Supporting Missouri Main Street
My job as your state senator allows me to travel all across the 21st District, visiting with people, local businesses and culture. One thing I’m constantly reminded during my travels is that the downtown area of all the communities I visit act as the lifeblood for the area’s culture, industry and economy. These downtown areas are usually the oldest sections of town too, and many are in need of some revitalization and restoration to become the heart and soul of the town they used to be.
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) is a statewide not-for-profit program that helps towns and cities of all sizes explore ways to make their downtown areas a destination and the heart of their community. I believe this is a great program that many communities in the 21st District could, and have, benefitted from utilizing, which is why I am hosting a meeting about MMSC on Friday, March 4. This wonderful program, which partners with the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), Division of Business and Community Services (DBCS) and Missouri Development and Finance Board (MDFB), seeks to use historic preservation and revitalization efforts to enhance economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being in historic downtown districts across the state.
Missouri Main Street Connection was formed in 2005 as a not-for-profit organization that works to provide revitalization workshops and professional services to communities of all sizes. Today, the Connection’s mission seeks to increase the productivity of historic downtown areas, create jobs for the workforces and prepare long-term strategies to help communities be as culturally and economically productive as possible. The organization uses a certified four-point plan to achieve the goals it has tailored for individual communities, and works to educate local leaders on better business and cultural practices.
Main Street programs are so important, that for the second time I will be hosting a Main Street workshop in the District. The meeting will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 4 at Hometown Pizza in Richmond, 106 W North Main St. The event will include an informal lunch sponsored by Newmark Grubb Zimmer. I will be joined by MMSC member communities of Chillicothe and Warrensburg as well as a representative from MMSC who will help facilitate and provide mentorship for this event. If you are interested in attending this event, please contact my office at one of the numbers below.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.
Senator David Pearce serves Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties in the 21st State Senatorial District.