Watonga was once part of the Oklahoma Main Street program, but like other organizations, it fell on hard times, membership dwindled and fundraising was always an issue. Beyond that, it was difficult to locate a volunteer director with a spare 20 hours a week to dedicate to the effort.
But interest has blossomed enough that Buffy Hughes, state Main Street Director, came to town recently to talk about the program and test the waters of reorganization. She spoke Wednesday to the noon Kiwanis Club.
Main Street is designed to harness the energy of private citizens and civic leaders to drive economic revitalization. It trains locals to plan and implement downtown and historic district activity, leading to opportunities for growth. It can help with training, volunteer and funding development workshops, strategic planning sessions and technical support.
The program, just like the town, has changed over the years and now has different levels of membership. The entry level is networking, which provides access to information and resources. Towns can apply for this level any time of the year.
The associate level only accepts applications once a year and is a multi-year program offering some Main Street services. The fully designated program also only applications once a year, but member towns have entrée to the entire spate of Main Street services. Those towns have a full-time paid program director, a larger budget and a dedication to historic preservation of the town and its historic areas and buildings.
In Oklahoma, Hughes said, there are 39 programs, or towns, participating. They are responsible for 195 new businesses opening, expanding or relocating, 269 building rehabilitations, close to 40,000 volunteer hours and more than $76 million in reinvestment in those towns and businesses.
The program has at its core the goal of creating a bustling downtown that so many small-town residents remember from their growing up years. When an attractive downtown has busy shops and stores, it attracts more of the same, according to the Main Street philosophy.
It is hoped that Watonga might be able to access services and insights to help its own downtown once again flourish.