By Dace Koenigsknecht
Economic Restructuring Specialist
Michigan Main Street
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

A collective can be defined as a group of people that share, and are motivated by, a common interest. This definition does not incorporate any economic benefit or savings, such verbiage belongs under the definition of a cooperative. For sake of this posting, I’m looking at social and communal equity versus the sole desire to make money.

A group of people with a common interest…sounds like a community - in particular its downtown. Historically, pioneers gathered in small communities for social interaction and strength in numbers. Humans are inherently social creatures, often founding a church at the start, and reinforced by the pack mentality of sharing risk and protecting one another. We recognize that each person, possessing a desired skill or specialty, benefits the whole through proximity and like-desire to survive. In the early days, downtown was a collective based upon the interest of survival.

Hmmm…the more things change, the more they stay the same. I would argue that contemporary downtowns are still in that fight-for-survival mode. Global flattening has increased the competition from that of the neighboring village, to that of the village in a neighboring country or beyond. It’s not about competing with the merchant down the street. Local competition produces choice, which is a primary factor in attracting customers. Your local mix, your local collective, is an asset that must be embraced and strived for above all else.

Each downtown is unique, with its own retail and service mix. However, it’s the people that are the REAL uniqueness in each community. It’s their desire to be there, their love for their community and all it has to offer; it’s their sharing of that common interest, a downtown interest. The Main Street philosophy is about the collective community, about the collective downtown. There is an economic basis to the 4-Point™ approach, but it comes from reinvigorating the passion and motivation of the people.

Your downtown is a unique collective of merchants and service providers, residents and non-residents, and all are critical to the ongoing survival of your community. Identify and embrace communal assets, build upon them, foster pride and passion around them, and spread the word regarding your uniqueness. Be the best you can be!

From collective pride will come collective success…

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Editor's Note: We are fortunate this week to have a good partner and friend, Katharine Czarnecki of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation as our guest blogger. Katharine is a member of our Michigan Main Street Advisory Committee and the Michigan Downtown Conference Planning Partners. She manages the Community Assistance Team, who, by the way, are a great resource for communities looking to tackle bricks and mortar projects. Without further adeu, Ms. Czarnecki...

By Katharine Czarnecki, Manager
Community Assistance Team (CATeam)
Michigan Economic Development Corporation

WHAT IS THE CATeam?
The Community Assistance Team (CATeam) was created in 2001 within the walls of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. We are charged with being a community’s first point of content within State government. Our primary focus is to provide technical and financial assistance to Michigan’s communities. We have built partnerships within MEDC, neighborhood organizations and other state agencies to facilitate the development or redevelopment of Michigan’s downtowns. Our goal is to help you prosper.

WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS DOES THE CATeam WORK ON?
The CATeam targets redevelopment in traditional downtown settings and commercial corridors throughout Michigan's urban areas with programs such as brownfield redevelopment. These areas are most often associated with groupings of commercial parcels, with multi-story buildings of historical or architectural significance, and are zero lot line. These pedestrian friendly gateways have an appropriate mixture of commercial, retail, and residential.

WHAT IS A BROWNFIELD?
Most commonly, a brownfield is thought of as contaminated property brought about from historical industrial and manufacturing uses. However, properties considered functionally obsolete and/or blighted may also be considered a brownfield in Michigan. It may also be helpful to visualize a vacant, abandoned, vandalized or underutilized commercial or residential property as a brownfield.

