Directors Meeting: Elizabeth City | August 3-5, 2022

August 3-5, 2022

Meeting Location:  7 Sounds Brewing Company at 112 N. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC 27909

Reception Location:  7 Sounds Brewing Company at 112 N. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC 27909

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

1:00 OFFICIAL MEETING START- General Info/About the Agenda

Welcome, Housekeeping and introductions, announcements

City of Elizabeth City Leadership

Deborah Malenfant, Executive Director, Elizabeth City Downtown.

Liz Parham, NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, NC Department of Commerce

Information:

• Statistics
• Volunteer Hours
• Incentives Guide
• Funding Guide
• Resources

Deadlines:

• July 29, 2022 Statistics Deadline
• August 1, 2022 Logo Confirmation Deadline
• September 30, 2022  Main Street Award Nominations
• September 30, 2022  Main Street Champion Nominations
• September 30, 2022 Main Street Directors Meeting Host Community Application
• January 5, 2023  Community Self-Assessment Deadline (formerly known as Program  Assessment Survey)
• June 30, 2023 Annual Agreement Deadline
• June 30, 2023 Licensing Agreement Deadline

NEW Main Street Programs:

• Manteo
• Murphy
• Pilot Mountain
• Pittsboro

Training:

• August 2, 2022  Organization Basic Training – Virtual
• August 24, 2022 Rural Transformation Grant Fund Webinar 10:00 a.m.
• October 26, 2022  Design Basic Training – Virtual
• November 7-9, 2022  Regional Meetings - Virtual
• March 14-16, 2023  NC Main Street Conference – Statesville
• ONGOING Leverage NC Webinars
• 2023 Calendar
• Recommended Reading and Bookstore

Main Street Facebook Marketing:

•  Main Street Mondays – Main Street Director Showcase Hand out questionnaire
• Transformational Thursdays
• Façade Fridays

Conferences:

• Preservation NC Conference  October 26-28, 2022 - Virtual
• National Trust PastForwardConference – November 1-4, 2022, Virtual
• North Carolina Main Street Conference  March 14-16, 2023, Statesville, NC
• Main Street Now Conference  March 27-29, 2023, 2022, Boston, MA

1:15 Funding Opportunities:

Rural Transformation Grant Fund (RTGF)

• Downtown Revitalization
• Resilient Neighborhoods
• Community Enhancement for Economic Growth

1:30 PUBLICATIONS

• Redevelopment Guide
• Business Retention & Expansion Guide
• Business Recruitment Guide

2:00  BREAK

2:15  NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards – Nothing but Best Practices for Downtown Revitalization

• How Grading Works
• Baseline Requirements Review

Standard I. Broad-Based Commitment to Revitalization

o What Does It Mean?

Standard One reflects that successful and sustainable revitalization efforts are not just the work of a single organization but should be the result of a community-wide effort that brings the public and private sectors together with a strong sense of ownership in their downtown or commercial district.  This Standard reviews the Main Street organizations’ essential role in fostering a culture of inclusion, engagement, collaboration, and commitment from all sectors of the community. Launching a program, growing it incrementally from one year to the next, and sustaining success for the long run are only possible through a diversity of strong partnerships and collaborations, continued outreach, and communication.

I. Partnerships and Collaborators

II. Community Outreach

III. Communication and Public Relations

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk - Turning Stakeholders into Partners– David Day, Cherryville

o Exercise – Who Should Be Your Partners? Use Stakeholders & Partners in Excel

3:15 BREAK

3:30 NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards Continued

Standard II. Inclusive Leadership and Organization Capacity

o What Does It Mean?

Strong, thriving communities don’t just happen. They need effective leaders at all levels, from a broad base of committed volunteers to dedicated professional staff offering their time, talents, and passion for this work. Standard Two reflects the value we place on PEOPLE as Main Street’s greatest resource and our belief that everyone in the community has a place in Main Street. This Standard encourages Main Street programs to place a strong priority on human capital and develop a clear operational structure and practices that increase the organization’s capacity to engage all sectors of the community and leverage their participation in their revitalization efforts.

I. Inclusive Organizational Culture and Diverse Volunteer Engagement

II. Active Board Leadership and Supporting Volunteer Base

III. Professional Staff Management

IV. Effective Operational Structure

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk – Cultivating a Diverse Mix of Volunteers – Susan Kellum, Wilson

o Exercise – How to Grow Your Volunteers Use Board Matrix and Volunteer Development Worksheet

4:50  Recap of the Day

5:00  Reception

Thursday, August 4, 2022

9:00 What does it Mean to Be an Economic Developer

9:10 NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards Continued

Standard III. Diversified Funding & Sustainable Program Operations

o What Does It Mean?

