Missouri Main Street Connection Newsletter


Spring 2011

MMSC logo
In This Issue
Increase Announced in Value of Volunteer Time

 

The announcement was just in time for Volunteer Week in mid-April, estimating the value of a volunteer hour has reached $21.36, an increase from $20.85 per hour a year ago. That's good news for every Main Street community that charts many hours of volunteer time to keep their programs running. Volunteers include everyone from committee chairmen to the ladies and gentlemen who sell tickets for festivals and sweep up the sidewalks afterward.

 

About 63.4 million Americans, or 26.8 percent of the adult population, gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service last year.* Among Missouri Main Street programs that reported their economic data to MMSC last year, volunteers gave 24,755 hours of their time valued at $516,141.75.** The most successful Main Street programs are those that hold an annual volunteer recognition event to celebrate their selfless service. Let's remember who keeps the engine moving.

*Data from Volunteer Sector and the Corporation for National and Community Service. http:www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time 

**Volunteer hours are among the data reported to MMSC by ten Missouri Main Street communities last year.  

Congratulations to "America in Bloom" Competitors

 

Washington, MO, is among 20 towns across America selected to compete for an award recognizing the "best blooming, most livable town in America." The towns are all involved in downtown revitalization and working to win the award in October at the America in Bloom conference in Washington, D.C. 

 

Judges will begin visiting the communities in May, spending two days in each town, conducting extensive tours, interviewing municipal representatives, and  meeting with volunteers. Evaluations cover eight criteria: community involvement, tidiness, environmental effort, heritage preservation, urban forestry, landscaped areas, floral displays, and turf and groundcover areas. Three sectors are examined: commercial, municipal and residential. 

 

Best of luck to Washington, one of Missouri's proud Accredited Main Street communities. 

Succeeding in Your Career

 

Don't believe that good guys finish last. Successful employees have "strong interpersonal skills, are strong contributors and care a great deal about their organizations," Joseph Grenny says, co-author of the best seller Crucial Conversations. Here's how he says you can develop the skills you need to get ahead in four easy steps.

 

Control emotions. "Effective leaders don't just bite their tongue and fake it, but feel genuinely respectful toward those who frustrate them most," Grenny says. By viewing someone as a human being with weakness rather than a villain, it's easier to avoid making harsh judgments.

 

Encourage discussion. Create constructive dialogue by confidently sharing your views and inviting others' views.

 

Stick to the facts. Outline problems in factual terms instead of making judgmental statements; you'll avoid creating resistance.

 

Ensure support, safety. Begin important conversations with honesty and respect, asserting your positive intention. "They have to know that you care about their agenda, their interests and problems," he says. 

 
Introducing MMSC's Intern 
Kelly Shaner
Kelly Shaner, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau, will join MMSC staff in mid-May to assist with a variety of office duties and work on special projects that support the training provided by MMSC to Missouri Communities.  She will also attend the National Main Street Conference in Des Moines with MMSC staff.

She is a student of Professor Stephen Hoffman, of SEMO's History Department and MMSC's Board President, and is graduating this spring Magna Cum Laude and with Academic Distinction from the Department of History. Her interests include historic preservation and downtown revitalization.  

Kelly became interested in downtown revitalization and the Main Street Program after taking a class in Economics-Based Preservation where the main focus was downtown revitalization. She spent the last two semesters as Co-Chair of the Stephens Honor's Program at Southeast and held the position of Activities Chair before that. 

Kelly is originally from Rogersville, Missouri, near Springfield, and after her internship with MMSC, she hopes to start a career in the Southwest Missouri region working to revitalize downtown districts.  Welcome Kelly!
MMSC Growing - New Staff Coming Soon
  

Serving your communities with revitalization training and mentoring is what Missouri Main Street Connection is all about. To make our task more effective and provide training for more Main Street programs, we are expanding the MMSC staff. A new position - Community Development Coordinator - will assist the State Director with management, administration and implementation of the statewide Main Street Program that utilizes historic preservation as the foundation for downtown revitalization.

The new staff person will be traveling throughout the state, to visit communities that are starting new revitalization programs and to enlarge the current support program for participants in the MMSC Tier System. The staff expansion will maintain a consistent, quality program to enhance the success of all downtown revitalization activities.