WHAT INCENTIVES ARE AVAILABE FOR BROWNFIELD PROPERTIES?
The state of Michigan provides MBT credits, on a case-by-case basis, for projects that redevelop a contaminated, blighted or functionally obsolete "brownfield" property. Credits are available for up to 12.5% of eligible investments or 20% for certain core urban projects. In addition to Michigan Business Tax credits, projects may also be eligible for TIF (capture of state and local taxes) to reimburse developers for performing non-environmental activities, including demolition, lead and asbestos abatement, or if in a Qualified Local Governmental Unit (PA 146 of 2000) additional reimbursement for public infrastructure improvements and site preparation.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS ARE TARGETED FOR BROWNFIELD CREDITS?
Brownfield MBT credits are targeted at projects that are mixed-use, increase density, and are located in traditional downtowns or commercial corridors. Recently, the MEDC has placed an emphasis on sustainable or "green" development, and looks favorably on incorporating the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification or another comparable program.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES?
The CATeam provides funding to Michigan’s non-entitlement communities through our Community Development Block Grant program. We provide matching funds for Façade Improvement, Signature Buildings, Downtown Infrastructure, Planning grants and Blight Elimination. Communities can qualify for CDBG dollars through job creation or area-wide benefit if you community meets certain income qualifications.

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR ASSISTANCE?
To find your geographic CATeam Specialist, please visit our website: http://themedc.org/Products-Services/Community-Assistance/Default.aspx

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By Joe Borgstrom, Director
Specialized Technical Assistance
& Revitalization Strategy (STARS) Division
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

With the explosion of numerous downtown organizations using social media, communities are out on the Internet like never before. Combine that with the evolution of the newspaper industry to new media and there is an amazing digital universe to now inform and market your community in. In this universe, you are free to send whatever message you want about your community. Feedback is nearly instantaneous. Most people get into this filled with the best of intentions – hoping to promote only the positives of their community. However, spend a little time online, either reading the e-edition of newspapers, in chat rooms or in the blogosphere, and you’ll find there are LOT of people who are willing to rain on your parade. Don’t believe me? As my friends from Team HALO suggest, try the “Love/Hate Test”: Google “I love (your community’s name)” and then “I hate (your community’s name).” Most people are shocked at how many people have nasty things to say about their community.

Times Have Changed
In the good old days of the early ‘90s (and before), we used to write letters to the editor. Most self respecting editors would never print a letter that was unsigned. But now, anyone can come up with a nondescript or clever screen name and feel they have license to criticize anything or anyone with little fact to back it up. Worse yet are those who maintain “hate blogs” who do nothing more than offer vicious, non-constructive criticism without offering alternatives. Make no mistake, people who write unsigned letters to the editor or hide their identity online, a.k.a. E-Critics or E-Bullies, are nothing but cowards. They are infuriating and emotionally draining. But what can YOU do about it? Plenty.

What to Do
First Things First- If you’re doing downtown work, you are going to be open for criticism. Accept it and develop some thicker skin. The old saying goes, “You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.” Remember, you do your best to make as many people happy as you can, but there is no way to make EVERYONE happy. Deal with it. If you’re using an inclusive process like Main Street, be sure to include the fact you engage the public through the volunteer committees regularly in any response. Nothing quiets dissenters like majority rule.

Electronic News Sources- The “Comment” section is a free for all where some of the nastiest comments are made. My honest advice is to ignore it. The comments left are often forgotten by the time the browser closes by everyone except those who they were made about. The people who do write comments are generally a small group that spends all their time making negative comments on most every article they can find. Don't waste energy on this. Engaging in this forum can rapidly degenerate into a quicksand of negativity. Just move on.

Blogs & Bloggers- This is an emerging area. Many people are unsure whether or not to consider these folks “media.” Many bloggers use their e-powers for good and not evil (like us!) Most can be quite helpful. However, from time to time there are those who choose to use the medium in a negative way. Make sure to reach out and include all bloggers in your area on your press release distribution list. Half the time these folks are anonymous so that may be hard. If they do make themselves known, do include them on your lists. Make every effort to ensure they are getting the correct information rather than what they hear on the street. Offer to meet one-on-one to clear up any misunderstandings. They might attend meetings and say nothing then wait for the comfort of their screen to let the vitriol fly. These people clearly like to cause conflict. The best thing you can do is put as much correct and positive information out as possible. Speaking of which…

Offer an Alternative- Does your downtown organization have a blog yet? You should. This offers you the opportunity to tell your side of every story outside the parameters of the standard press release. Many blog tools, like Blogger, offer comment moderation which allows you to view and approve comments before they are posted. When you write, don’t acknowledge the individual negative blogs/Bloggers in your posts, just use it to tell your story. Make sure to be inclusive and transparent.

