Looking for More Federal Civic Infrastructure Funding? We’ve Got Ideas.

Source: Reimagining the Civic Commons – March 2024

The term ‘civic infrastructure’ encompasses the public spaces where Americans connect with each other: the parks, trails, town squares, main streets, play spaces, libraries, and other places that are located in every rural, urban and suburban community across the country. These places are an incredible — but often overlooked and underfunded — resource, despite the fact that decades of research show that well-funded, programmed and managed civic infrastructure can help people and communities thrive.

The benefits of civic infrastructure touch many of the social, economic and environmental issues our urban, rural and suburban communities address on a daily basis. Well-funded and managed civic infrastructure can boost local economies, improve people’s health and well-being, reduce crime and violence, increase participation in local governance, and enhance communities’ resilience to climate and natural disaster challenges through things like stormwater management and cooler air temperatures.

For nearly three years, the 24-member Percent for Place coalition (of which Reimagining the Civic Commons is a member) has been both advocating for increased federal funding for civic infrastructure and working to connect community leaders and organizations with new funding opportunities. With demand for civic infrastructure growing, we are thrilled to report that in 2024, there are significant funds available from the federal government for community-driven improvements in civic infrastructure — if community leaders know where to look and how to apply.

Main Street Skowhegan leverages its historic downtown, outdoor recreational assets, food and cultural hubs to support job creation and the development of public spaces that support connection, reduce loneliness and increase well-being. Images credit: MXH Marketing.

Innovative Partnerships and Creative Thinking Can Unlock Investment

For example, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) contains billions of dollars to uplift communities through infrastructure improvements. If funding is applied innovatively by communities, programs created or expanded through this and other federal funding streams can support civic infrastructure investments.

These streams of funding are already providing support for civic infrastructure through individual federal department programs. For example, the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) programis funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Biden Administration recently announced $1.5 billion in funding for 2024 through RAISE to support “transportation projects with significant local or regional impact,” including road, rail, transit, and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives. State and local jurisdictions can obtain funding for multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional projects that are often more difficult to support through traditional USDOT programs.

The LINK trail once complete will connect 17 communities in Camden County, and the RAISE funding supports the creation of critical connective segments like the swing bridge at Coopers Poynt. Images courtesy Camden Community Partnership.

These investments are being made in communities of all sizes, and for a variety of civic infrastructure. For instance, in Camden, New Jersey, a $19 million RAISE grant is funding the city’s 34-mile multi-use LINK trail, supporting the design and construction of critical trail segments to connect public spaces including Cooper’s Poynt Park and Cramer Hill Waterfront Park. Mansfield, Ohio was awarded a nearly $7.5 million RAISE grant in 2022 to support the revitalization of its Main Street through streetscape investments, such as improved walkability, increased accessibility, and placemaking improvements including a new plaza and lighting.

Programs from other federal agencies and recently enacted legislation are providing additional funding. Main Street Skowhegan, a small town revitalization organization, was awarded a first-phase Strategy Development Grant through the Economic Development Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program, which targets economically distressed communities and is funded through the CHIPS and Science Act. Under Main Street Skowhegan’s leadership, a regional coalition of rural communities has been invited to apply for a $20–50M implementation grant to support a robust set of job creation and workforce development activities. Beyond traditional economic development, the project includes investments in public space and programming to connect residents, reduce loneliness and increase well-being.

The Philly Tree Plan is an ambitious effort to develop and maintain the city’s urban forest. Image credit: Albert Yee.

In Philadelphia, the city’s much-lauded 10-year Philly Tree Plan received a $12 million Community Forestry Grant from the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, part of a historic $1 billion national investment being channeled into nearly 400 projects to expand access to trees and green spaces in communities across the country. All of the funding and benefits from the Philadelphia plan are flowing to disadvantaged communities.

Many successfully funded projects are ones that benefit from public-private partnerships, including involving advocates from the beginning. For example, the Philadelphia Tree Plan was supported by a diverse and growing partnership of organizations, including the city’s Parks Department, Fairmount Park Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, PowerCorps PHL, the Sustainable Business Network, and the Public Health Management Corporation alongside philanthropic partners William Penn Foundation and TD Bank.

