City Commission considers support and funding for Florida Main Street Program

Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
June 10, 2015 1:26 p.m.

Florida Main Street Logo

On June 9, 2015, the Fernandina Beach City Commission held a special meeting to discuss  partnering with the Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee Chamber of Commerce to support the Florida Main Street Program. The vote was 4 – 1 on the motion to have the city attorney prepare a resolution of support for the June 16 regular meeting and to provide up to $40,000 in funding. Commission Gass, although not against the program, opposed the motion on the grounds it was too early to discuss the funding component.

Should the city commission vote to approve the Main Street resolution, Regina Duncan, chamber executive director, will prepare and submit the application to the state prior to the July 7 deadline.  Although no formal vote by the chamber board has been taken, the board is supportive of obtaining funds to provide a match to the City’s contribution in the $40,000 range.

It was the chamber’s concern over empty store fronts that drew its board to the Florida Main Street Program.  Duncan said the board believes through community participation store fronts will be filled and existing businesses will be enhanced.

Main Street - page 3

What is the Main Street Program?

Florida Main Street is a proven strategy for revitalization focused on historic downtowns.

Florida Main Street, under the umbrella of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is described as a “community driven” program. Technical assistance is provided by the state, but the responsibility for its implementation rests with community leaders.

According to Jim Adams, legislative aide to State Representative Janet Adkins, state funding up to $500,000 is available for designated communities.  The  funding trend in the state budgets continues upward for Florida Main Street projects. Proposed funding for this year’s state budget is 13.2 million.

Community Development Director Adrienne Burke gave an overview of the Main Street Program and answered commissioners questions.  Key to the success of this program is a paid professional executive director.  Of particular interest to commissioners is the possibility that the Main Street executive director could devote a percentage of time to overseeing the city’s downtown CRA.

Key components to succeed

  • Paid Professional Executive Director
  • Follow the Main Street Four Point Approach
  • Unerring commitment to succeed
  • Unified vision for downtown

Burke spoke to possible benefits with a Florida Main Street designation.

Main Street - page 27

During  1987, an attempt was made to receive a Main Street designation, but state funding was limited and the application was not approved.

To view entire power point presentation click here.

To view entire special meeting, click here and then click blue box “City Commission”.

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Peggy Bulger
Peggy Bulger(@peggy-bulger1949gmail-com)
8 years ago

This is terrific! The Main Street Program is a proven success in many small towns across America that are similar to Fernandina Beach. For a very modest $40,000 investment, you can expect to realize a substantial return in revenue, and ALSO in community pride. All downtown businesses will benefit from empty storefronts being occupied, and this effort should go hand-in-hand with the Eighth Street Corridor efforts. Bravo!

mikespino
mikespino (@guest_37471)
8 years ago

Once again Pat Gass lives by her campaign motto: I know the cost of everything and value of nothing.

Len Kreger
Len Kreger (@guest_37492)
8 years ago

In addition to Downtown and 8th Street We have vacant storefronts all over town; Sadler Road and 14th Street, and possibly Gateway. The same economics apply to them. The City needs to look at including them also. .

Adrienne Burke
Adrienne Burke(@aburkefbfl-org)
8 years ago

To help address Len’s comment, which others have brought up – the Main Street program is focused specifically on historic preservation and economic development, as it is a program that originated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. So this particular program would not be for other commercial corridors in the City.

The City’s Comprehensive Plan directs that all commercial corridors be evaluated in terms of redevelopment. The 8th Street group is the first effort to come out of that direction. The other commercial corridors will be addressed.

Steve Crounse
Steve Crounse (@guest_37553)
8 years ago

“Timing is everything” What an incredible opportunity The Florida Main Street Program would bring to Fernandina Beach. My first thought was about the Biggest Challenge we have as a community on Centre St. The Old Post Office building. That’s an Historical Landmark that this Town must SAVE. This program, The potential funding available through it. The political power backing it. For most thinking people, It’s a no-brainer. When we have crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s the Lawyers will have us do. Please City Commissioners, put a moratorium on the Impact Fees, We have an excess of capacity in the system. Let’s have the new proprietors of business’s on Centre Street, pay for their utilities the old fashioned way, through usage billing and an increased tax base the new business’s would generate. Fernandina Beach has a unique niche, in the Florida Landscape, every day, more and more Towns loose their identity and main streets to Strip Malls and Big Box Stores. like out in Yulee. Don’t let it happen here.

Peggy Bulger
Peggy Bulger(@peggy-bulger1949gmail-com)
8 years ago
Reply to  Steve Crounse

Steve, I totally agree about the Post Office. Many people have been working quietly to save this structure and there have been plans to re-purpose the building for the 21st Century . . . we hopefully will have a new submission for National Historic Register status of the building this year.

Steve Crounse
Steve Crounse (@guest_37556)
8 years ago

Peggy, Thank you for the Status on the building, good to know folks have it as a priority. If I can help, please let me know.

Donna Paz Kaufman
Donna Paz Kaufman(@dpazpazbookbiz-com)
8 years ago

Participating in the Main Street Program means making the commitment to sustain and improve Fernandina Beach as a desirable community filled with “great good” places (the phrase was coined by Ray Oldenburg in his book by the same name). Unfortunately, strip malls, by their very design, don’t lend themselves to places where people want to browse and linger (like historic downtowns). The best new use of some of the defunct Sadler Road strip mall properties might be affordable housing for our service workers, mindfully developed with green spaces to make them fit into our landscape and become an enjoyable place to live. Sadler Road, like 8th, pose different challenges. For our Centre Street, let’s do all we can to protect this precious “great good” place.

Joe Winston
Joe Winston (@guest_37779)
8 years ago

The Main Street project works. I have seen it first hand and was part of one in a historic city back in the 1980’s when it started. It also does not happen over night it takes at best the three years to start to make a difference. We should be very pleased that the City Commissioners see the value in this program.

Keep up the good work