Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. (MMSC) staff will visit with the Blue Springs Downtown Alive! (DTA) group on Friday, February 13, 2015, to review the revitalization program and evaluate its progress. The visit will include conversations with the DTA Board of Directors and staff about the current conditions in downtown Blue Springs.  Once the evaluation is complete, MMSC staff will share their findings.  The community is invited to attend this presentation at 4pm Friday, February 13, 2015 at Pizza Shoppe.

The evaluation will determine the status of DTA for this year within the Main Street tier system, which ranks revitalization programs on the basis of their achievements over the past year.

The visits are repeated annually, giving each community the opportunity to showcase its progress and continue moving up in the tier system. Communities already Accredited also must undergo the evaluation process annually in order to maintain their Accreditation status.

The schedule is as follows:

10:00 am-10:50 am    Economic Restructuring and Organization Team Meeting with Missouri Main Street Connection.  Pizza Shoppe Event Room.

1:00 pm-1:50 pm          Promotion and Design Team Meeting with Missouri Main Street Connection.  Pizza Shoppe Event Room.

4:00 pm-5:15 pm          Community presentation by Missouri Main Street Connection.  Community is highly encouraged to attend.  Pizza Shoppe Event Room.

MMSC is the licensing partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center. Through this partnership, MMSC has the sole discretion in determining whether a community may claim to be Aspiring, Affiliate, Associate, or Accredited as a Main Street® program.

A healthy, thriving downtown or neighborhood commercial district is essential to any community endeavoring to preserve its historic assets and develop a healthier local economy. MMSC helps communities throughout the State enhance their economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing by providing revitalization training services and mentoring.

MMSC uses the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to revitalization, a methodology developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, using preservation as the foundation of all revitalization efforts. This method has been adopted in 43 states and Canada. The approach emphasizes four critical areas of revitalization: Organization helps everyone work towards the same goals and maximizes involvement of public and private leaders within the community; Promotion brings people downtown and focuses public attention on the value of downtown as a place for business development and investment; Design enhances a district’s appearance and pedestrian amenities while preserving the district’s historic features; and Economic Restructuring strengthens a community’s existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. The local Main Street® program helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that supports the wellbeing of the community.

Who is eligible for MMSC services?

  • Any individual, community group, town or urban commercial district in the State of Missouri is welcome to attend MMSC training and conference activities.
  • Partners of MMSC are eligible for discounts on workshops and conferences.
  • Communities having a traditional historic commercial “downtown” district are eligible to contract with MMSC for services within the tier system.

MMSC is also a resource for the latest tools, trends and techniques in downtown development and revitalization. MMSC customizes its services to the Aspiring, Affiliate, Associate, and Accredited Main Street® communities based on their specific needs for revitalization.

Service is being provided and costs underwritten by Missouri Main Street Connection.