A successful revitalization program must have the financial resources necessary to carry out its work and sustain its operations. Program sustainability relies on diversity of revenue streams as dependency on one primary or only source could jeopardize the program’s operations. Through this Standard, Main Street programs demonstrate a priority for ensuring that the community is investing in the Main Street organization and programming efforts through a comprehensive and balanced funding structure that ensures successful and sustainable revitalization efforts.

I. Balanced Funding Structure

o Main Street Budget Report

II. Strategic Revenue Development and Fundraising

III. Financial Management and Best Practices

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk – What Does a Diverse Budget Look Like– Lisa Rueh, Morehead City

o Exercise – Rapid Fire – Where Can You Get Money? Use Funding Ideas Worksheet and Budgets by Structure Report

10:15 BREAK

10:30 NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards Continued

Standard IV. Strategy-Driven Programming

o What Does It Mean?

Main Street has built a strong track record for making change happen in communities across the country. Change is an important guiding principle for Main Street. But rather than letting change just happen, Main Street programs define and manage it from one year to the next through a strategy-driven work plan and aligned implementation process. Standard Four brings together all integrated components that must be in place to plan and successfully implement the revitalization work. Centered around Main Street’s Four Point Approach, these integrated components are driven by a local Transformation Strategy(s) aligned through community participation and based on understanding of the district’s unique and competitive market position.

I. Planning Guided by Inclusive Community and Market-Informed Inputs

II. Defining Direction through Transformation Strategy Identification and Development

III. Strategy-Aligned Comprehensive Work Planning and Implementation Across All Four Points

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk – Why Is It So Important to Know Your Downtown? Diane Young, Mebane

o Exercise – Transforming Your Downtown Through a Plan Use Workplan in Excel and Transforming Your Downtown Worksheet

11:30 BREAK

11:45 NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards Continued

Standard V. Preservation-Based Economic Development

o What Does It Mean?

Successful Main Street efforts are built on the guiding principle that district economic development is obtained by leveraging and preserving its unique historic and cultural assets. Standard Five confirms our strong belief that a community’s own place-based and diverse cultural assets reflect the richness and strength of its identity and establishes a competitive market advantage.

I. Preservation Ethics and Education on Historic and Cultural Assets

II. Standards and Best Practices for Place-Based, People Focused Design

III. Promotion of Historic, Heritage, and Cultural Assets

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk – What Are the Steps Needed to Fight for a Building?   Lizzie Morrison, Mount Airy

o Exercise – Mapping Your Assets and Applying a Preservation Ethic to your Work Use Asset Mapping in Excel and Preservation Ethic Worksheet

12:45 LUNCH BREAK & DOWNTOWN EXPLORATION

2:30  Facilitating Place-Based Economic Development through Design – Kicking It Up a Notch

Downtown Elizabeth City is today’s playground

We’ll break-up in small groups

UNCG & Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. will showcase some projects in downtown

4:00 Come back together to discuss what we saw and learned

5:00 ADJOURN FOR THE DAY – Dinner on your own in downtown Elizabeth City

Friday, August 5, 2022

9:00 NEW National Main Street Accreditation Standards Continued

Standard VI.  Demonstrated Impacts and Results

o What Does It Mean?

Main Street communities are part of a national network with a proven record for generating strong economic returns and strengthening the district’s position within a highly competitive marketplace.  Standard Six highlights the importance of tracking, packaging, and demonstrating the qualitative and quantitative impact of the program’s revitalization efforts. It also provides the opportunity for the local Main Street program to tell their stories and advocate for resources needed for sustainability.

I. Demonstrating the Value of Main Street

II. Measuring and Packaging Quantitative and Qualitative Outcomes

III. Promoting Progress and Demonstrating Impacts & Results

o Templates Available

o Voiceover PPT Available

o 10 Min. Main Street Talk – Telling Your Story to Generate Activity.  Freddie Killough, Marion

o Exercise – How Do You Use Your Info to Tell Your Story? Use Telling Your Story Worksheet

10:00 BREAK

10:15  The Next BIG OPPORTUNITY -

The Year of the Trail and the Main to Main Trail

• EDA Grant
• What You Need to do to Get Ready
• Anticipated Outcomes
• Main to Main Social Media and Volunteer/Business Owner Questions

11:45 Recap of the Day

12:00  ADJOURN