 

Save the Date

GPI2011

August 9 - 11, 2011

State Conference

Kansas City, MO 

Three New Affiliates Begin Main Street� Training with MMSC 

 

Missouri Main Street Connection is pleased to welcome three new communities into the Main Street� program. Belton, Cassville and Lamar are receiving Main Street 4-Point Approach to Downtown Revitalization� training following their acceptance as Affiliate Communities. 

 

All three communities submitted successful applications for the MMSC matching grant program, which will provide two years of revitalization training and mentoring services to help these communities become high achieving Main Street programs. MMSC staff has met with each program's board of directors and people in the community to begin planning a series of on-site workshops customized to meet the needs of their current downtown conditions.

  

"This grant program has generated so much excitement in Belton, Cassville and Lamar, and we can see already the effort by the community volunteers involved is going to make a visible difference in their towns," said MMSC State Director Gayla Roten. 

 

Belton street view

Downtown Belton shows off its recent street and sidewalk improvements.

Downtown Belton Main Street is also reaching out to youth and volunteer groups to involve them in the program and build its leadership capacity. Downtown Belton's major historic assets and foundations for heritage tourism growth are the Belton Museum and Carrie Nation carriage house.

 

Cassville town square

Cassville's town square features a number of historic commercial buildings.

The Downtown Cassville Partnership was launched in July 2010  with commitments from many local leaders to help facilitate the revitalization program. As part of the city's master planning process in 2009, citizens participated in the Downtown Awareness Walk, providing observations and ideas that the new revitalization group will use to help form a long-range action plan for downtown. Cassville is also participating in the State of Missouri's Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) initiative.

    

Lamar second story apartments

Lamar's downtown boasts several second story apartments in historic buildings above retail spaces. 

The Lamar Downtown Association has valuable assets that are the foundation for its revitalization program. The downtown commercial district has several historic buildings which can be improved by preservation efforts. Various organizations that sponsor events in Lamar are doing a fine job of public relations and promotions to enhance tourism.  Harry Truman's birthplace is a local historic landmark and heritage tourism draw. MMSC will work with these existing features, plus the DREAM initiative, to help the revitalization program in Lamar reach full potential. 

MMSC Has Tax Credits Available
-Neighborhood Assistance Program- 

 

The Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) supports a portion of the Missouri Main Street Connection budget, helping us deliver the revitalization services that help many communities achieve success in their downtown revitalization efforts. 

 

If you want to help support preservation-based revitalization in Missouri, we invite you to take advantage of NAP. Your gift will earn a 70% Missouri income tax credit any time during the next five years that you choose to use the credit. Call Gayla Roten, MMSC State Director, for details, 417-334-3014.

 

Thank You to MMSC's Recent Contributors to the NAP Program: Barry Glascock; Thomas Higgins; Cynthia Ann MacPherson;  Robert F. and Ann McDowell; Richard Bottorf; Gregory Ramsey; Karl Caldwell; Margaret Waterman; Dr. Wes Allai; Albert Bonebrake, MD, and Stevia Bonebrake; N. Eugene Morrow, MD; James Mauer. 

   

NAP is a program of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.  

MO DED

Have You Seen Our New Webpage?
  

Communities now have a source for Missouri Main Street information on the web that can help revitalize your downtown. The new MMSC webpage opened in January. If you haven't reviewed it yet, we hope you have a few minutes soon to take a look: www.momainstreet.org

 

You'll find information about the Missouri Main Street revitalization trainings and workshops, plus photos and short stories about how communities are growing their downtown vitality with the Main Street 4-Point Approach� to Revitalization. You can download a copy of the MMSC Training and Services Manual, and learn how to file an application to become an Affiliate Member.

 

Lots of details are there to help you get acquainted with Missouri Main Street Connection, including our recent Annual Economic Data Reports, plus a summary of the organization's history and current activities.

 

If you are a member of MMSC, a "members only" area is accessible on the webpage with your User ID and password. A large online Resource Library covering a wide range of revitalization topics is available there for you to download. Also, our list of hard copy books can be viewed on the webpage. These are available for you to borrow if you are a member. Please get in touch with us about becoming a member or see the membership brochure on the webpage to learn about additional membership benefits if you want to join MMSC and take advantage of these online resources for revitalizing your downtown.

