YEAR 2017 IN REVIEW
January 2018 Main Street Matters
By Debra Drescher, State Coordinator, Texas Main Street Program (TMSP)
As pointed out by our national organization, Main Street America™, Main Street is much more than just a program. It is a movement that “grew out of a recognition that a community is only as strong as its core.” It is a movement in which today thousands of communities nationwide participate. Texas was on the ground floor of the effort when, in 1981, the Texas Historical Commission took a leap of faith by agreeing to implement this innovative yet largely untested statewide initiative. Almost four decades later, that leap has provided substantial economic returns to
Texas, in its small businesses, and its communities.
During 2017, more than $315 million was reinvested into Texas’ Main Street districts, of which about half came from private investment. This shows
that tax-supported improvements by the public sector—signifying prioritization of downtown by local government—can effectively spur private response. Private investment includes the value of real estate transactions, property rehabilitations, and infill (new) construction. Texas has 89 designated Main Street communities ranging from the very small, with just a few thousand in population, to urban areas across the state. A list and map of Texas’ participating Main Street communities can be found on the Current Participants page of the Texas Historical Commission website.
Renderings for Buda and Linden, 2017 designated programs, were unveiled during a visit by First Lady Cecilia Abbott in April. The renderings were done by Sarah Blankenship and Marie Oehlerking-Read of the TMSP design staff.
At year-end, cumulative economic impact figures for communities that are current participants in the program showed more than $3.2 billion in combined public and private reinvestment. There are many communities that have maintained their Main Street designations for decades, but there are also new programs designated each year following an application process.
Just as importantly, almost 116,000 volunteer hours were contributed to Texas’ 89 local programs during 2017. The impact of this is $2,903,394 in financial value, leveraging the impact of staffed time by community members who believe in the value of their local downtowns.
It’s been a busy year...
As part of a tradition of Texas Main Street since 1981, the First Lady of Texas joined officials from the Texas Historical Commission to welcome Buda and Linden as the new 2017 Main Street communities. During her remarks at the April events, the First Lady stated that “Main Street communities represent the best of what the state has to offer.” The ceremonies also included unveiling of renderings from the TMSP design staff. Later in the year, the TMSP and affiliated Town Square Initiative team conducted resource teams for both new programs to help them set the foundation for their future Main Street activities. Thanks to Bastrop Main Street Manager, Sarah O’Brien and Palestine Main Street Manager, Greg Laudadio, who also served on the visits to provide their expertise in Buda and Linden, respectively. Already during their first year, these two small communities—with a combined population of just 17,000—have recorded substantial reinvestment into their districts.
In 2017, several local programs reached milestone anniversaries. Pittsburg, one
of the earliest programs in Texas’ network, became a designated Main Street
community in 1987.
During the year, TMSP staff provided at no cost to designated Main Street programs and their downtown property/business owners, almost 4,300 hours of assistance on specific projects requested by the local programs. Additionally, 161 site visits were conducted. Consultations done by the TMSP design staff resulted in more than $10 million in reinvestment. Another service provided to local programs is the TMSP online resource library. The library averages well over 100 visits by managers monthly, and had 6,679 page views during 2017.
The TMSP listserv is also a well-used communications tool for local programs. During 2017, there were 427 different topics posted on the listserv, each resulting in further e-conversations and sharing of information. Information requests ranged from incentives and grants for downtown development, to ordinance development, to caricature artists, to outdoor movie equipment. The listserv also helped spur voting that resulted in McKinney Main Street receiving $150,000 through the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets! project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street America™, American Express, National Geographic, and Delta Airlines. The money will be used for exterior improvements to the McKinney Performing Arts Center, the community’s historic downtown centerpiece that was originally the Collin County courthouse.
May’s Celebrate Main Street promotion featured downtown Harlingen, famous for many larger-than-life size murals.
A special activity during national Preservation Month in May 2017 was the launch of www.downtownTX.org under our Town Square Initiative
(TSI). This website, an online building inventory, also showcases the Main Street and Certified Local Government communities that are part of the THC. It is designed to connect interested investors, developers, and entrepreneurs to opportunities in these historic downtowns. The public launch was celebrated in 12 Main Street cities across the state, where local Imagine the Possibilities tours were hosted. (See the related Preservation Month article in this issue.)
TMSP partnered with the Harlingen Main Street program during Preservation Month on a Celebrate Main Street Sweepstakes contest that awarded destination packages to visit this 20-year-old Main Street city. The May 2017 contest was a follow-up to a similar sweepstakes that the TMSP held throughout 2016 in celebration of the state program’s 35th anniversary. That project won an Innovation on Main Street Award from the National Main Street Center (NMSC) presented at the national conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. in May 2017.
The Imagine the Possibilities tours
showcased available downtown
properties by opening them to the public as a way to engage potential
investors, entrepreneurs, developers,
residents, and anyone else who has
imagined themselves running a
business, owning a building, or living
downtown.
