Illinois
COMMENTRY

Strong partnership between the public and private sectors are vital to the well-being of many successful economic development programs. One example of a program founded on this basis is Illinois Main Street, a downtown revitalization initiative which I began in 1993. In this program, a strong relationship between the public and private sectors is helping communities preserve their downtown districts.

Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra

Illinois Main Street is a self-help, volunteer program that provides training and technical assistance to community leaders. We began the program with nine rural towns. The response from these introductory communities was so positive that I have expanded the program to include 26 towns down-state and 12 in the Chicago metro area. Illinois Main Street is not a grant program. Towns pay no participation fees, but are responsible for the financial support of their local programs.

The 26 downstate communities include Alton, Ava, Belvidere, Carbondale, Danville, Dixon, Flora, Galesburg, Genoa, Golconda, Lincoln, Macomb, Mattoon, Monticello, Morrison, Mt. Carmel, O'Fallon, Paxton, Pontiac, Prophetstown, Quincy, Rushville, Salem, Savanna, Stockton and Tuscola.

The Illinois Main Street program follows a four-point approach developed by the National Main Street Center.

By using this process, communities first build a volunteer-driven downtown management organization. Then they work to enhance the design and appearance of the downtown through historic preservation. They create a unified image that brings people downtown, and to retain and strengthen existing businesses, recruit new businesses and develop economic restructuring strategies to sustain the economic vitality of the downtown.

Several state agencies are involved in inter-agency partnerships with Illinois Main Street: the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Design services are offered to Illinois Main Street communities in cooperation with IHPA. Main Street architects work with business-owners to offer basic design and architectural assistance. The SBDC provides business consulting services to Main Street business owners. IDOT is beginning to work with communities on transportation-related issues that affect downtowns. The horizontal partnerships between state agencies and the Illinois Main Street program ensure that Illinois' assistance to our communities is coordinated and leveraged.

As grassroots organizations, Main Street programs rely on partnerships at the local level. These may include city government, the chamber, the economic development council, historical society, merchants association, tourism council, financial institutions, regional planning commissions, the Cooperative Extension Service and utility companies. These associations provide good resources for the local programs from information and financial support to volunteers for the local program. And because these groups are already established within the community, they can help build support for the Main Street program and serve as a link for community relations. These vertical partnerships between communities and regional organizations and state institutions link local needs with outside resources.

Several of our Main Street communities are served by electric cooperatives. These include Flora, Golconda, Macomb, Mattoon and Paxton. Many of these cooperatives have formed strong partnerships with the Main Street organizations by providing financial support and

Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra, a former legislator and teacher, serves as the senior economic development advisor for Gov. Edgar. As chairman of the Rural Affairs Council, he directs the Illinois Main Street Program and he oversees efforts to promote community and economic progress in rural Illinois. He also chairs the Illinois Rural Bond Bank, which helps local governments borrow at competitive rates for capital improvement projects.

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volunteering time to serve on a committee or on the board of directors. Because these utilities have made an investment in the downtown's infrastructure by bringing service into the area, they benefit along with the downtown businesses when this infrastructure is used to its fullest capacity. A downtown renaissance also helps prevent the sprawling auto-dependent development on the edge of town, which usually requires expensive, new infrastructure.

Illinois Main Street communities are making strong economic gains. Since January 1995, active towns have reported net gains of 150 new downtown businesses, 308 full-time and 189 part-time jobs, over $5.3 million spent on new downtown construction and over $5.2 million of private reinvestment in 194 different downtown rehabilitation projects. We are proud of the many partnerships that have been formed or strengthened as a result of Illinois Main Street and congratulate community leaders for taking responsibility for their town's economic development success.

For more information on Illinois Main Street, call Valecia Crisafulli, coordinator, at (217) 524-6869.

6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • MAY 1997