Spencer Main Street

The Main Street program was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an organized method of downtown development and revitalization in response to requests from communities experiencing much the same difficulties as was occurring in downtown Spencer. The Main Street Four Point Approach of downtown revitalization was unique and after being tried as a three year pilot program in three small towns across the country, was expanded to five communities in six states. This new method of downtown revitalization was so successful that the call went out to all states to submit proposals to become associated with the National Trust in downtown development.

Governor Terry Branstad, working with the Department of Economic Development, brought the Main Street Program to Iowa in 1985 and accepted applications from Iowa communities for acceptance into the system in 1986. The Spencer Downtown Business Association felt that becoming a Main Street town was an opportunity to build on their successes and insure the continuation of an ongoing revitalization effort for downtown. The application to become a participant in the first year of the program, 1986, was not successful. There were 17 applications, five were selected. Disappointed but not discouraged, the downtown Spencer group revised, improved and revamped their application for 1987 and were accepted into the program on April 3, 1987.

The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization emphasizes four points. They are: Promotion, Design, Business Improvement and Organization. The Main Street philosophy also has eight principles of success. They are: A comprehensive program, an incremental process, the program is self-help, public and private partnerships, capitalizing on existing assets, a quality program, not quantity, changing attitudes and a planed implementation process. This process when followed has proven to be successful.

Spencer Main Street Company was incorporated on August 7, 1987 with the original Board of Directors consisting of: Wyman Steffen, Tim Steffen, Tom Manley, Mary Rahn, Bob VanderTuig, Jim Getting, Chris Bjornstad, Tom Hart and Carolyn Toebes. The Board hired Steve Goodhue to be the Program Manager. Steve went about the task of organizing the company to conform with the guidelines of the Main Street formula and four point approach to downtown development. Four standing committees were formed and programs of work were established. Each Board member was expected to serve on one of the four committees with additional members added from downtown businesses. A mission statement was adopted which is the same today as twenty years ago. Annual review indicates that the mission statement continues to be appropriate and most effectively states the purpose and mission of the organization. Several years later a vision statement was adopted and most recently, a position statement was created. This process of reviewing the purpose of the organization keeps the focus on the original intent of the Company. The following excerpt from the original application for Main Street status perhaps best indicates the need for ongoing review and period changes in the goals and focus of an organization.

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