Monticello named Main Street Iowa Community

     It’s official!

   After months and months of hard work, dedication, many hours of volunteer service, and bringing the community together the Monticello Main Street Iowa committee can now breathe a sigh of relief…

   As of Aug. 2, Monticello has become a Main Street Iowa Community!

   The announcement was at 8 a.m. on Aug. 2 at the Iowa Downtown Conference in Pella, hosted by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA).

   In an effort to bring the community together on this special occasion, there will be a public news conference at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10 in the downtown pocket park. The public is welcome and invited to attend.

   Also in attendance that afternoon will be Debi Durham, director of IEDA; Michael Wagler, Main Steet Iowa (MSI) coordinator; and Carol Lilly, MSI downtown specialist.

   Refreshments will also be served.

   Following a roughly 15-minute presentation, MSI will present the official designation street signs to the committee and city officials. There will also be a time for questions and answers.

   In the morning, the MSI committee will visit privately with the MSI representatives from Des Moines concerning training opportunities, expectations, and the process of hiring a MSI executive director.

   “Our collaboration with the (Motnicello) chamber and Bobby (Krum, chamber director) and been amazing,” praised Erin Cox, MSI committee member. “Bobby is so passionate about Monticello and to have this (MSI) resource now with his ideas. We can work together as partners.”

   Following the press conference, MSI reps and committee members will take a walking tour of the downtown district. This portion is closed to the public.

   The celebrating does not stop there!

   On Friday, Aug. 12, join the Monticello Chamber, MSI committee, and more for Uptown Summer Nights, also held in the pocket park, from 5 to 8 p.m. Live music will be provided by Boyscout Hippies.

   The MSI committee hopes to see a huge crowd on Aug. 12 to celebrate this occasion.

   Cox joined the MSI committee right off the bat.

   “Brian (Wolken) asked me if I wanted to be a part of a focus group,” she recalled.

   Her first meeting, there were six individuals present. By the time they were ready to present to the MSI reps, close to 50 people were actively involved.

   “It’s easy to let your downtown in a small community fail,” commented Cox as to why she got involved. “Seeing other MSI communities like Mount Vernon, Marion, and Clarence, we had nothing to lose.”

   Cox assisted with the MSI application process, and also presented in-person in Des Moines. She also made a short video centered on the theme “Why We Love Monticello.”

   Back in 2019, when Cox co-owned a downtown business, she admitted to not fully grasping the MSI concept when Monticello first applied.

   “I had no idea what it really was,” she said. “I think we needed to fail to really understand what MSI does.”

   She said following their presentation, the panel of judges were mystified by the night and day difference.

   “They didn’t even recognize us,” Cox said of the level of preparedness this time around.

   After 2019, MSI offered to perform a downtown assessment in Monticello, a project that brought about a lot of insight for those involved.

   “We had a much better understanding of things now,” commented Cox.

   MSI is not a program that will transform downtown Monticello overnight. Those involved will have a lot of training to go through.

   With some, perhaps, still on the fence, Cox said if one’s downtown is successful, everyone is successful.

   “Our downtown is the hub, the core, of Monticello, of any community. When people drive through, you want them to come back. We need a reason for them to stay here.”

   She elaborated by sharing that MSI will help the community with business transitions, help people start a business, work on façade improvements, work on upper-story housing, help businesses gain more revenue, help building owners make their businesses more inviting to the public, and work on downtown signage to help people navigate through the community.

   “The downtown works to bring people to the community and helps every other business,” she said. “It’s a benefit to everyone.”