Main Street(March/April)

MAIN STREET NEWSSeries of retrospective articles andinterviews

NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE25th birthday party

• Knowledge Base. This newonline database has moreinformation than ever, withlots of sample documents,pdf forms of Main StreetNews articles, case studies,and more. Members-onlyitems are marked with an“M.” A member must belogged in to access theseitems. There are severaldifferent ways to cast awide or narrow search forinformation. We hope theKnowledge Base will beeasier to navigate andsearch. We also encouragemembers to contributeitems – so please send inyour sample documents orsuccess stories!

• General information. Wehave also greatly improvedand increased the generalinformation available on thesite. Be sure to visit the“Why Revitalize?” section.

• Consulting services. Wehave devoted an entire sec-tion to our consulting serviceswith greater detail on specificservices, prices, staff bios,and more.

If you cannot find yourmembership ID number oryour expiration date, [email protected] or call202-588-6219.

Please let us know what youthink! If you have troublelogging in for the first time,find any broken links, or justwant to give us some feed-back, e-mail us at [email protected].

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main street advocacy€¦ · achieving this goal would require strong advocacy and lobbying...

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