Mississippi Mainstreet Street Association

Community development:during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Mississippi Main Street Association (mmsa) provided community services to assist the 48 designated member programs across the state. Community services consist of consultations and program services that pertain to the Main Street approach in downtown revitalization - organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality. These community services include but are not limited to: design services (design renderings, design guidance, assistance with design guidelines/ordinances, education in historic preservation, education and advocacy regarding historic tax credits, etc. ), market analysis, new director and board member training, communications and marketing opportunities, retail training and assistance, festival development and/or evaluation, small event development and/or evaluation, volunteer training, budget development, economic development projects, and business recruitment, retention, and expansion assistance. Mmsa provides at least one on-site visit and other downtown services as requested by the local program directors each year. In addition, mmsa provides an on-site work session, as requested by the local director, for the development of goals, objectives, and guidance with the local program's annual work plan. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the mmsa staff visited all of the 48 designated Main Street communities to deliver these program services. With the slowing down of the covid-19 pandemic, mmsa provided a full training calendar and saw an increase in travel and on-site services from the previous year. Lindsey harris of jackson, miss. Was hired in august 2022 to serve as director of grants and special projects. In this role, harris provides leadership and coordination for the development, writing, administration, and management of grants and other funds for mmsa, including acquiring and administering federal, state, regional, local, and private sector funding to support mmsa and its member communities. Community services continued through in person meetings and events as well as virtual meetings and webinars, in addition to hundreds of phone calls and email conversations.mmsa welcomed several new associate members to the Association in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, including the canton convention and visitors bureau, town of north carrollton, bay springs Main Street, friends of flora, visit charleston, Main Street leakesville, petal area chamber of commerce, montgomery county economic development partnership, town of bassfield, city of bay st. louis, historic brandon Main Street, diamondhead Main Street, city of forest, leland chamber of commerce, long beach Main Street, lumberton Main Street Association, noxubee county historical society, city of magee, and the carroll county development Association - tourism committee. Mmsa also welcomed several new friends of Main Street. Nearly $12,000 in community development grants was awarded to 10 Main Street communities in 2022 to incentivize development, improvement, and revitalization in their historic downtown business districts throughout Mississippi. Communities received up to $2,500 each and the grant required a local match. Mmsa was able to leverage state funds with local funds to support a wide range of projects that help achieve the revitalization goals of the local Main Street programs.mmsa was recognized for its planning work with two awards presented by the Mississippi chapter of the american planning Association in october 2022 for best small area plan for the itawamba roadmap in itawamba county and best public outreach project for the work plan workshops conducted in all 48 designated Main Street communities. The magnolia tribune published an op-ed by mmsa executive director thomas gregory on "Main Street is economic development" in february 2023. Gregory was recognized as one of Mississippi's top 40 young professionals by the Mississippi business journal in april 2023. Mmsa was awarded the Mississippi pinnacle award by the sales and marketing professionals (smp) in april at the pinnacle awards gala in hattiesburg. Upcoming Main Street community festivals and events were featured on "good things with rebecca turner" each wednesday from september through november on supertalk Mississippi. A new strategic plan was adopted by the mmsa board for 2023-2028. In 2022, Mississippi Main Street's statewide economic impact from statistical reports submitted from all 48 local programs generated 495 new businesses, 841 new jobs, 56 business expansions, 183 faade rehabilitations, 1,817 downtown living units, 24 new construction projects, 79 public improvement projects, $160 million in private investment, and $82 million in private investment, and 42,255 volunteer hours.

