Minnesota Main Street Program Coordinator
Position Now Open


Position Objectives

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (“Alliance”) is seeking an economic development, historic preservation, organizational development, and/or promotions professional for the position of Minnesota Main Street Program Coordinator.  The Program Coordinator will be responsible for administering the reestablished Minnesota Main Street Program, a program of the Alliance and the official statewide coordinating program of the National Trust Main Street Center®.  The Program Coordinator will have the opportunity to build this new program and shape it into the future.  It is anticipated that five communities will be accepted annually as certified Main Street programs that require direct services.  The goal of this position is to empower communities that seek to capitalize on the unique assets and character of our historic downtowns.  The Program Coordinator assists and promotes local revitalization efforts based on the Four Point Approach® developed by the National Trust Main Street Center®.

Organizational Description

The Alliance is Minnesota’s statewide, nonprofit historic preservation advocacy and education organization with a mission to preserve, protect, and promote Minnesota’s historic resources.  Organized in 1981, the Alliance is a membership organization dedicated to educating the public about historic preservation and advocating for the preservation of invaluable historic properties.  The Minnesota Main Street Program was established as an Alliance program in 2010 through a grant provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Program Coordinator will bring the Alliance’s staff to four full-time professionals.  The organizational operates with a budget of just over $400,000 and is governed by a 19-member Board of Directors.  The Alliance offices are located in 416 Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th Street, in downtown St. Paul with office hours between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Evening and weekend meetings and events also take place after regularly-scheduled hours of operation.

Position Funding and Location

The Minnesota Main Street Program Coordinator position has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.  The Alliance secured $100,000 in grant funding through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to administer Minnesota Main Street in fiscal year 2010 (January through December).  The grant provides funding for the Program Coordinator position through December 31, 2010.  Continuation of the Program Coordinator position is dependent upon continued grant funding in 2011, which is probable, but not guaranteed.

This is considered a full-time, temporary position continuing to December 31, 2010, with the possibility of creating a permanent position based on available funding.  The Program Coordinator is an employee of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and reports directly to the Alliance Executive Director.

This position will be based in the Alliance’s St. Paul office, but will require travel throughout the state of Minnesota to provide on-site technical and training services.  This position is a full-time, salaried, exempt position with the expectation that the Program Coordinator will work 40 hours per week at a prorated salary level of $40,000 per year.  The salary is non-negotiable at this time.  The ideal candidate will be available to start this position on or before May 1, 2010.  All Alliance employees receive a benefits package of paid time off (PTO), a monthly health insurance stipend, and transportation/parking reimbursements.  The Program Coordinator also receives a monthly cell and data plan stipend, mileage reimbursements, and pre-paid travel arrangements.

Please click here to read the full position description with responsibilities and minimum qualifications.

To apply for the Minnesota Main Street Program Coordinator position, please submit a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample relevant to this position by Friday, March 26, 2010 to:

Bonnie McDonald, Executive Director
Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
416 Landmark Center
75 W. 5th Street
St. Paul, MN 55102


Let the Voting Begin…

The Minnesota Main Street logo design competition has closed and we have received three entries.  The logo selected will be used as the primary icon on the Minnesota Main Street website, printed documents and other media. Public judging will take place online from March 1, 2010 – March 14, 2010. The winner of the logo competition will be publicly announced and will be awarded a one-year membership with the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.

The three logos are below.  To vote, send an email to wokeefe@mnpreservation.org with the logo you like best.

OR vote via Facebook by: log onto Facebook –> Find Minnesota Main Street –> Albums –> Logo Design Submittals. Once you have chosen the one you like best, click “Like” and your vote will be tallied.

Tell your friends to vote as well – the more votes, the better!  For questions about the Minnesota Main Street Program, contact Will O’Keefe at wokeefe@mnpreservation.org.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Downtown E-News

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota has created a special e-newsletter focusing on issues and resources for business owners, elected officials, municipal staff, and citizens concerned about the future of their historic commercial districts.  The Minnesota Downtown E-News is published intermittently when sufficient news is compiled.  Sign up now by sending your e-mail address to bmcdonald@mnpreservation.org.