Know Your Rights
I’m not a lawyer. I don’t even play one on TV. Keep that in mind. Also, keep in mind posters and bloggers are still subject to the same defamation and slander laws as everyone else. They probably believe the anonymity of the Internet protects them from this. They are wrong. If there are such personal and vicious attacks being launched on these sites, you have the right to pursue it legally. Internet service providers and newspapers can be quite accommodating if they believe they might be thrown into a legal battle if they don’t cooperate. It’s a last ditch (and costly) effort, but it could bring about finality to the situation. Talk to your lawyer more if you think you might need to go this route.

Online media holds such tremendous promise. Don’t let a few nay-sayers ruin your good work. As Zig Ziglar says, “Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.”

Go do good.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to the numerous people contributing advice and stories this blog was based on, notably, Marianna Hayes, Andy Chapman, Patrick Reagan, and most importantly, YOU for reading this longer than usual post.

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By Jamie Schriner-Hooper
Organization Specialist
Michigan Main Street Center
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

So, it’s that time of year. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and in-boxes are blowing up with requests to volunteer for every event imaginable. In the last two days, I’ve received requests to volunteer for several spring plantings and clean-ups, a festival, a golf outing, two poker tournaments, a bowling event and a few others. Granted, I do volunteer quite a bit, but even for me, this is a lot. I grew up volunteering or being “voluntold” as one of my favorite Scottville Main Street volunteers puts it. My mom taught my sisters and me that if you can help someone, you should. There will always be a point in your life when you need help, and better to have helped others when that point comes. Not only that, studies show that volunteers live longer than people who don’t volunteer. I’ve never seen a study on it, but I’m relatively sure that volunteers are also happier people!

As the former director of a Main Street program, I worked with and relied on volunteers to do the majority of the projects that were done in my community. Plain and simple, if they weren’t there doing the work, the work wouldn’t be done. That truly is the case with so many organizations around. So, you ask. How do you decide what to support and where to volunteer? Is it coaching your kid’s baseball team? Manning the neighborhood garage sale? Taking part in a walk for the American Cancer Society, Komen Foundation or other worthy cancer-fighting cause? Being a Big Brother or Big Sister? Sitting on a Main Street Committee? Well, the answer is, you have to decide what means the most to you, prioritize and find the things that you can and want to do, and then help to find volunteers and help for the things that you can’t support.

How, exactly, does this work? Take someone who would like to improve their downtown. They want it to look and smell nice, have interesting businesses that attract and serve visitors and are open during convenient times, have fun festivals and special events in the downtown and have people and funds to take care of all of those things. Well, that’s where Main Street comes in to play. Main Street® is a four-point approach that looks for volunteers to focus their efforts on one of four areas: design (looking nice), promotion (attracting people to the area), economic restructuring (ER) (having successful businesses) and organization (having the volunteers and funds to make everything happen). As much as we’d love to take care of all of those things on our own. Let’s be real. We may be control freaks but we simply can do all of those things on our own. Believe me. I’ve tried. Heck. I even made a career of it!

What the Main Street approach preaches is to pick one thing that you love and focus in on that thing. You may love festivals. You love planning them, finding sponsors, reserving the porta-potties, the hectic day-of set-up, managing volunteers and then the moment when you look out over the crowds and know that you’ve done a good thing. In your case, you should sit on the promotions committee. You may also think it is important that your downtown look pretty, so you might occasionally volunteer to plant flowers if you have a spare couple of hours or, better yet, pick up that piece of trash that you see when you’re walking down the street, but special events are really your thing. If you know a great gardener, architect, designer or someone with a talent for making things look good, encourage them to sit on the design committee. You definitely want great businesses in your downtown, but when you hear market analysis; your eyes start to glaze over. Well, we can definitely rule out the ER committee. However, you know an attorney or real estate agent who would definitely fit the bill. Or, if you know someone with a particular penchant for fundraising, organization committee it is!

