PROGRAM BRINGS RENEWAL TO CITIES

Cape Girardeau or Columbus, Ind., aren't the first cities to look at ways to revitalize their downtown business districts.

Ever since new highways and shopping strips began popping up and downtown began looking more desolate, city leaders have searched for a way to bring back the economic growth downtowns once enjoyed.

For many, the answer has been the Main Street Project.

A delegation of Cape Girardeau business and community leaders visited Columbus over the weekend to learn more about the Main Street program.

The movement toward revitalizing downtown commercial areas began in 1977 as an economic development effort. The premise was to rebuild the commercial districts while preserving their historic elements.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation launched the Main Street Project, which was designed to study reasons why the downtown areas were dying and develop a comprehensive revitalization program to save historic commercial buildings.

Three towns were selected out of more than 70 that applied as pilot communities. The towns ranged in size from 5,000 to 38,000 people. Galesburg, Ill., Madison, Ind., and Hot Springs, S.D., were named pilot programs.

Once the program began in Galesburg, Madison and Hot Springs, the results were staggering.

Many structures were restored: 30 new businesses moved into downtown Galesburg, six in Madison, and seven in Hot Springs, with increases in downtown occupancy rates.

The National Main Street Center was established by the National Trust in 1980. That year, 30 more communities in six states were added to the program. More than 1,050 businesses were started. By 1984, the program had grown to include 31 states and more than 600 communities.

Since then, the Main Street concept has been one of the most successful economic development programs in the nation.

The program includes a four-point project:

-- Organization: Getting everyone involved in working toward the same goal and building cooperation among all groups that have a stake in the district.

-- Design: Getting Main Street into physical shape, capitalizing on its best assets, such as historic buildings and traditional layouts, and presenting an inviting atmosphere, created through window displays, parking areas and sidewalks.

-- Economic restructuring: Finding a new purpose of Main Street enterprises, by helping existing businesses expand and recruiting new ones to respond to today's markets.

-- Promotion: Selling the image and the promise of Main Street to all prospects, through advertising, retail promotion activity, special events and marketing campaigns.