Here is a summary of nearly 20 federal programs from a variety of departments that can be used to fund civic infrastructure projects. Full details can be viewed here.

Challenges and Resources

Successfully accessing federal funding for civic infrastructure does pose challenges to state and local leaders and staff. Trying to coordinate various programs and organizations at the local level through the federal agency grant application process takes time and effort, and often lands on top of other competing priorities. Once federal funding is won, many local and state governments and organizations scramble to create the capacity to deploy funds.

There are a few resources available to help:

• The Biden Administration developed a Technical Assistance Guide to help make it easier for communities across the country to navigate, access, and deploy infrastructure, climate resilience and clean energy funding.
• The National League of Cities Local Infrastructure Hub provides “bootcamps’’ specifically designed to help small and mid-sized local governments take advantage of BIL grant opportunities.
• City Parks Alliance has an Equitable Park Funding Hub that provides easy access to information on a variety of funding sources relevant for parks and recreation in low-income communities and communities of color.Federal government agencies are working to break down internal silos through the Thriving Communities Network, which aims to more easily deploy place-based technical assistance and capacity-building resources to urban, rural, and Tribal communities experiencing a history of economic distress and systemic disinvestment.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Akron, Ohio and Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee are examples of the powerful potential of civic infrastructure. Image courtesy Downtown Akron Partnership and credit: Connor Ryan.

More Funding, Delivered Differently

Demand for civic infrastructure is on the rise, as evidenced by resident preferences for walkable communities as well as proximity to vibrant downtowns and public spaces such as parks. With good reason, too — research shows that investments in quality of life and of place can significantly impact economic prosperity. Many community leaders are prioritizing these types of investments, and policymakers at the federal level are responding: many civic infrastructure projects were funded through Congress’ last ‘omnibus Appropriations Bill,’ earmarked by federal legislators on both sides of the aisle — supporting parks, trails, community centers, and active main streets in urban, suburban and rural communities. Another set of specified projects are expected to be included in any final 2024 appropriations.

Growing demand and the examples of federal investment in community-driven projects clearly demonstrate the need for more flexible, ‘de-siloed,’ streamlined federal civic infrastructure funding. Consolidating federal funding flows (as opposed to requiring communities to do this work by piecing together a mishmash of federal funding streams, regulations, and paperwork) would be much more cost-efficient for both local and federal government. Better coordination at the federal level would allow more dollars to be allocated to project design, implementation and management to support the high-quality civic infrastructure needed in communities of all sizes.

Investing in civic infrastructure benefits all Americans, ensuring healthier residents, vibrant local economies, and more resilient communities. The Percent for Place coalition invites you to envision a future where we can invest in civic infrastructure — without having to navigate a maze of narrow, siloed federal programs — in a way that recognizes the inherent and multi-faceted value of these investments.

Percent for Place is a coalition of local, state, and national nonprofit organizations that advocates for greater federal funding for civic infrastructure. Our goal is for a small, ongoing percentage of federal spending to be dedicated to civic infrastructure, to provide a reliable stream of funding for high-quality, shared assets in communities across the country.

At Home on Main Street

Main Street America’s housing research initiative supported by the 1772 Foundation.

Addressing Housing Challenges

In cities big and small across the United States, concerns about the supply and cost of housing are widespread. Main Street communities are no exception. Housing challenges are clearly on the minds of Main Street practitioners. 

With the generous support of the 1772 Foundation, Main Street America’s Research team launched the “At Home on Main Street” project in Spring 2022, a four-part housing research initiative that aims to provide action-oriented recommendations and support the network in strengthening Main Streets through thoughtful housing development.

View the first two publications that were developed as part of this project in the Spring of 2022 and 2023 below. 

A Report on the State of Housing

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Hover over the flipbook to view menu options for printing, downloading, sharing, or viewing full screen.

This interactive flipbook is accessible to individuals with visual and/or auditory impairments, and is compliant with third-party reading apps that can translate plain text. Click on the “accessibility” icon in the upper left corner to activate these features. 