 

Our Calendar of Events is also on the web, and details about the Missouri Annual Conference at Kansas City, August 9 - 11 will be available soon via a link on the homepage or by going directly to www.getpluggedindowntown.org.

GPI2011 

Missouri Main Street Awards 2011

 
Get ready to show your community PRIDE. MMSC is Now taking Award nominations for Missouri Main Street's greatest achievements.

August 11th, at the close of the Missouri's Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference, many people will be proud winners of awards that range from "Volunteer of the Year" to "Best Adaptive Re-use Preservation Project." Nominations will be open for 16 awards. Details coming soon on the conference website: www.getpluggedindowntown.org

The Evening of Excellence Awards Ceremony on August 11th will include something fun - The Grand Bucket Brigade Trivia Game! Make plans NOW to join the Missouri Main Street communities in Kansas City for three days of workshops, in-the-field educational sessions, networking opportunities, AWARDS, and a fun evening.

Don't Miss the National Main Street Conference in Des Moines
  

We hope you are making plans to attend the National Main Street Conference in Des Moines, May 22-25. The conference theme, "Grow Your Main Street," promises to extend the long record of successful conferences that provide training and support to Main Street programs for nearly every state in the nation. You will experience four days of learning experiences in the Main Street Approach to Revitalization, plus many networking opportunities and the Main Street Expo.

 

Missouri Main Street programs in the Tier system need credit for attending at least two quarterly workshops. If you attend the national conference it will fulfill one of those requirements.

 

So far, 30 people from Missouri are registered for the conference. The "Missouri Bash" state dinner will be Monday evening, May 23rd at the Court Restaurant and Brewing Company in downtown Des Moines. If you plan to attend the conference, get in touch with MMSC soon to reserve your space for the dinner.  We hope to see you there! You can register online for the National Conference: www.mainstreet.org

MMSC Elects New Board Members
  

The March Board meeting election resulted in two new members joining the MMSC Board of Directors, the re-election of two Board Members, and re-election of three Advisory Board Members.

Board members who will serve 2 year terms expiring in August 2013:

         Joe Lauber, Attorney at Law, Lauber Municipal Law - new Board member

         John Griesheimer, Presiding Commissioner, Franklin County - new Board member

         Curt Wenson, City Administrator, City of Liberty - extended current term on the

      Board

         Ann Perry, Director of Finance Development Team, Dept of Economic

      Development - extended current term on the Board

Advisory members re-elected to serve 2 year terms expiring in August 2013:

         Diane Hannah, Executive Director of Clinton Main Street, Inc.

         Jeanine Rann, Executive Director of Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street, Inc.

         Mark Miles, Director, Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (DNR)

 

Congratulations to all, and welcome to the new Board Members.

National Trust Diversity Scholarship Program Applications 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Diversity Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2011 National Preservation Conference. Applications must be submitted electronically by Wednesday, June 1, 2011.

The Diversity Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to community leaders from diverse social, economic, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to attend the National Preservation Conference. This year's conference will be held in Buffalo, New York, October 19-22, 2011. 

For additional program and application information, please visit http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/diversity-scholarship-program/
MMSC Calendar of Events - 2011

 

To everyone who attended the Missouri Main Street Connection "Arts on Main" Conference in Ste. Genevieve, March 8-9 - Thank you for coming. We hope you gathered lots of useful information and inspiration for your Main Street program back home.

 

May 22-25 at Des Moines, National Main Street Conference. Register online: http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/training/conference/2011-des-moines/

 

August 9-11 at Kansas City, "Get Plugged In...Downtown" Annual Revitalization Conference. Get ready to bring a group from your community and begin thinking about your community's nominations for the 2011 Main Street Awards. Nomination forms are in the mail. Basic Training will be offered, among 17 workshops and 8 In-the-Field Sessions. Registration will be open online SOON at www.getpluggedindowntown.org

 

October 19-22 at Buffalo, NY, National Preservation Conference.  More information can be found online at http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/ 

 

Nov 9-10 at Clinton, "Targeted Market Research: Using Your Economic Data and Market Research to Reach the Businesses Your Downtown Needs." Also, Main Street Managers Training: IN-DESIGN Graphics Tools. Registration details will be on the MMSC website: http://www.momainstreet.org

MMSC Year-In-Review 2010

Report to the MMSC Board of Directors, March 2011 

  

Missouri Main Street Connection celebrated a year of extraordinary achievements in 2010, starting with the level of private investments in downtown revitalization, reflected in the job growth reported by communities participating in the MMSC, and with the announcement last fall that MMSC would offer cost-share grants for revitalization training and mentoring services based on a competitive application process.