Excellent Response to Statewide Survey of Downtown Commercial District Revitalization Programs

Thank you to those communities that completed a downtown commerical district revitalization program self-assessment form.  The survey was completed in September of 2009.  Over 250 surveys were sent to a total of 100 communities with recipients being representatives of the local municipal government, heritage preservation commission, chamber of commerce, convention and visitors bureau, and/or other downtown revitalization nonprofit.  The 100 communities that received surveys were those that had once been Minnesota Main Street members, Hometown Minnesota members, or have a local downtown historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

We received a total of 54 responses from 49 different communities with representation from every part of the state.  The Minnesota Main Street Steering Committee is now tabulating the data to identify trends and move forward in selecting five communities for additional assessment as our first pilot, certified Main Streets in Minnesota in almost 15 years.  There will be more information to come as this process moves forward.  We anticipate launching the Minnesota Main Street Coordinating Program in early 2010.
Why Reinvestment in our Historic Main Streets Makes Sense

Many of us long for a time when our Main Street was the thriving commercial and social hub of our community.  Established residents talk of going to town for everything they needed, from a can of soup to a car, gasoline to gossip, and all things in-between.  Many of us also believe we can reestablish our Main Street as the heart of the community.  By stimulating local business development and incentivizing reinvestment, our downtown commercial districts are reemerging as the centers of community pride.

We believe that historic commercial districts are assets to a community. We’re the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, the statewide, nonprofit historic preservation organization.  At the Alliance, we’re working to reestablish the statewide Minnesota Main Street coordinating program, a comprehensive, community-driven, economic development program that revitalizes established commercial corridors.  Over the program’s 30-year history, 2,200 Main Street programs nationwide have leveraged almost $50 billion in public and private investment—a $25 to $1 return-on-investment that has created almost 400,000 jobs and 90,000 new businesses.  You can help us bring this program back to Minnesota to benefit your city or town.

What is the benefit of being a Main Street community?  What will the statewide coordinating program (Minnesota Main Street) do for my downtown district? We understand that the Main Street program may be new to your community as our state’s program ended almost 15 years ago.  That’s why we’ve uploaded a fact sheet with more information about the proposed Minnesota Main Street Program.

Minnesota Main Street Program Fact Sheet-8-17-09

History of the National Main Street Program

In response to growing economic woes and threats to Main Street commercial architecture, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), in 1977 launched the pilot version of the national Main Street program.  Since then, the program has become a proven small town and urban commercial corridor economic development program leveraging over $40 billion in public and private investment.  The Main Street program is a comprehensive commercial revitalization strategy that helps communities preserve some of their most significant assets-their historic buildings.   NTHP has developed the Main Street Four Point ApproachTM, tailored to local needs and opportunities:

  • Design: Enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging compatible infill, and developing sensitive design management systems.
  • Organization: Building consensus and cooperation among the many groups and individuals who have a role in the revitalization process.
  • Promotion: Marketing the traditional commercial district’s assets to customers, potential investors, new businesses, local citizens, and visitors.
  • Economic Restructuring: Strengthening the district’s existing economic base while finding ways to expand it to meet new opportunities. [1]

For urban Main Street programs, there is a fifth Approach:

  • Public Safety: Reducing crime and the perception of crime is a precondition for revitalizing neighborhood commercial districts.[2]

The Main Street Approach advocates “community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.”[3] The program measures success with indicators such as job creation, building permits, construction dollars, Convention and Visitors Bureau counts,  and building renovation and new construction projects.

Minnesota Main Street Program Background

Statewide Main Street coordinating programs certify Main Street communities and assist cities and towns within the state in implementing the National Main Street Program.  The statewide coordinating program provides participating local Main Street organizations with training, tools, information, and networking.  Minnesota is currently one of only four states in the nation without a statewide coordinating program, essentially leaving our communities to implement the program individually without the support of a coordinated network.