What Main Street says is that the responsibility shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of one person. Many hands make light work. Plus, one person can not have the expertise that the hundreds of Main Street volunteers have. If they did, I can’t imagine the size of their hat! So, find what you truly love and what you’re good at. Focus in on that thing and then find others to help fill the other voids. Don’t forget, enjoy what you do and know that your help is truly appreciated!

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Editor's Note: In lieu of a blog post this week, we present this shameless plug for the Michigan Downtown Conference...

The Planning Partners of the Michigan Downtown Conference are seeking nominations for the 2009 Michigan Downtown Awards. Nominations are due by July 1, 2009. Click here to nominate YOUR downtown for an award in one of the following awards:

Project-Based Awards (Open to all Michigan downtowns)

Green Project (Small-Scale*) - Successful entries in this category will demonstrate principles of sustainability and/or green building design that enhance downtowns or traditional commercial neighborhoods. The project or promotion submitted must achieve measurable energy-saving/efficiency standards, and have documented evidence that the project utilized sustainable products, programs, and practices. Describe the project and results; in addition, submit photographs, news articles, brochures, newsletters, web-site pages, or other information to support the nomination.

*Scale represents the scope of a project, not the size or population of the municipality where Green Project is located.

Green Project (Large-Scale) - Projects that are large in their scope will qualify for consideration in the Green Projects (Large-Scale). See award description for “Green Project (Small-Scale)”.

Redevelopment - This category is for projects that reuse or rehabilitate existing downtown properties. The successful entry must show measurable community impact demonstrated by news clippings or other proof that the property has been returned to productive use for the community. Projects that have garnered significant private investment and/or leverage of local, state and federal incentives will earn additional consideration. Describe the project and results; in addition, submit photographs, news articles, brochures, newsletters, web-site pages, or other information to support the nomination.

Innovation - This is the all-purpose category to showcase your communities’ “big idea” for your downtown. Any project, program, or promotion that has enhanced the downtown in a cutting edge fashion should be considered. Demonstrate your “big idea” with a brief description of the project and measurable results; in addition, submit photographs, news articles, brochures, newsletters, web-site pages, or other information to support the nomination.

Living Downtown - This category is for downtown-based, mixed-use housing projects. Communities must demonstrate the positive impact to the downtown area in narrative form. Give us the facts and figures too - number of units, affordable vs. market rate, costs to develop, public and private investment, etc. Describe the project and submit before/after photographs of interior and exterior views and other information to support the nomination

Small Community Façade Rehabilitation Project - Small communities up to 10,000 in population will qualify for consideration in façade improvement projects. These projects should be downtown-based, mixed use with improvements made in the spirit of historic preservation. Before and after photos are essential to evaluate the visual impact to the community. Any historic photographs of the façade that are available should also be submitted to support the design and integrity of the façade rehabilitation. Projects in this category can be for façade work only, or for façade work that was part of a larger building rehabilitation project. The nominated project could be for a single façade, or multiple facades that were completed at the same time under a special façade or building rehabilitation program. Consideration will also be given to projects that have a high community impact such as a corner building with multiple facades, or rear facades that are highly visible.

Large Community Façade Rehabilitation Project - Large Communities with populations over 10,000 will qualify for consideration in façade improvement projects. See award description for “Small Community Façade Rehabilitation Project”.

Blueprints - This award will be given to a local Blueprint for Michigan's Downtown community for the overall impact the program has had on the downtown since going through the Blueprint process. The successful entry will describe both major and minor activities and/or projects completed by the program that has led to positive changes within the community. Describe the program's successes and submit photographs, news articles, statistics, and/or other information to support the nomination.

