Who is Eligible for Services from MMSC? - Any individual, community group, town or urban commercial district in the State of Missouri is welcome to participate in MMSC workshops and conference activities.
- Members of MMSC are eligible for discounts on workshops and conferences.
- Members having a traditional historic commercial "downtown" district are eligible to contract with MMSC for services within the tier structure. Tier level designation is determined annually by application and contract with MMSC.
MMSC also serves as a general clearinghouse for the latest tools, trends and techniques in downtown development and revitalization. MMSC customizes its services to the communities at the Aspiring, Affiliate, Associate, and Accredited Main Street® levels based on their unique needs and opportunities.
1. Conference scholarships and registration fee discounts. One scholarship is provided to each Accredited community for registration at the National Main Street Conference, the annual convention of Main Street revitalization professionals and volunteers, sponsored by the National Trust Main Street Center. In addition, a 50% discount is offered on the registration fees for all Missouri workshops for every Missouri Main Street® program or individual who holds a current membership in MMSC.
2. Quarterly Manager Meetings. The State Director organizes and presents four Missouri Main Street Connection Manager Meetings for staff of Accredited and Associate communities back-to- back with training workshops open to the staff and volunteers of participating Missouri Main Street® groups and for representatives of Affiliate communities. Each Manager Meeting will provide an opportunity for managers to network and share resources and to receive training on a topic of mutual interest based on local needs.
3. Quarterly Workshops. Each workshop is one-day in length and open to all Missouri communities. Topics are related to business district revitalization and/or professional skills development and cover introductions to each of the Main Street Four-Point Approach as well as advanced training in a specific element of Design, Economic Restructuring, Organization, and Promotion. Workshop personnel will include National Trust's Main Street Center staff and consultants as appropriate.
4. Two Basic Trainings. The State Director coordinates two two-day Basic Training Workshops that cover a half day on each of the four points of the Main Street® Approach: Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Restructuring. The intent of the Basic Training Workshop is to build the organizational capacity of local programs to undertake a comprehensive revitalization effort. Workshop participants receive training and support materials.
5. Missouri Downtown Revitalization Conference and Annual Awards. The MMSC Board and staff develop and implement all aspects of a state conference to provide Main Street training for communities state-wide, and to recognize preservation and revitalization efforts in Main Street communities. This Missouri Conference is the only commercial district revitalization educational and networking event that blends economic development, community revitalization, and historic preservation. People from small and rural towns, suburban communities, large and midsized cities, and urban neighborhood business districts can all benefit from the ideas, solutions, issue discussion and networking opportunities. The Conference will include:
- Two-and-a-half days of educational sessions, in-the-field educational tours, and networking opportunities.
- Main Street® Awards ceremony
- Main Street® Four-Point Approach training
- Expo Hall filled with product and service providers specializing in commercial district revitalization.
- Opportunities to network with colleagues who are experiencing similar challenges in their communities.
The goals of the National Main Street Communities designation program are:
- To provide national and local visibility to Main Street programs which understand and fully utilize the four-point Main Street Approach® and eight Main Street principles.
- To provide national performance standards for Main Street® programs.
- To provide realistic goals and a tangible incentive for local Main Street™ programs which do not yet meet the criteria for national recognition.
7. Technical Assistance Visits. The accredited communities will receive a technical visit upon request. The purpose of the Technical Assistance is to provide technical assistance or training resources required to solve a specific problem encountered in the implementation of the program components: Organization, Design, Economic Restructuring, and Promotion. A qualified consultant will conduct each visit. The topic for each community's Technical Assistance Visit will be determined by the state coordinator in conjunction with the local program. The consultant will provide a summary memo of findings of three to five pages after the conclusion of the visit.
8. Organizational Visits. The Accredited and Associate communities will receive an Organizational visit upon request by the State Director and/or National Trust's Main Street Center (NTMSC) staff to evaluate their organizational structure, and determine their need for specific types of guidance that will help achieve their revitalization goals.
9. Resource Library. Each Main Street community at the Affiliate, Associate and Accredited Level whose membership is current will have access to the Missouri Main Street Resource Library, which includes over 170 documents, plus a number of books that may be borrowed. Areas covered by these self-help materials include developing the downtown economy, understanding the economics of rehabilitation of historic buildings, how to motivate volunteers, working toward community consensus, image-making tools for the historic commercial district, and "how to" ideas on a wide variety of Main Street issues.