In 1983, Minnesota joined 10 other states in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Network.  Through a competitive process, the Office of Environmental Resource Development (OERD), part of the Minnesota State Planning Agency, selected five pilot cities with a traditional downtown area and a population between 5,000 and 50,000.  The state selected: Fergus Falls, Hastings, Hopkins, Morris, and Stillwater.  Key accomplishments of the pilot cities in the two-year program included 66 rehabilitation projects, seven new construction projects, 61 new or expanded businesses, and 157 new downtown jobs.

Despite the successes of the pilot program, the state did not provide program funding between 1986 and 1990.  In 1990, the Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED), which incorporated OERD into its department in 1987, launched a Small Town Main Street program to assist towns with 10,000 people or less.   The program provided access to National Main Streets consultants-however, the state provided no funding and only part-time staff.  State funding for the Minnesota Main Street Program ended entirely in 1995 as priorities changed within DTED.

After the dissolution of Minnesota Main Street, program users were largely left to seek assistance from providers of individual components of the Main Street Four Point Approach, but lack access to a comprehensive service provider and network.  The volunteer nonprofit Hometown Minnesota, Inc., provides networking opportunities and technical assistance, but it is not recognized by the National Main Street Center as a statewide coordinating program.  Historic communities must now wade through dozens of individual programs when seeking assistance.  Understandably, users are overwhelmed in assessing which program is most effective and how to coordinate results from multiple providers.

Reestablishing the Minnesota Main Street Program

Minnesota needs a statewide Main Street coordinating program to deliver this comprehensive economic development approach.  With paid staff and a stable budget, the Minnesota Main Street Program will assist our communities in maintaining an economically competitive downtown.  In 2007, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, the statewide, historic preservation advocacy and education organization, convened a 30-member Task Force to study the reestablishment of a state Main Street program.  Over a year of research was completed to understand the program’s record in Minnesota and several community meetings were held to gauge support and gather feedback.  With overwhelming support from dozens of communities around the state, the Task Force recommended in November of 2008 to reestablish Minnesota Main Street as a program within the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.

Next Steps

The Preservation Alliance has created Steering and Advisory Committees to guide the reestablishment of the Minnesota Main Street Program within the Alliance’s organizational structure.  Throughout 2009, the Steering Committee has applied for funding to capitalize the program by 2010.  The Committee is also working with the National Main Street Center to determine the criteria for accepting Main Street communities and the number that can certified on an annual basis.  Our goal is to hire a full-time Minnesota Main Street Program Director in early 2010 to begin certifying and servicing Main Street communities.

For More Information:

Bonnie McDonald, Executive Director
Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
651.293.9047 x104
bmcdonald@mnpreservation.org
www.mnpreservation.org

Websites of interest for historic downtowns courtesy of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.  Click on the following link for a list of helpful websites with information about building codes, energy efficiency, and much more: WebSites of interest 7 15 09-IHPA.

Interested in learning about different communities involvement in Main Street?  The Northfield Downtown Development Corporation recently sent Ross Currier to the National Main Street Conference In Chicago, IL.  Read about Ross’s experience and the Main Street Program at http://nddc.org/weblog/post/1600/.

Recently, Lakeland Public Television of Brainerd aired an interview with Emily Roragen, Brainerd’s Main Street Coordinator.  This video provides a great discussion of Main Streets in Minnesota and at the National Level.  To watch, follow this link.

[1] From National Main Street Center Fact Sheet, see: http://www.mainstreet.org.
[2] Seidman, Karl. “Revitalizing Commerce for American Cities: A Practitioner’s Guide to Urban Main Street Programs.” Washington, DC: Fannie Mae Foundation, September, 2004.  6.
[3] National Main Street Center website, see: http://www.mainstreet.org.