Attended the Yreka Downtown Revitalization Meeting last night. Here are the highlights. Our first speaker was Sheila McElroy. She was previously the director for Main Street Programs which utilizes a Main Street approach to commercial district revitalization, an innovative methodology that combines historic preservation with economic development to restore prosperity and vitality to downtowns and neighborhood business districts. In other words, she has credentials!
Sheila outlined the the four key components that need to be addressed in order to facilitate ‘revitalization’. She touched on business partnerships and then spoke extensively on marketing. Her hand-out had a great line worth repeating:
Marketing is how you answer the following: “Tell me why I should rearrange my schedule, allocate precious time away from my work and family, get in the car, fight traffic, and come to your business to spend my hard-earned money when there are thousands of other places I could spend it”
She had some GREAT ideas for making our businesses better. I really wish more business and property owners where there! The sad fact is that there is a palpable apathy that has to be overcome in Yreka in order for revitalization to happen. I hope people don’t give up on our downtown. The positive changes will come if we all work together.
Michael Garavaglia, the architect and consultant hired by the city, spoke about the design and integration of the old Black’s Building. The redesign will incorporate a walkway to a parking lot with small shops inside. His key point was that no one should be looking at this project with the attitude ‘if we build it they will come’. The community has to back this project by utilizing the principals of revitalization that Sheila, his wife by the way, spoke about. Brian Meek, Yreka City Manager, pretty much seconded that notion. This is why it is so important for our merchants (and not just the downtown merchants) to get involved, speak up, share ideas, support each other and attend the meetings.
The other notable theme of the meeting was to pursue only those ideas that generate ‘vibrancy’. Vibrancy - that’s just the word for what we need, in our downtown, our businesses, and our attitudes!
So the bottom line is that Michael Garavaglia will be working with the City of Yreka to develop a design, an estimated cost for construction and possibly some ideas for funding this project. Once that is done nothing will happen unless the community shows some enthusiasm and support for the revitalization project. So don’t grumble. Just do something positive for our town and change will come.
