Downtown Juneau is on the cusp of what several business owners see as an exciting revitalization, and it’s all starting with Main Street.
No, not the street that runs from the Merchant’s Wharf up past the Capitol — although that will likely be a part of the revamp effort.
Main Street USA is a nationwide economic development program that has helped about 2,000 communities revitalize their downtown cores during the past 35 years. Now, the Downtown Business Association is looking to bring the program to Juneau.
“Our downtown is what secures us as a first-class capital city; it’s our curb appeal,” DBA board member Evelyn Rousso told the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at its weekly luncheon Thursday.
Speaking to about 60 people in the Moose Lodge dining room, Rousso and DBA President Jill Ramiel described how the program will work and why they chose it. Dana Herndon, the Juneau Economic Development Council’s liaison to the DBA, also spoke at the luncheon.
Downtown revitalization has long been a goal of the DBA’s, so after Herndon, Ramiel and Rousso heard about Main Street USA, they decided to look into it further. In May, they went to a Main Street conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to learn more about the program.
“This program is not another plan that will sit on a shelf,” Ramiel said. “If those plans are marathons, then this is a sprint.”
This fall, the DBA will be flying a Main Street USA consultant up to Juneau for a couple days. The consultant will meet with downtown businesses and city officials to begin coming up with a plan for the revitalization effort.
The DBA will continue working with him or her for the next 90 days, and by the end of that short period, the city should have a viable revitalization plan.
One of the things Herndon said really attracted her to Main Street USA was its vast support network. Juneau certainly faces problems that most other American communities don’t — namely due to its isolation.
Still, it’s bound to share at least a few common problems with some of the other 2,000 communities that have used Main Street USA. And if that is the case, the program will be able to pull from its expansive catalog of solutions to come up with plan that best fits Juneau, Herndon explained.
“It’s not reinventing the wheel, and it’s not applying some blanket formula,” she said.
Though the DBA doesn’t yet know when the Main Street USA consultant will be coming to town, Rousso expects he or she will be here sometime in October. The DBA will hold public meetings this fall to field comments and questions about the revitalization strategy, but those have yet to be scheduled.
According to Rousso, the DBA will be spending about $6,500 for the Main Street USA consulting work. Each year thereafter, it can pay a $250 fee to stay in the program.
As of right now, the DBA is planning to cover the consulting cost, but it is looking for some help from the city.
“The idea is that everybody needs to put in money,” she said. “Not just the city and not just the businesses.”
Ideally, the cost would be split into thirds, Rousso explained to the Empire after the luncheon. The DBA would cover a portion of the cost and the city and private grants would cover the rest.
The DBA is currently looking to expand its membership. By its estimates, there are about 400 businesses in downtown Juneau, ranging from the Rock Dump to the Break Water Inn. The DBA comprises about 80 businesses currently.
“Downtown doesn’t belong to just the few of us who own properties there; downtown is for us all,” Ramiel said.
• Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.
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