The first major release from this effort, At Home on Main Street: A Report on the State of Housing in Downtown and Neighborhood Commercial Districts, provides a data-centric report on the state of housing in Main Street districts. The report, includes insights from Main Street leaders and Main Street-oriented housing developers who recently participated in a virtual convening on this topic. It also includes analysis of brand-new census data focused on housing density, vacancy, age, cost, and more.

LEARN MORE

A Housing Guidebook for Local Leaders

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This interactive flipbook is accessible to individuals with visual and/or auditory impairments, and is compliant with third-party reading apps that can translate plain text. Click on the “accessibility” icon in the upper left corner to activate these features. 

The second major release associated with this effort, At Home on Main Street: A Housing Guidebook for Local Leaders, is a practical and easily digestible report containing practical recommendations for identifying housing opportunities, keeping inventory of buildings and vacant spaces, making sense of housing finance, understanding the common code and regulatory challenges encountered with housing development and vacant space activation, and more. The Guidebook incorporates the stories and expertise of Main Street Coordinators, local directors, and partners who have experience with housing and is intended for an audience of beginners who have limited experience in housing development.

New Report: Small Business’s Big Moment

Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) new report suggests a dozen ways that civic leaders can use the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to strengthen local economies by supporting small business development.

By Kennedy Smith – January 24, 2022 Small businesses build local wealth, with benefits for nearly every aspect of the community and region. They offer a path to prosperity for hard-working entrepreneurs. They keep a larger share of their economic output within the community than businesses with outside ownership, putting that output to work to support schools, public safety, roads, parks, affordable housing, and many other vital public needs. And young, small businesses create the bulk of the nation’s new jobs. But one of the biggest challenges facing America’s communities is leveling the playing field for small businesses and intentionally moving away from the past decade’s Amazon-take-all trajectory. The $1.9 trillion ARPA provides America’s towns and cities with the money and encouragement to do so. Our report suggests twelve ways in which communities can use some of their ARPA allocations to strengthen and grow small businesses. It spotlights towns and cities that are already using ARPA money to cultivate small-scale manufacturing, provide affordable commercial space, close the racial entrepreneurship gap, support employee business ownership, improve small business procurement programs, and more.  Read the full report about how the American Rescue Plan Act can make this small business’s big moment and also download the Fact Sheet.

Main Spotlight: 10 Predictions for 2022

 January 12, 2022 | 10 Predictions for 2022 | By: Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer, Main Street America | 

Making predictions is always a risky proposition. Given the accelerated nature of change brought on by COVID-19, understanding trends in real-time and forecasting the impacts on the work of place management and small business development can be challenging. However, having some idea as to what to keep an eye out for and where to apply some additional focus represents a valuable pursuit given our time limitations and the volume of work inputs. As such, rather than position this purely as a set of predictions, I would suggest this collection of thoughts represent areas for further consideration, investigation, experimentation, and discussion throughout 2022.

From agriculture to manufacturing, as industry sectors mature, the drive to increase productivity and lower labor costs results in the development and infusion of new technology and automation solutions. As a result, employment migrates to other growing sectors such as technology, service, and retail/hospitality industries. This worked fine in an economy with a fundamentally greater labor supply than demand. However, COVID-19 has greatly accelerated workforce shortages, with particular impacts on the retail, restaurant, and hospitality sectors. To drive this point even further, 4.5 million workers left their jobs in November 2021. Restaurants and hotels represented the largest segment of separations. However, they also logged the biggest decline in openings.

As such, I predict that structural shifts have occurred that are driving an accelerated integration of technologies and business model shifts to diminish the need for labor in more of our Main Street retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses. National chains are already seeing movement in this area. As consumer acceptance rises, we can expect these shifts to scale and become accessible and adaptable to Main Street businesses.

Starbucks, for example, is partnering with Amazon on automated checkout technology. McDonald’s even announced that it has been testing artificial intelligence through automated voice ordering at its drive-through operations in 10 Chicago locations. This is on the heels of installing more automated cooking equipment such as fryers and soda dispensaries.

