Main Street Washington briefed on new requirements

WASHINGTON — A representative from Main Street America toured Washington last week, meeting with local leaders before giving a presentation to Main Street Washington board members on new accreditation requirements set to take effect in two years.

Main Street America Program Officer for Revitalization Services Jackie Swihart said the new standards offered more nuance than the checklist currently in place.

“The old standards didn’t go away, they’re still baked into the new standards, we just expanded upon them,” she said. “The old standard number one was, ‘Do you have a board of directors?’ Now we’re saying, ‘Does your board of directors reflect your community’s demographics, do your directors participate in things like funding and advocacy?’ … we have very concrete things that we’re looking for, versus just, ‘Do you have a board?’”

Other new expectations from Main Street America include market data-gathering activities, and an emphasis on cultural preservation, rather than just physical building conservation.

Swihart said Washington was the sixth of 52 Main Street communities she plans to visit in Iowa over the next two years. She said she was impressed by the local culture of cooperation.

“Something that is unique to Washington, that I don’t see everywhere, is the spirit of collaboration,” she said. “There are a lot of communities that, people have a hard time working together. What I have found today is that everybody is very optimistic about the organization, they’re very optimistic about where downtown is going … there’s not apathy the way there is in other small communities.”

Main Street Board President Maddie Widmer said it was encouraging to hear that the group was still on-track, in light of big leadership changes over the last year.

“It was extremely helpful … having that Main Street America presence in Washington to say, ‘Yes, we are still here, we are still a viable Main Street program, we are still doing the work day in and day out to provide a vibrant district,’” she said. “Amongst all the noise, the work is still important … I think that was really important to impress.”

Main Street Washington Director Samantha Meyer said the new requirements felt achievable, if potentially challenging.

As the Washington group grapples with modest but ongoing financial issues, she said attention to the budget would be a top priority as its members integrate the new accreditation requirements.

“As really everybody knows, our financials (are) where we need to really grow and diversify, and every single one of our committees has some sort of fundraising goal for the year,” she said. “Our number one priority is getting our name out there and the look and feel of downtown, but also … making sure that we’re also benefiting from it, so that we aren’t in a bad monetary situation.”

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