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| OTTUMWA MAIN STREET |
HAPPY MAIN STREET UNIVERSITY GRADUATES Fred Zesiger, Molly Naumann, Wes Sharp, Tim Schwartz, Sarah Hartley, Betsy Braesch, Genevieve Borich, Barbara Heckart, Josh Gettings. [Melissa Carpenter, Bret and Georgia Geiger are not shown)
PHOTO CREDIT: Main Street Iowa, IDED
OTTUMWANS GRADUATE FROM MAIN STREET UNIVERSITY
11 September 2006
Twelve Ottumwans traveled to Cedar Falls last week to attend Main Street University. This intensive 20 hour program is offered by Main Street Iowa to their newly designated communities. Ottumwa Main Streeters, joined by those from West Branch and West Union, spent two days learning more about the Four Point Main Street Approach to downtown revitalization.
Sessions were conducted by Main Street Iowa staff as well as outside professionals. Thom Guzman, Director of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, IDED, explained the intricacies of Organization including Roles and Responsibilities of the Board.
Tim Reinders and Michael Wagler, well known to Ottumwans for their Design presentation here last month, were joined by Jack Porter, Architectural Consultant, State Historical Society, in Guiding Design in Downtown.
Nationally respected consultants presented information on the other two points. Jim Watters, Business Consultant with Oklahoma Main Street, conducted the session on Basics of Business Improvement, while Lauren Adkins, Program Officer with the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. presented Promotion Main Street Style.
Participants from the three new Main Street communities had the opportunity to see first hand the successful Cedar Falls downtown revitalization during a walking tour. Representatives of the Cedar Falls Main Street program joined the university students for dinner and shared their successes (and failures) with the program over the 19 years that Cedar Falls has been part of Main Street.
Main Street University was the first time that Ottumwas recently named Main Street Program Director, Genevieve Borich, had the opportunity to work with the MS board and volunteers. Others in attendance included: Molly Naumann, Josh Gettings, Melissa Carpenter, Fred Zesiger, Wes Sharp, Tim Schwartz, Barbara Heckart, Bret and Georgia Geiger, Betsy Braesch and Sarah Hartley.
(MEDIA: For more information contact Molly Naumann at 682-2743 or 777-3318)
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