The future may be closer than we think. Already, many Main Street restaurants are shifting to a counter service model rather than having to rely on waitstaff. Many businesses have also scaled-down menu items to limit cook staff needs and control for supply chain hiccups.
Look for retail and restaurant platforms like Shopify, MenuPad, and Ritual to increasingly bring technology solutions to a scale that better fit the needs of mom-and-pop businesses in everything from QR code dining/shopping, self-checkout, contactless payments, and “Buy Online, Pick-up in Store” (BOPIS).

UBS is estimating that about 80,000 retail stores, which is 9 percent of total stores, will shut across the country by 2026. That assumes e-commerce sales rise to represent 27 percent of total retail sales by then, up from 18 percent today. However, technology integration between e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar will offer new formats for in-person shopping, thus shifting some use and function of space to concepts such as “showrooming” whereby stores carry far less inventory. This showrooming model helps retailers that can’t afford to rent out a huge space to accommodate a full store’s worth of inventory. 

I predict that rather than a full migration to showrooming concepts along our Main Streets, we will begin to see a movement toward hybrid formats that take concepts from showrooming and “webrooming” (the act of researching products online and then buying in-store). This will allow mom-and-pop businesses to carry slightly less inventory, decreasing floor space needs, while remaining accessible to traditional shoppers. In addition, this hybrid format will further accelerate more cooperative retail concepts as complementary stores look to co-exist in one space. As I travel across Main Street communities, I continue to see interesting combinations ranging from a barbershop and apparel store combo in Altavista, Virginia, to a bike store and coffee house in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Research suggests it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Given the length of COVID, many of us have developed a whole host of new habits, many of which revolve around consumer spending habits.

Looking ahead at opportunities for continued growth in our downtowns and commercial corridors, we should anticipate that retail spending around health and fitness (e.g., sporting goods up 29.9 percent), home improvement, furnishings (e.g., furniture up 28.2 percent), décor, and gardening will continue to grow in 2022.

And while counter to popular belief that apparel was stuck in 2021, the most recent Census data indicates a 51.2 percent increase in apparel spending over 2020. I suspect much of that was in leisure and sporting wear as people migrated their apparel spending from business/office wear to being at home and using their Peloton. As such, I would suggest that the pace dramatically drops as our wardrobes have become more balanced.

Keeping with the new habits theme, consumers also have found acceptance in year-round outdoor dining and even delivery from the local grocery store. One of the largest shifts has been in the growth of BOPIS. In fact, nearly 67 percent of all shoppers used BOPIS during the first six months of 2021, and by 2025, 10 percent of all retail sales will be through this method of shopping. Check out this great infographic covering the BOPIS consumer movement here.
With habits such as delivery and BOPIS remaining sticky and growing in demand, it is only a matter of time before new business endeavors at the local scale—either led by entrepreneurs or Main Street programs—begin to establish cooperative delivery services or a one-stop pick-up location for BOPIS purchases made through downtown or district corridor. And finally, I predict that we will see more growth in food truck hub developments and communal dining “parks” with delivery from participating downtown restaurants, becoming a more permanent fixture to our public gathering areas.

Based on the groundwork research from Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone,” we know that civic engagement and participation have been declining for many decades. COVID-19 certainly impacted our work in Main Streets and our grassroots model in principle. Based on a survey of Main Street Program directors, 58 percent reported “some decrease” or a “substantial decrease” in actual volunteer hours served. 

I predict we’ll take what we learned about “volunteer efficiencies” during the pandemic to inform how to better both attract, engage, and retain volunteers. Using newer technologies such as Zoom for meetings and touching base have set the stage for making it easier to reach and communicate with volunteers. 

We are also getting far more used to “project-based volunteering” in which volunteers are given an activity to complete and then when finished the opportunity to do something else. Project-based volunteering often occurs at the volunteers’ own time and convenience, rather than the expectation of coming to a committee meeting. This has become more widely used in promotions/event planning, but I anticipate migration across the Four Points. 