Collaboration - Working together is the key to successful community transformation. Successful entries will demonstrate the breadth and depth of collaborative relationships. Describe the project or projects around which the collaboration has occurred. Quantify and identify the collaborators and their contributions. Describe results and submit photographs, news articles, or other information to support the nomination.

Main Street Awards (Open to Michigan Main Street Selecet & Master Level Communities Only)

Main Street Four Points - Design - This category is for a successful project completed by the local Main Street community’s Design Committee. The project should be unique and focus on at least one component of the committee’s responsibilities including: design and/or historic preservation education, design assistance, public improvements, downtown planning, and/or design incentives. Describe the project and results and submit photographs, news articles, or other information to support the nomination.

Main Street Four Points - Organization - This category is for a successful project completed by the local Main Street community’s Organization Committee. The project should be unique and focus on at least one component of the committee’s responsibilities including: volunteer management activities, volunteer recruitment and retention strategies, promotion or the local Main Street program, training opportunities for local volunteers, and/or fundraising activities. Describe the project and results and submit photographs, news articles, brochures, newsletters, web-site pages, or other information to support the nomination.

Main Street Four Points - Promotion - This category is for a successful project completed by the local Main Street community’s Promotion Committee. The project should be unique and focus on at least one component of the committee’s responsibilities including: special events, retail events, branding and marketing activities, downtown/business directories, and image-building projects. Describe the project and results and submit photographs, news articles, event posters, directories, or other information to support the nomination.

Main Street Four Points - Economic Restructuring - This category is for a successful project completed by the local Main Street community’s Economic Restructuring Committee. The project should be unique and focus on at least one component of the committee’s responsibilities including: business retention strategies, business recruitment activities, utilizing market studies, business/building incentives, business education programs, and community-initiated development projects. Describe the project and results and submit photographs, news articles, or other information to support the nomination.

Michigan Main Street Program of the Year - This award will be given to a local Michigan Main Street program for the overall impact it has had on the downtown over the past year and its utilization of the Main Street Four-Point Approach. The successful entry will describe both major and minor activities and/or projects completed by the program that has led to positive changes within the community. Describe the program’s successes and submit photographs, news articles, statistics, or other information to support the nomination.

Michigan Main Street Manager of the Year - This award will be given to a Main Street Manager for the overall impact he/she has had on the local Main Street program. The successful entry will describe how the manager has coordinated and facilitated activities of the Board of Directors and committees, been a resource to downtown property and business owners, fostered collaboration with other organizations, and been a positive force behind the program’s success. Describe the Manager’s impact and submit photographs, news articles, statistics, or other information to support the nomination.

Robert Busby Volunteer of the Year - This award will be given to a Main Street volunteer for the overall impact he/she has had on the local Main Street program or a specific committee. The successful entry will describe how the volunteer has been an integral part of the local program. Describe the volunteer’s impact and submit photographs, news articles, number of volunteer hours, statistics, or other information to support the nomination.

You can;t win if you don't nominate your downtown! Enter now!

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By Jodie Willobee
Promotion, Arts and Culture Specialist
Michigan Main Street Center
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

I was in a meeting recently where a person was desperately looking for feedback, almost to the point of demanding it, but never took a breath long enough to let anyone respond. The room quickly filled with the dreaded silence that was heard by everyone except the one talking. When you know someone isn’t really going to listen, why bother trying to be heard? From Communications 101, we all know this is when the danger occurs.

As it goes with most folks, generally they just want to be heard. Take a festival for example, how do you really know that people are enjoying themselves? And how do you know they are going to come back next year? Seems like people fall into a couple camps here – the small, loud camp that will tell you each and everything on their mind in brazen detail and the larger, quieter camp that will keep their comments to themselves, tell 15 people about the negative part of their experience, and not return next year.

That silence I described at the meeting I was at, it is everywhere. What if you actively went in search of it? Think of what you might learn by tapping into it?

Survey Says!
At your next festival, why not put a couple charismatic volunteers in the crowd – one in the heart of the action and the other on the outskirts – with a super quick survey that asks:

- How many times have you attended this festival?

