Lincoln selected for membership in Montana Main Street Program

This month, Lincoln became the first unincorporated community in the state to become an affiliate member of the Montana Department of Commerce Montana Main Street Program.

Last December, Envision Lincoln and Erin Farris-Olsen, the Rural Development Director for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, worked with the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce and Lewis and Clark County to apply for affiliate membership in the program as part of ongoing economic development efforts.

Membership in Montana Main Street Program has been a goal for members of Envision Lincoln for nearly two years, but since it’s a group of local stakeholders rather than a formal organization, they turned to the LVCC for organizational support. Likewise, membership requires support from a local governing body. Given Lincoln’s status as an un-incorporated community, it fell to Lewis and Clark County to take on that role.

The Montana Main Street Program was established in 2005 and aims to use community development, historic preservation and revitalization to improve and strengthen the vitality of downtown commercial districts. Lincoln is one of five communities, including Baker, Ekalaka, Havre and Polson, selected as new program embers this year. There are currently 34 Montana towns in the program.

“The Department of Commerce is dedicated to supporting communities in their efforts to improve the economic, historic and cultural vitality of Montana’s downtowns,” Commerce Director Tara Rice said in a press release announcing the new member communities. “The Montana Main Street Program supports these communities through coordination and technical assistance with a focus on maintaining and restoring vibrant community districts and preserving historic structures that contribute to Montana’s unique sense of place.”

Tash Wisemiller, the program manager for the Community and Economic Vitality Program, of which Montana Main Street is a part, visited Lincoln in March of 2018 to provide a presentation on the program. That was the first step toward program membership. At the time, he said Lincoln was ahead of the game, with the work done by Envision Lincoln dovetailing well with the Montana Main Street goal of seeing a community develop a common direction and vision.

“That’s what made Lincoln so strong coming into this program, to have that capacity and have that vision,” he said. “We really want to work with what’s working and provide our resources to help them find and identify grants. As a member community, Lincoln can come in and utilize our resources, not only for competitive grant funding for projects locally, but also the technical assistance we offer.”

As an Affiliate Community, Lincoln qualifies for a grant program with a 1:5 local match, as well as access to training and support from the program staff and invitation to regional workshops and conferences at a reduced cost.

“There are some reporting requirements that really are non-intensive to help a community identify its re-investment specifics and the steps it’s taken,” Wisemiller said.

Since Envision Lincoln is a collaborative group of stakeholders rather than a formal organization, Karyn Good, Envision Lincoln’s coordinator, said the LVCC agreed to take on the quarterly reports.

Good plans to contact the Montana Main Street program to determine the next steps the community must take to get started with the program. She said until then, it’s hard to pin down exactly what the program has to offer Lincoln, since their help is tailored specifically to community priorities. While some communities need help with downtown facades or architectural studies, others look to downtown branding or growth policies. Good said Lincoln is likely to first look for help with the In-town trails plan and with improving the safety and walkability through town along Highway 200.

Although Lincoln can remain an Affiliate Community indefinitely, Good hopes to see the town move up to become a Designated Community member, which provides access to grant programs with no matching requirements for funds. The Envision Lincoln process has already checked off several of the requirements to become a Designated Community, but others, such as an organization with one paid staff member to oversee the main street program, would likely require a larger commitment from an existing group like the Chamber, or the creation of an entirely new non-profit.

Regardless of future membership goals, Wisemiller said the program doesn’t want to recreate the wheel in Lincoln.

“Lincoln has been so proactive in its effort - again through Envision Lincoln and utilizing state resources - and has built that local capacity. We really envision working with what works already, not creating another board of directors,” he said. “Really, Lincoln is far down the road in its accomplishments and we really look forward to harnessing our resources with everything they have working so well already in place.”