I also think we should anticipate that Main Street organizations will seek to partner with other local organizations that represent areas of engagement on the Four Points in order to leverage capacity and resources. As such, work planning should also evolve into more joint planning efforts, resulting in more holistic work planning for our downtowns and commercial corridors and reflecting the entirety of revitalization activities.

The “Great Business Model Pivot” will continue throughout 2022. According to data from American Express’ Entrepreneurial Spirit Trendex survey, 76 percent of business owners have pivoted or are in the process of pivoting their business model to maintain revenue, and among those that already pivoted, 73 percent expect to pivot again in the next year.

In 2022, look at the primary pivot that is occurring as a result of the accelerated integration of technologies to adjust for workforce and supply chain issues. As place management professionals, one of our greatest strengths is connectivity. Start building your database of resources in these areas as part of your ecosystem-building efforts.

Second, focus on helping your businesses diversify revenue streams beyond walk-in traffic to strengthen and grow the economic base of your district. It’s important to view our downtowns and commercial corridors as layered markets in order to build revenue resiliency for small businesses. This includes common markets like local markets and tourism, and growing into e-commerce, subscription box services, and even wholesaling. See this previous blog suggesting other growth market areas for small businesses.

Every data point suggests remote work will sustain much of its COVID-related captures as a percent of the overall workforce. This has only been reinforced by the Omicron variant, with further companies delaying return to the office timelines. Beyond the impacts on remote worker migration patterns that are often reviewed and discussed, for place professionals, we should also be thinking about impacts relative to impacts on uses and functions of downtown spaces. 

According to the Commercial Real Estate Association, office vacancy rates currently stand at approximately 15 percent nationally. I would argue that while there may be some stability coming to this sector, it does not necessarily translate to people coming back and occupying the space. For example, for a number of businesses, there may be lease obligations not currently showing up in the vacancy numbers. And for office users, many are maintaining their spaces but projecting fewer people due to hybrid remote work options and moving to greater space per person requirements reversing the trend to shrink over the past many years. 

As such I predict we will see more commercial movement in repurposing office space to housing or longer-term stay Airbnb managed units.In December 2021, month-long stays at Airbnbs increased by 68 percent, according to the company. These opportunities are best positioned for smaller communities within a two- to three-hour drive time of major metropolitan areas that offer amenities such as co-working spaces, internet connectivity, a pleasant downtown with third spaces, and outdoor recreation access.

Just this past summer, a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) assessed the rapidly growing market for zero-emission vehicles in the United States and projected that the number of electric vehicles riding the roads would top 26 million by 2030.

Currently, consumers’ psyche suggests travels to any destination will largely involve a few quick refueling stops at a highway interchange, limiting opportunities to attract visitors to your community or neighborhood. However, with electric charges taking anywhere from 20 minutes to 8 hours—a drastic increase from the time needed to refuel at a highway gas station–there is a great opportunity to leverage that wait time for shopping, dining, and touring opportunities in close proximity to the charging stations. In other words, the density of activity will be a critical test as to where electric car tourists will make their stops.

Aligned with electric car users are those interested in more sustainable tourism. New research released from Booking.com, containing insights gathered from more than 29,000 travelers across 30 countries, suggests that the pandemic has been the tipping point for travelers to finally commit to their own sustainable journey. The desire for local community experiences is high on the list as almost three quarters (73 percent) want to have authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture when they travel, 84 percent believe increasing cultural understanding and preservation of cultural heritage is crucial and 76 percent want to ensure the economic impact of the industry is spread equally in all levels of society.

One of the big shifts in place management is our focus on structural shifts in the workforce. Workforce constraints and lack of workforce housing have reached a crisis point in the U.S. Unfortunately, there remain very few national policies and programming that will impact these issues in the short term, and greater innovation is needed as to long-term solutions. As such, look for continued experimentation, fail fast activities, and creativity to address this issue such as micro-living units and 3-D printed homes.

I predict one such innovation that will gain traction is tiny house developments, largely as part of near-end downtown infill. This housing option would likely be attractive not only for younger workers at an affordable price but also for remote workers seeking a work-from-anywhere experience near business services and social activities found in our downtowns.