- What would we need to do to get you to come back?

Simple. No more, no less. Imagine the information this could provide. Do you have a healthy mix of newcomers and seasoned festival attendees? What kinds of things are people looking for that you don’t have? And the giant bonus in this is that all who are asked will go away with a bit better feeling because you showed their thoughts mattered and you weren’t afraid to hear what they had to say. I believe they call this a, win-win.

Maybe the backside of every meeting agenda should have a survey similar to this ready and waiting, just in case another person tempts the fate of listening with their mouth open.

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By Joe Borgstrom, Director
Specialized Technical Assistance
& Revitalization Strategy Division
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

I’ve been reading a very interesting book recently entitled, Buy-ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom. (Support a downtown or locally-owned bookstore) I picked up the book because I am an advertising and marketing geek. What I’ve been reading is a stunning, and sometimes scary, look at how we are being marketed to without evening consciously knowing it. This new field is being called “neuro-marketing.”

Using thousands of brain scans, the book details numerous examples of how different industries are using this type of marketing to make you naturally “root” their brand and how they can leverage our basic needs and wants to belong into purchases. Here are two of the more intriguing (and abbreviated) examples:

- A comparison between Coca-cola and Ford’s sponsorship of American Idol: Coke uses product integration so you associate people reaching for their dreams, thus you want the contestants (and unconsciously Coke) to succeed. Meanwhile, Ford uses nearly the same amount of money on old fashioned 30 second commercials with minimal integration. The result? Much higher brand awareness and retention for Coke over Ford.

- At major stores in New York and Los Angeles, clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch hires models to hang out in front of their stores. This, combined with the dark lighting and loud music give their stores a club-like feel where beautiful people are found. You too can be one of them, if you just buy their stuff.

I'm not a psychologist or sociologist, but I do know what these two examples have in common: The Experience. And not just any experience, an emotional experience. Whether you are rooting for your favorite singer (and vicariously for yourself) or being a person in “the in-crowd,” our emotions play a big part in how we purchase. This particular book has the brain scans to prove it.

So what does this have to with downtowns? A lot. The debate over the ethics of type of research is just heating up. Regardless of how the data came about, I think this validates an approach, albeit a much less scientific one, many communities have been deploying through their Main Street programs for years: Create an emotional connection to our downtowns and their businesses.

Integrating our downtowns, and the businesses in them, into the daily lives of our residents through experiences like festivals and special events (it’s “the place to be”), exceptional customer service (treatment usually reserved for “special people”), or just the general sense of “this is my downtown” (belonging), all have pangs of “neuro-marketing.”

The only real difference, in my opinion, is our downtowns’ approach is authentic. Our retailers do not conduct brain scans on customers to find out excellent service makes someone feel special. To them, that’s just smart business. Our downtowns were not designed to make you recognize a brand. Though, one could argue the businesses, architecture, events, and organizational efforts work together to communicate a “brand” that is like nowhere else on earth.

When it comes to this new age of neuro-marketing, we don’t need brain scans to find out what people want. We’ve included them in the process. They volunteer to help make our downtowns better for everyone. We call it Main Street.

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By Kelly Larson
Michigan Main Street Architect
State Historic Preservation Office
Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries
 

The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation…. Sounds kinda scary, doesn’t it? Especially when you consider these Standards are a kind of Ten Commandments in the world of historic preservation. Well, if you are (or know of) a property owner who wants to make some changes to his/her building and doesn’t like the idea of someone else telling them what they can and can’t do to their private property, then yes, these Standards do SOUND scary. But the truth is, they aren’t. They are actually a very common sense approach to utilizing a historic building in an economical way but without reducing the building’s historic integrity.

