Main Street America Visits Downtown Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa Main Street Director Jessica Reuter (left) and Kathy La Plante, Senior Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services at Main Street America, visited the downtown Oskaloosa Main Street district on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
September 29, 2021
OSKALOOSA MAIN STREET HOSTS MAIN STREET AMERICA FOR DOWNTOWN REVIEW VISIT
(Oskaloosa, Iowa) – Oskaloosa Main Street hosted a consultant from Main Street America to review the Main Street program’s progress and provide recommendations for the downtown. Main Street America is a national organization that seeks to revitalize downtowns through preservation-based economic development, and this visit is part of a partnership with Main Street Iowa. Kathy La Plante, Senior Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services at Main Street America, visited the downtown Oskaloosa Main Street district on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
As part of the partnership visit, Kathy La Plante met with Main Street Board and committee members, City of Oskaloosa officials, and the Oskaloosa Main Street Executive Director. During a tour of the Oskaloosa Main Street district, Kathy also met downtown business owners and learned about local façade improvements, historic preservation and renovation efforts, and placemaking projects.
“Oskaloosa is proud to be celebrating 35 years as a Main Street community. We were so excited to welcome Kathy to Oskaloosa and show the impact that the Main Street program has had on our community,” says Jessica Reuter, Oskaloosa Main Street Director. “As we look to the future, it was also incredibly valuable for all of us—our board, volunteers, director, and City—to connect with Kathy. Her insight and recommendations along with support from Main Street Iowa will help us going forward as we continue to invest time, energy, and capital in downtown Oskaloosa.”
The purpose of the Main Street Iowa Partnership Visit is to give the local Main Street Board of Directors, Main Street staff, and other community partners an opportunity to celebrate the progress and accomplishments of the past year; evaluate the efforts made to implement the Main Street program; determine necessary steps to maintain Main Street America Accreditation; and discuss any technical assistance needed from the state Main Street Program.
Oskaloosa Main Street is an accredited Main Street America program. Oskaloosa Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by Main Street Iowa, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as, fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively revitalizing historic buildings.
“The ability for a local Main Street program to consistently incorporate fresh ideas and new leadership perspectives into the revitalization process helps ensure a vibrant future for the community’s economic opportunities,” comment Michael Wagler, Main Street Iowa State Coordinator. “This visit focused on partnerships and enhancing local communication that are the foundation for a strong local development effort.”
