Brigham City’s Main Street Program was successful and they will be getting more funding for restoration efforts.
BRIGHAM CITY – The Utah Main Street Program (UMSP) piloted in Brigham City and Price has reaped rewards not only for their communities but other communities in the state.
The state-funded pilot project budget included more than $300,000 to fund the upgrading of buildings on the two historic strips. Some of the money went directly to projects and some will be used as an operating budget.
The owners of Idle Isle Café, Consignology, the Union Block Marketplace, and the Howard Hotel all received funds to remodel the facades of their buildings.
The Beehive State’s program is part of Main Street America initiative aiming to revitalize communities’ economy, appearance, and image of downtown commercial districts. Utah is the latest coordinating member to join the national program.
David Walker, a downtown business owner and co-founder with his wife Donna of the Historic Downtown Brigham City 501(c) non- profit organization, said their organization will be part of the process.
“The new Utah Main Street Program was approved by the Brigham City Council and the Historic Downtown Brigham City was accepted by Go Utah to be the facilitator of the project,” he said. “We are moving forward after being accepted at the highest level.”
The Main Street America program provides a framework for community-driven revitalization efforts of older and historic commercial districts to build vibrant neighborhoods and thriving economies.
“The results of the UMSP will have a significant impact on our city,” Walker said. “Having a historic main street brings a lot of wonderful economic opportunities.”
The opportunity aligns the most influential institutions with local organizations to rebuild an historic main street area.
UMSP is an effort that aligns the most influential institutions to rebuild a historic main street area. The challenge is, how do you roll it out without rolling over existing efforts?
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this program that provides a framework and resources to support a community’s unique heritage,” said Nan Anderson, director of the Utah Main Street program and rural outreach manager. “This program honors what makes a community unique and focuses on what makes it a great place to live and visit.”
Brigham City and Price have realized the benefits of participating in a coordinated Main Street effort; both participated in the Main Street Pilot Program. Three façade rehabilitation grants were awarded: one in Price and two in Brigham City.
A community’s interest and ability to develop its Main Street are a major part of the selection process. Cities are classified on a tiered framework. Communities are eligible for either Engaged – Tier 1, or Vibrant – Tier 2. The communities participating in the new program at Tier 1 include Granary District (Salt Lake City), Gunnison, Heber City, Kaysville, Magna, Midtown (Salt Lake City), Parowan, Richfield, and Salina. Tier 2 communities include Brigham City, Cedar City, Helper, Mt. Pleasant, Ogden, Price, and Tooele City.
The Utah Main Street Program Advisory Committee is responsible for reviewing applications and evaluating community designations. Members of the Advisory Committee are Jay Aguilar (Utah Department of Transportation), Nan Anderson (Go Utah), Geri Gamber (Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments), Tracy Hansford (Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement), Keith Heaton (Workforce Services Housing and Community Development Division), and Bianca Lyon (Utah Office of Tourism).
Additional committee members include Kelsey Maas (Preservation Utah), Maria Twitchell (Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau), Chris Anderson (Partner at Durham, Jones & Pinegar), Paul Larsen (Brigham City), and Mayor Lenise Peterman (Helper).
The Utah Department of Heritage and Arts State Historic Preservation Office and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Utah Office of Tourism Department, Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts are all contributing members of the UMS committee.