Doug Loescher, Director of the National Trust Main Street Center, recognized MMSC's success during the state conference last August in St. Louis. "You should be proud of your achievements your state and local programs have made," he said. "Without your energy, passion and guidance, it clearly would not have been possible."

 

All Missouri communities working to reach their revitalization goals can take credit for this acknowledgement from the National Main Street office. Some are just getting started with downtown revitalization, and some have been spending their time, energy and money on revitalization for many years. All are building up the value in their local heritage assets and preserving the irreplaceable historic structures in their communities while revitalizing the economy of their downtown commercial districts and developing jobs for the local workforce.

 

Economic Data collected and reported by these communities over the past three years shows the Power of Main Street:

  • $546,138,509 Private investment, including exterior fa�ade improvements, interior building rehabilitations and new construction
  • $3,175  Private investment for every dollar appropriated to MMSC by the State of Missouri
  • 766 Net new jobs created
  • 197 Net new businesses created
  • $244  Investment by the state per job created by MMSC participating communities  

MMSC Revitalization Services Provided to Missouri communities in 2010:

  • Quarterly Training held in Jefferson City
  • Quarterly Training held in Sedalia
  • Main Street Basic Training held in St. Louis
  • Managers' Training held in Jefferson City and Sedalia
  • Main Street Capital Day
  • Staff attended National Main Street Conference
    • 2 days of training for State Coordinating Programs before the conference began
    • Gayla was a presenter at the National Conference
    • MMSC held networking events & State Dinner
    • 26 individuals from Missouri attended the National Conference  
  • MMSC Staff Provided 7 Organizational Visits
  • MMSC Staff Provided an Affiliate Grant Workshop to 58 communities on 3 Occasions in 2010
  • MMSC Staff Provided 4 Affiliate Visits
  • MMSC Staff Provided 9 Accreditation Visits
  • Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference held in St. Louis, August 2010. Speakers included the National Main Street Director and the Community Initiative Director, and two National Main Street Program Directors.
    • 188 people attended
    • 21 new communities attended
    • 18 educational sessions
    • 13 sponsors
    • 15 exhibitors
  • Direct Services Provided to the Communities
    • $192,000 - Raised in private contributions for support of the MMSC program in 2010
    • 133 Days in 2010 - worked on-site in the communities
    • 111 communities participated in Main Street in 2010, compared to 74 in 2008  
  • Staff attended the Missouri Preservation Conference and the National Preservation Conference in 2010
  • Main Street Outreach - The Main Street Outreach Committee educates new communities about the Main Street 4-Point Approach� to Revitalization. The committee also educates communities that have abandoned the Main Street Program about the importance of re-establishing the program in their communities.
    • Outreach - 2010 Successes
      • 23 new communities attended MMSC Quarterly workshops
      • 21 new communities attended the Missouri State Conference
      • 58 communities attended Affiliate Grant Workshops
      • 583 individuals attended MMSC training
      • 26 new communities received phone consultation from MMSC - not included in the lists above  
  • Main Street Financial Resource Development - The Main Street Resource Development Committee establishes financial stability for MMSC so that it will be able to serve Missouri communities for years into the future, with strong partnerships from different areas of financial resources.
    • Financial Resource Development - 2010 Successes
      • $167,500 raised in Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) contributions
      • $130,000 raised during Christmas Holiday Dec. 23-Dec 31
      • Implemented a new Affiliate Grant Program
      • Implemented a first-time Service Directory
  • Main Street Caucus - The Main Street Caucus Committee advocates to the Legislative Branch for continued service of the Missouri Main Street program with adequate funding to support the Mission and Vision of the program.
    • Caucus - 2010 Successes
      • Proven outcome measurement of the program
      • Expansion of the Advisory Committee
      • New interactive website
      • Educational literature created
      • Received State Coordinating Program Designation from National Main Street Center.
        • Achieved highest level of performance:  "Excellence"
        • Raised the professionalism of the state program
        • High energy program building and supporting a growing local program base and successfully following the Main Street Four-Point Approach� to Revitalization.