So let’s break it down. First, the “Secretary of Interior’s” part simply refers to the fact that someone had to create these “Standards” in the first place. In this case, the someone is the head of the Department of the Interior that administers the National Park Service. The National Park Service needed Standards in order to review projects seeking federal historic tax credits. Without the Standards, there would be no basis for anybody deciding what kind of work would or would not have a detrimental impact on a historic building. Nowadays, the Standards are used not only by the National Park Service but every State Historic Preservation Office and Local Historic District Commission as THE BASIS for reviewing all projects within their purview.

As for “Rehabilitation”, well that’s the best part. The Standards define rehabilitation as “the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.” Meaning, necessary repairs and alterations to a building are okay as long as the overall historic value of the building is preserved and retained. To state it uber-simply, if a property owner is doing work to their building they shouldn’t make the building any less historic than when they started.

The ten Standards for Rehabilitation are listed below.

1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships.

2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided.

3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken.

4. Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved.

5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.

6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence.

7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used.

8. Archaeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken.

9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.

10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

If you’re curious how these Standards apply to a specific type of project, the National Park Service has several an “Online Education” section on their website that includes web classes, case studies, and checklists. They even have an “Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.”

So see, the Standards aren’t that scary after all.

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By Dace Koenigsknecht
Economic Restructuring Specialist
Michigan Main Street Center
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Within the Economic Restructuring realm, there is plenty of conversation around business retention and recruitment. In this piece, I would like to briefly touch upon the home-grown option. We at the Center are hearing buzz on Main Streets across the state, primarily containing the following two words – business incubator. Everyone seems interested in having one, but what exactly is an incubator? I’ve done a little digging, and here’s the scoop from my perspective…

A business incubator is an environment, a form of mentorship, for selected small or start-up businesses that can benefit from lower rents and services provided by the incubator. These small business owners benefit from low rent, office help, counseling on business and financial plans, marketing, bookkeeping, sharing of office systems and equipment, and other services. An incubator is intended to provide a firm foundation for development of a new product, or service; enabling the cash-poor entrepreneur to expand from concept to market in a timely manner.

There is one clear undertone I wish to stress; an incubator is an active partnership between its management and their small-business clients. Incubators provide a plethora of client development opportunities: feasibility studies and entrance screenings for prospects; advisory boards and mentors; and professional coaching / instruction in business plans, marketing strategies, accounting, finance, personal selling skills, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial development training programs and manuals. If there is no active participation in the development process, then the arrangement is merely a landlord with small-business tenants. To spin it more philosophically: a landlord gives a man a fish, whereas an incubator teaches him to fish.

The last factor that I see revolves around proximity; that within the community, and that within the incubator. Entrepreneurs are inherently risk-takers; seeking both support and camaraderie from their environment. Take that bright high school student that starts a business in his hometown, where the support of family and social history are strongest. Or, take that college kid and his buddies that start a company in their cozy dorm room, where risk in numbers is somehow more palatable. Just as the social history of a community can create a psychological net for a budding entrepreneur, so can the daily interactions with like-minded people within an incubator. It is the close proximity of these less formal relationships, versus the mentorship of the incubator itself, that offer valuable moral and spiritual support.

How about your downtown? Your historic commercial district already functions as an informal incubator, and I hope that it embraces that role. Each business owner is a risk-taker with the bruises and scars of knowledge that can be shared. The built-in proximity along Main Street creates camaraderie and ‘safety in numbers’ – if not in the wallet, at least in the psyche. It doesn’t require the owner of the white elephant to utter those two words, for any one with under-utilized space (i.e. upper floors) and a desire to teach can be an incubator that makes a difference.

We at the Center recognize the importance of the entrepreneur within our communities, and have teamed with MSU Extension to offer their Energizing Entrepreneurs training to our Selected-level communities. The next session occurs in May.

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Editor's Note: This week's post comes to us courtesy of one of our good friends and partners, Scottville Mayor Leon Begue. This post is a reprint of Mayor Begue's response ("My Turn: Main Street 101") to a "Letter to the Editor" in the Ludington Daily News from a local naysayer criticizing their local Main Street program. Scottville has been a Selected Level community in the Michigan Main Street program since 2007.