One example is the Cass Community Tiny Home Development, a nonprofit development in Detroit, Michigan, consisting of 25 tiny homes ranging from 250 sq. ft. to 400 sq. ft. The project will also offer a rent-to-own program.

Look for further business opportunities by “small-scale producers” in our downtowns resulting from supply-chain complications. The U.S. Small Business Pulse Survey from 2021 highlights the issue as companies are experiencing the lowest inventory levels in decades and 36 percent indicate serious supplier delays. While there is much talk of reshoring U.S. manufacturing efforts (look at the recent Samsung semiconductor manufacturing announcement in Texas), that is a very long-term play and more likely to occur in highly strategic industries like computer chips, batteries, and pharmaceuticals. 

As such I predict two areas of growth for small-scale producers: The first comes from providing unique goods to smaller retail and wholesalers that unlike Walmart and Amazon are not in a position to control their supply chain destinies in keeping inventory on shelves for consumers.The second is as a third-party manufacturer for larger industries needing regional parts providers during this time as supply chain issues persist through 2022.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the global pandemic has been the greatest accelerator of economic and societal shifts, impacting everything from the way we work, recreate, and engage with each other. Effectively, no part of our lives remains exactly the same as in February 2020. For place managers, these accelerated shifts have meant fundamental changes in our work, from how we work to the issues needing to be addressed, and opportunities to leverage. As we launch into 2022, I look forward to seeing how place professionals and mom-and-pop businesses across the country adjust, experiment, and innovate, once again demonstrating our Main Streets’ profound resiliency in the face of change.

Meet the Author

Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer: Matthew Wagner, Ph.D. serves as Chief Program Officer at the National Main Street Center, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for driving the Center’s field service initiatives including the development and delivery of technical services for Main Street America and Urban Main programs, directing the Center’s research agenda, as well as the recently launched New Business Development work to focus on national partnerships, brand leveraging and new business growth areas. 

Read Matthew’s bio.

New Research from Brookings and the National Main Street Center on the Value of Main Street Organizations

Source: New Research from Brookings and the National Main Street Center on the Value of Main Street Organizations | By: Mike Powe, Ph.D., Director of Research, NMSC, and Hanna Love, Senior Research Analyst, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution – December 1, 2020

The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking released new collaborative research focused on the role that place governance organizations, like Main Street programs, play in revitalizing rural downtowns and promoting equitable rural economic and community development. The research briefs represent in-depth insights from on-the-ground data collection conducted in three Main Street communities between February and March 2020—Emporia, Kansas; Laramie, Wyoming; and Wheeling, West Virginia.

Capturing insights directly from residents, small business owners, and leaders, the series illuminates ways local Main Street programs are at the vanguard of rural downtown revitalization and the ways Main Street can be critical to community resilience and recovery. In addition to their potential for inspiring new ideas, we hope the series can serve as a tool for Main Street organizations to advocate for greater support for your programs.

Click here to learn more and read all four of the briefs.

Webinar – How Communities are Pivoting for the Holidays

The Arizona Downtown Alliance in partnership with the Arizona Preservation Foundation hosted a FREE webinar, “How Communities are Pivoting for the Holidays” on Tuesday, November 10 ,2020 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. As we know, communities across Arizona have spent much of their pandemic downtime reimagining their events and most currently planning for upcoming holiday activities. During this webinar, representatives from four rural communities shared how they have pivoted over the last few months in response to the pandemic, talked about their efforts and programs they have implemented to support their local businesses during these challenging times, and highlighted some of the events and promotions they have planned for this year’s winter season and into 2021.

