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Main Street Iowa Honors Downtown Projects and Volunteers
Cat herine Bergman, Darrell Young, Daryl Engstrom, Jim Ward III, Aaron Bradley and Dale Bergman of Stratford and Fred Marcalus of Jewell were among the nearly 400 individuals from across the state who attended the 21st Annual Main Street Awards Ceremony held April 18 at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. Of the more than 110 projects considered for awards this year, 23 were selected and 17 received honorable mentions.
Michael Tramontina, director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, presented the awards during the celebration. In addition, 34 local volunteers who had been selected by their community for Main Street Volunteer of the Year awards were honored. “Iowa’s historic main streets are the heart and soul of our communities,” said IDED Director Michael Tramontina. “The enthusiasm, talent, and dedication of the local Main Street staff and volunteers are vital to keeping our downtowns thriving and healthy. Congratulations to the hardworking Iowans who are receiving awards this year.”
Stratford received the following an Honorable Mention in the Best Building Rehabilitation Under 5000 sq. ft. category for The Stratford Gallery of Art building renovation. Jim Ward III was on hand to accept the award on behalf of himself and his father, Jim Ward Jr.
Main Street Iowa’s most prestigious honor, the Spirit of Main Street award, was presented to Fred and Ann Marcalus, pharmacists, property owners and longtime advocates for Jewell and Hamilton County. “The Marcalus' have long believed in the adage, ‘If it's to be, it's up to me’,” said Jane Seaton, state coordinator of the Main Street Iowa program. “They have invested both time and money in not only their properties but in numerous other community ventures. I can think of no one more deserving than this couple to receive this award to recognize the way they exemplify the essence and purpose of Main Street in their community every day.”
The Iowa Legislature adopted the National Main Street Center's Four Point Approach™ to downtown revitalization by establishing Main Street Iowa within the Iowa Department of Economic Development in 1985. Main Street Iowa, the premier program of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, currently provides services to 39 designated communities. For more than 20 years, this program and its communities have been looked upon as the “best of the best” in a national effort to revitalize downtowns across the country.
Over the years, by working together with the state, Main Street Iowa communities have realized the benefits of more than 1.5 million hours of volunteer time committed to improving their city centers, a significantly increased job and business base, and millions of dollars in private investment to purchase, construct and rehabilitate downtown property.
Visit www.iowalifechanging.com/community to learn more about each of the 39 communities participating in the Main Street Iowa program and how all Iowa communities can access downtown development assistance through the Iowa Downtown Resource Center. For more information, e-mail mainstreet@iowalifechanging.com or call 515.242.4756.
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 The Main Street approach to  downtown revitalization was developed in 1977 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) in Washington, D.C. with the goal of economic development within the context of historic preservation. In 1985, the Iowa Legislature adopted the model and in 1991 Hamilton County became a pilot project for utilizing the model on a countywide basis.
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 The Four Point Approach is a trademarked and copyrighted program of the NTHP's Main Street Center. The program is based upon the following four points:
Business Improvement -- This element involves diversifying the downtown economy by identifying potential market niches, finding new uses for vacant or underused spaces and improving business practices.
Design -- Utilizing appropriate design concepts, the visual quality of the downtown (buildings, signs, window displays, landscaping, and environment) is enhanced.
Organization -- Each community has many groups of people who are interested in and are willing to work toward the goal of a revitalized downtown. The organizational element brings together the public sector, private groups and individual citizens, with coordination by a paid program manager, to work more effectively in the downtown.
Promotion -- By promoting the downtown in a positive manner, a community can begin to focus on downtown as a source of community pride, social activity and economic development potential.
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 Three Hamilton County communities are currently utilizing the Main Street Approach in their downtown revitalization efforts: Ellsworth, Jewell and Stratford. Over the course of the last ten years, however, each of Hamilton County's nine communities have embraced the Approach.
Services Offered:
Design Assistance; Historic  preservation incentives; referral services; coordinated promotional activities; busines planning; targeted retail recruitment; trade area analysis and marketing strategies; national resource network; quarterly workshops with nationally recognized speakers; grant writing experience; marketing assistance; event/attraction advertising; low interest loan pool; upper story renovation.
For more information call (515)832-9575
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