Throughout 2017, the TMSP continued to work with the NMSC and the Texarkana and San Augustine programs on the inaugural national Main Street America™/1772 Foundation Façade Improvement Pilot Program. The TMSP was selected after a nationwide competition for this program, designed to stimulate local economies. Through the program, $80,000 in loan and grant funding for building improvements is being distributed directly to property owners. By the end of the year, several local projects were completed, with others to be completed throughout 2018.
Local Program Milestones
The NMSC describes the unique Four Point Approach™ as “a time-tested framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization.” The successful Main Street revitalization effort does not happen overnight, it requires continual buy-in, commitment, and dedication of many partners.
In 2017, several local programs reached milestone anniversaries.
Pittsburg, one of the earliest programs in Texas’ network, became a designated Main Street community in 1987. Congratulations, Pittsburg Main Street on your 30th anniversary!
In Texas’ 89-city network—one of the largest in the country—there are only four others with a longer record. (Lufkin and Grapevine/1983; Corsicana/1985; and San Marcos/1986).
In 2017, Celina and Bowie recognized 20 years in Main Street; while Goliad, Harlingen, and Seguin recognized 20 years since being recertified in 1997. Seguin ended its anniversary year being selected by Main Street America™ as one of only two local Main Street programs in the country to participate in a pilot project on building an entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Bastrop kicked off its 10th anniversary year in January 2017 with a well-attended ‘What’s the Big Idea’ retreat designed to look ahead to the next decade of Main Street. In its 10 years of Main Street, Bastrop—a community of about 8,500—has realized reinvestment of almost $33 million.
Texas Main Street, and the Main Street programs in Texarkana and San Augustine, were selected in a nationwide competition to participate in the Facade Improvement Pilot Program of Main Street AmericaTM and the 1772 Foundation. Projects completed so far include Heart of Texas Grill/San Augustine (left column); Pecan Pilot Brewing Company/Texarkana (middle column); and Texas Star Retail/San Augustine (right column).
Bridgeport and Cotulla both completed substantial public improvements in the district at their 10-year marks in 2017. Bridgeport’s $1.5 million project, completed with economic development and tax increment funds, purposefully used all local labor and materials. Cotulla’s public improvement project included sidewalk replacement, lighting, landscaping, and a façade improvement to city hall.
(Top left) The Halsell Street Improvement Ribbon Cutting Celebration poster in Bridgeport; (Top right) Before image of Halsell Street; (Bottom) After image of Halsell Street.
(Top left) Cotulla’s 10th Anniversary event poster; (Top right) Before image of the Gallman Building; (Bottom) After image of the Gallman Building.
Bastrop’s ‘What’s the Big Idea’ retreat considered the progress of the last 10 years in the program, while planning for the next 10 years of a successful Main Street program.
Goodbye, and Hello
Over the year, numerous managers moved on from their local Main Street positions, and we wish them luck in their new endeavors. They included some long-time managers who retired—Shelly Hargrove, Bob Ziegler, and Adah Leah Wolf, and Beverly Abell of Heart of Tyler Main Street, whose Main Street career spanned more than 25 years. Also moving on were Tam Erwin, Bridgette Bise, Sara Beth Wilson Symank, Diane Peek, Terry Sweeney, Barbie Baker, Morgan Rath, Kathy Cannon, Theresa Carlberg, Sylvia Bruni, Amanda McCellon, Belinda Trevino, Andrea Barefield, and Gus
Gustafson.
We welcomed as new managers a group of professionals with a strong range of backgrounds and expertise: Pattie Odom/Bay City, Stacy Crossley/Canton, Rebecca Barton/Celina, Mickey Allen/Clarksville, Colette Rye/Corpus Christi, Karie Denny/Corsicana, Sandra Osman/Cuero, Amy Borel/Livingston, Josie Falletta (assistant)/San Marcos, Clint McCormick/Vernon, and Brenda Buck/Winnsboro.
Several new managers came into the fold with existing Main Street background, such as Huntsville’s new manager Debbie Charbonneau. The managers for the incoming 2017 cities of Buda and Linden—Maggie Gillespie and Allie Anderson—previously were with the Main Street programs in San Marcos and Uvalde respectively. Similarly, the new manager in Goliad, Keli Miller, previously interned with the Cuero Main Street Program. Upon Shelly Hargrove’s retirement from the Georgetown Main Street Program, former Huntsville Main Street Manager, Kim McAuliffe, joined the
Georgetown team. And while we lost Andrea Barefield from the Waco Main Street program, she stayed in the THC family by becoming the executive director of the Texas Brazos Trail regional tourism program.
Sadly, we said goodbye to two Main Street friends who passed away during 2017. Kelly Franks, the 25-year Main Street manager in San Marcos, passed away Dec. 21. We profiled her career and accomplishments upon retirement in a special issue of our Main Street Matters newsletter in June 2013, and you can still find that issue archived on THC’s website. Elaine Reynolds passed away Nov. 4. Elaine was a long-time rock for the Longview Main Street Program, and organized many of Longview’s well-known events such as Alley Fest, Downtown Live, and Christmas at the Courthouse.
The Texas Main Street Program looks forward to another productive year in 2018 providing for Texas’ historic downtowns. From all of us, thank you for what you do.