Moderator:
• Lani Lott, Coordinator, Arizona Downtown Alliance

Panelists:
• Vance Bryce, Executive Director, Graham Chamber of Commerce
• Sarah Ferry, President, Kingman Main Street
• Gina Gavazzi, Program Coordinator, Kingman Main Street
• J.J. Lamb, Executive Director, Vail Connects/Vail Preservation Society
• Holly Rakoci, Executive Director, Casa Grande Main Street
• Danny Smith, Board Member, Safford Downtown Association

State of Main Street America – 2020

Source:  Main Street America – May 2020

We Are Main Street

Welcome to the 2020 edition of State of Main, the annual publication of Main Street America. This year’s edition celebrates the broad diversity of champions that make up our powerful network and offers resources and solutions for leading revitalization efforts.  We encourage you to check out our Main Street Forward campaign for the latest guidance on how to navigate the COVID-19 recovery process.

Our Year Together

The Main Street American Network has accomplished so much together over the past 40
years—not only in good times, but also in challenging times. This is a difficult period for our country and our communities, but our collective work over these past four decades, especially our accomplishments in 2019, shows that Main Streets have the power to persevere. Now more than ever, we have a crucial role to play in supporting small businesses, maintaining and improving quality of life for all, and ultimately restoring the vitality of commercial districts.

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Thank you to the following Allied Members for their support of this year’s publication:
AirNetix, LLC | Discovery Map International, Inc | Distrx | PoasterBoard.com | Resonance, LLC | Rileighs Outdoor Décor | Urality | W.F. Norman Corp

The Hyperlocal Support Small Businesses Need to Recover

Source:  The Govering.com, May 1, 2020

It may be tempting, in coping with revenue losses brought on by the pandemic, for governments to reduce funding for community economic-development organizations, but it would be short-sighted.

PATRICE FREY, MAIN STREET AMERICA   |   MAY 1, 2020   |  OPINION

With the recent replenishment of the Paycheck Protection Program, Congress and the Trump administration hope to avert a massive and catastrophic closure of small businesses amid the economic devastation of the COVID-19 crisis. But while the additional funds for the PPP are desperately needed, a successful rebound will require more than a one-time infusion of cash.

State and local elected officials will soon find that they are the next — and last — line of defense in protecting their communities (and tax rolls) from a failure of small businesses at a scale unlike any ever seen in this country. A recent study by our organization found that as many as 7.5 million small businesses are at risk in the coming months, especially those employing fewer than 20 people.

These businesses urgently need hyperlocal support systems that link businesses to resources that will aid them through the next 18 to 24 months. Fortunately, such support systems already exist in thousands of cities and neighborhoods across the country in the form of Main Street Programs, Business Improvement District associations and other kinds of downtown organizations. The local economic-development leaders who head these organizations are typically well known in their communities as trusted sources of information and as “connectors” to business support resources. They are also extremely knowledgeable about their communities’ business environments and the local “players,” which is invaluable in helping to broker creative solutions to get businesses through challenging times ahead.

And creative solutions will be in high demand. Small-businesses that survive stay-at-home orders, whether aided by the PPP or not, face a long and difficult recovery. Dramatic unemployment figures suggest that many Americans simply won’t have the spending power they did before the crisis. Even where consumers are able to spend, their behavior is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic norms anytime soon. After stay-at-home orders are lifted, residual concerns regarding coronavirus transmission are likely to slow the recovery of the restaurants and retail and service businesses that are the heart of communities.

Business owners are likely to encounter a confusing patchwork of local, state, federal and philanthropic funding sources, and they are going to need help identifying suitable programs and navigating often-cumbersome application processes. They will also need advocates in their corner to work with property owners and negotiate lower or deferred rents, and they’ll need assistance, where feasible, in transitioning some of their business to e-commerce. On this latter point, our research indicates that approximately two-thirds of small businesses have no online presence, a troubling figure given that online sales are likely to be a lifeline in the coming months.

The risk as state and local leaders look to trim budgets in the coming weeks and months is that they will cut any program that is not directly tied to health, human services and education. We’ve seen this before, post-Great Recession, when governments reduced or eliminated dollars for local business-support efforts. Such moves are short-sighted and have painful consequences, largely in the form of lost jobs and reductions to state and local revenue from taxes and fees. Ultimately, elected officials in many places elected to restart these programs, acknowledging that aid to local economic-development programs has a return on investment that far exceeds their cost.