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By Leon Begue
Mayor
City of Scottville, MI

Recent articles and comments in the newspaper as well as on the web have been directed at the value of the Main Street effort being undertaken by citizens of the City of Scottville. These comments continue to reflect a lack of understanding of what the Main Street effort is all about. When we initiated Main Street a year and a half ago, the greatest fear of the two individuals who got the ball rolling was unrealistic expectations and individuals wishing for a quick fix that would not be the solution. Those unrealistic expectations are now rearing their heads and need to be addressed. When you boil it all down, here is what Main Street is all about.

Scottville Main Street is all about volunteers who are willing to invest their time and effort in finding ways to improve the city in which we live and work. More than 100 volunteers, about 50 of whom participate on a regular basis, work very hard and are very generous with their time and resources, developing and enacting a comprehensive work plan to revitalize our business district.

The basis through which this is being accomplished is by using the Main Street operating structure. That structure is comprised of a Board of Directors and four committees to which these volunteers have dedicated their time and effort. Those committees consist of the Organization Committee, the Economic Restructuring Committee, the Promotions Committee and the Design Committee. This is a proven approach, that when given time and support, has been shown to be a valuable and effective means of revitalizing a downtown district. Both large and small communities have seen real results from implementation of this process to direct their efforts and get everyone working on the same page.

Based upon our Vision and Mission Statements, the Board of Directors (9 volunteers) has charged each of those Committees (each with an additional 6-9 volunteers) with the task of developing annual work plans that address the incremental steps that need to take place to move our business district forward as we rebuild. As this is being written those committees are finalizing their work plans for FY 2009-2010. Based upon those work plans, the generous and committed efforts of the more than 100-strong volunteer base will work diligently to set those plans in motion.

The basic task of the Organization Committee is to manage the volunteer recruitment and development aspects of this process as well as oversee any Grant development and all fund raising needs of the organization.

The Economic Restructuring Committee looks at the issues and strategies around the redevelopment of our downtown businesses. Through tools provided by the National Main Street such as the Community Initiated Development Process, they take a look at underused properties in the business district and do the painstaking work necessary for that property to be properly packaged for redevelopment. This, as you might imagine, is the most involved of the processes, and requires the most technical and entrepreneurial mindset. Through the process, the volunteers are learning more and more about what is available, how to work with the city and the areas where we can look to improve business interaction with the city government. It is only through learning about this process and taking steps to work together that we can improve our situation and enhance our city.

The Promotions Committee pursues activities and events which will bring foot traffic into town and bring satisfied customers into our places of business.

The Design Committee takes a look at the “curb appeal” both of the downtown area but also of the community as a whole. They address a variety of issues such as those related to store front design, window displays; parking lot accessibility, design and maintenance; the eye appeal of how our downtown and residential areas looks and are maintained.
Main Street is not about quick fixes. Yes, we have made some small steps forward, such as the redesign of the Mall area. The Music Festival brought friends and neighbors into Scottville and business into our stores. Developers have visited and expressed interest in two of our vacant buildings. However movement forward also points to the foundation building steps we need to continue to take. We are working on those as we speak.

The decline of the downtowns of communities such as ours, has been taking place for the last 30 to 40 years. Main Street provides the organization and the tools for our volunteers to begin and maintain the rebuilding process of our downtown district. It will be 5 years, 10 years before we will begin to see meaningful and tangible results of the foundations we are building today.

For those who wish to contribute and be part of this rebuilding effort, this coming week will provide a tremendous opportunity. Representatives from National Main Street community will be in Scottville to review what we are doing and suggest ways to assist us in moving forward as we continue to work to better our hometown. For those interested and willing to put forth some effort, this will be an opportunity to add your creative ideas to that process. It is not enough to say the Main Street is all about “fluff”. It is about putting actions to words and volunteering time and effort.

What is Main Street? It is about people working together (for the long haul) to rebuild our community.

Thanks, Leon. We couldn't have said it better ourselves...

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