Published: May 20, 2008 11:38 pm            

MEDINA BUSINESS: Making Main Street better

The Western Erie Canal Main Street Program will be taking a close look at the three rural counties in the five-county region of the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor — Orleans, Niagara and Wayne counties.

With the application deadline set for July 25, the Medina Business Association held a meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Medina’s Orleans County Chamber of Commerce office to provide information for business members who had questions or who were unable to attend the application workshop last week. Jayme Breschard, a planner with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, discussed the program, which focuses on downtown areas.

“We’re very excited about (the program),” said Kelly Kiebala, executive director of the chamber.

According to Breschard, the Main Street Program encompasses Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Wayne and Monroe counties, but the first leg of the program is geared toward rural areas. One community will be selected from each county to receive assistance with intensive planning for downtown revitalization. In Orleans County there are only two eligible villages — Medina and Albion.

While the communities selected to be a part of the program do not receive monetary funding to have work done, they do receive the services for promotion, outreach, economic restructuring and design. Each of those factors are part of the four-point model put forth by the National Trust Main Street Center.

As a public and private partnership, Breschard said “all sectors of the community benefit from a strong Main Street center.” The planning does not have to stay within the boundaries of the designated Main Street, though, and is instead meant to encompass an entire downtown area that is selected at the discretion of the community.

Breschard said planners will visit the selected areas and offer their services and expertise on the four-point approach, generally asking questions about what services they should be looking at.

“Once they design it I don’t want them to walk away,” Breschard said.

Funding provided to the National Trust by the state allows the organization to go into towns to help with the planning part of the program’s implementation.

“It’s going to teach us to help ourselves,” said Cindy Robinson, newly elected Medina Business Association president.

MBA member Andrew Meier, who sits on the Main Street Advisory Board along with code enforcement officer Marty Busch, said there would be a local board to oversee the program in Medina if the village is selected. That board would then choose a program manager who would focus their efforts on the Main Street Program.

“(They would be) something like a downtown manager,” he said.

Kiebala added the process is a “consensus building from the beginning.” Filling out the application must be a group effort, she said, adding that to complete the forms the group will want to pull together a task force of sorts.

“Not everybody has knowledge about everything,” Robinson said, pointing out members who have specialized knowledge in industries such as banking, real estate and law. “If we can get that information together and can get that application in before July 25, it will make us look a whole lot better.”

If by chance Medina is not selected, they will still be able to mirror the program in the community because Breschard is their point person and has access to information about revitalization and how to bring more life into the community.

Meier likes Medina’s chances, though.

“I think we have a very good shot at getting it,” he said.

The announcement of selected communities is scheduled for mid-September. To learn more about the program visit www.gfl.org or www.mainstreet.org.

Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at 798-1400, ext. 2225.

        

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