In coming budget negotiations, elected officials will be wise to recognize that they are playing the long game in bringing their communities back from COVID-19. We can coax that recovery to a faster and stronger outcome if we can keep the focus of our support as hyperlocal as possible and if we can maintain the connector organizations that help small business on the ground, community by community. Ultimately, modest expenditures to support local economic-development organizations now will deliver a healthier and more stable tax base in the months and years to come.

Governing‘s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing‘s editors or management.

Patrice Frey Contributor
pfrey@savingplaces.org  |  @NatlMainStreet

Arizona Legislature Approves Senate Bill 1241 to Restore State Parks Heritage Fund

Source:  Arizona Heritage Alliance Press Release – May 28, 2019

Arizona Senate Bill 1241 (state parks board; heritage fund) – introduced by Senator Kate Brophy McGee (R-Paradise Valley) and co-sponsored by Senators Paul Boyer, Heather Carter, Sine Kerr, Tony Navarrete, Lisa Otondo, and Frank Pratt – has been transmitted to Governor Doug Ducey for his review and signature. SB1241 restores the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund to be funded by grants, donations, and direct appropriations until Arizona Lottery encumbrances are repaid and removed.

House Bill 2701 (state parks; lottery; heritage fund) as also introduced this session by Representative Joanne Osborne (R-Buckeye) and co-sponsored by her House colleagues Andres Cano, Regina Cobb, David Cook, Tim Dunn, Charlene Fernandez, John Kavanagh, and Ben Toma, as well as Senator Sine Kerr. Although this bill whizzed through committees and the House and Senate, it was held as a budget bill. HB2701 would not only have put back the Heritage Fund into statute, but it would have provided full funding of $10 million from the Arizona Lottery – its original funding source from 1991 to 2009.

“It has been ten years since the State Parks Board was forced to cancel or suspend $11.7 million in Heritage Fund grants already awarded and contracted. It has been a long, hard journey to restore the Heritage Fund, but we finally did it,” said Janice Miano, Arizona Heritage Alliance Board President. “This year, building on past efforts, hundreds of our members and friends voiced their support for one or both bills via the Legislature’s Request to Speak system and hundreds more communicated through phone calls, emails, letters, or attendance at committee hearings.”

“If anything, we’re tenacious. We won’t give up until the State Parks Heritage Fund is 100% whole again. We’re thankful to our bill sponsors, all legislators, and our friends for making great progress this year,” said Russ Jones, Alliance Board Member and former State Representative who introduced bills in 2011 and 2012 to restore the Fund.

ABOUT THE ARIZONA HERITAGE ALLIANCE
Formed in 1992, the Arizona Heritage Alliance is a non-profit 501-c-3 organization that is funded solely with private donations, grants, and memberships. The Alliance’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Arizona’s historic, cultural, and natural heritage by protecting the integrity and voter intent of the Arizona Game and Fish Heritage Fund; working to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund; monitoring state legislative and agency activity; and educating Arizonans about the benefits of wildlife, open space, parks, and historic and cultural resources.

Funding Opportunity: State Farm Neighborhood Assist®

The State Farm Neighborhood Assist® program awards $25,000 grants to 40 nonprofit organizations to help fund neighborhood education, safety and community develo
pment projects.  Each person may submit one cause in one of the categories:

• • EDUCATION – Education doesn’t end in the classroom. From book smarts to street smarts, we’re accepting causes that further education of any kind in your community.

• • SAFETY:  Feel more at home by improving the safety measures in your community. From sidewalks to crosswalks, we’re accepting causes of any kind that make your neighborhood a safer place.

• • COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:  Help your neighbors in your community by submitting a cause that bene ts the programs and places within it.

Submissions period opens o June 5 and open until 2,000 submissions are reached. State Farm Review Committee will then narrow the field to the top 200 submissions using a scoring rubric. Ultimately, voters will decide which community improvement projects win big. The public will have a chance to vote 10 times a day, every day for 10 days from for their favorite causes from the list of finalists.   All the information you need to submit a proposal can be found at www.neigborhoodassist.com.  Good Luck and let’s make Arizona proud!