Special projects/partner collaboration:mmsa received a usda rural development grant to conduct an "envision-connect" community facilities planning project in five Main Street communities that included aberdeen, booneville, columbia, new albany, and water valley. These visits and reports were conducted in 2022. The downtown landscape design guide, made possible through a grant from the Mississippi forestry commission, was printed and mailed to 375 communities in 2022. The 2022 downtown toolbox was mailed to all mmsa members, listing companies and their services who contribute as annual investors of mmsa. The work plan workshops project, supported by a grant from the w.k. Kellogg foundation with additional support from the Mississippi development authority, was launched in 2022 to provide strategic planning services to 25 Main Street communities in the lower half of the state. In october 2022, mmsa received a $50,000 grant from the Mississippi hills national heritage area (mhnha) for community branding and marketing for every Main Street community in the hills region for 2023. These branding visits with deliverables were conducted in the first half of 2023. The mhnha also partnered with mmsa to provide funding for downtown revitalization projects in new albany, pontotoc, itawamba county, and tupelo in 2022. In 2022, $5 million in arpa funds was appropriated by the Mississippi legislature for Main Street revitalization grants to 48 designated Main Street organizations, and mmsa received a $500,000 appropriation from the Mississippi legislature in 2022 and 2023 for statewide support and operations. In april 2023, the governor signed senate bill 2359 that created the Mississippi Main Street revitalization grant program (mmsrg). This program will provide funds for downtown revitalization projects in Mississippi's designated Main Street communities. Each year, mmsa will provide the Mississippi development authority and the Mississippi legislature with a list of prioritized projects from designated Main Street communities. Grant funds will be available on a competitive basis for eligible projects up to $500,000 per community. The mmsrg grant program will open in july 2023. Mmsa conducted a downtown roadmap for biloxi Main Street in august 2022 that was supported by a grant from the w.k. Kellogg foundation. A downtown roadmap was also conducted for the indianola chamber Main Street in november 2022 that was supported by a grant from the w.k. Kellogg foundation. The purpose of the downtown roadmaps was to provide biloxi Main Street and indianola chamber Main Street with an updated strategic framework or "roadmap" with prioritized recommendations and specific implementation tactics for the next three to five years as the organizations continues to guide the downtown revitalization activities for the cities of biloxi and indianola. In october 2022, mmsa was awarded a usda rural placemaking grant of $250,000, which will be used to provide planning, design, and implementation services for 11 Main Street communities that includes amory Main Street, batesville Main Street Association, senatobia Main Street, Main Street greenville, Main Street greenwood, Main Street pascagoula, moss point Main Street, tunica Main Street, woodville Main Street, louisville Main Street, and hernando Main Street chamber.mmsa provides co-op advertising opportunities to members where members can participate together in a joint ad at a lower cost, and mmsa coordinates the ad production. The mmsa team presented three sessions and exhibited at the Mississippi municipal league conference in june 2022, working to educate elected officials on the importance of supporting Main Street efforts in community development. Mmsa partners regularly on special projects and trainings with the Mississippi department of archives & history, Mississippi economic development council, Mississippi heritage trust, msu stennis institute, mda asset mapping, mda entrepreneur center, msu carl small town center, Mississippi tourism Association, and the Mississippi arts commission. Mmsa sees these partners as extensions of mmsa staff and additional resources for our local communities. Mmsa also approves partner events and conferences as continuing education for Main Street directors.

Training and education:mmsa provides valuable training to assist and equip directors of the 48 designated Main Street programs throughout the state. Continuing education is essential to grow in knowledge and skill in downtown development and preservation, and mmsa requires every designated Main Street program to earn a minimum of four points each calendar year, and directors can choose from several training opportunities to receive this continuing education. Mmsa held design training in gulfport in july 2022 with 45 attendees. Training topics included alley enhancements, preservation 101, design guidelines, and murals and other public art initiatives. A webinar was held for directors of designated Main Street programs in november 2022 on "transformation strategies" with presenters from Main Street america. Destination downtown, an annual tri-state conference with Main Street Arkansas and Louisiana Main Street, was held in september 2022 in north little rock, ar with more than 60 mississippians in attendance. In january 2023, a directors' retreat for directors of designated Main Street programs was held in cleveland. A Main Street legislative day was held with a press conference at the Mississippi state capitol on march 2, 2023, with great attendance from state legislators. The national Main Street conference was held in boston, ms in march and about 20 attendees were from Mississippi. Marketing training was held in april 2023 in new albany with 47 attendees and focused on "promoting your downtown as a destination." Mmsa works with Main Street america to evaluate each local program for annual accreditation based on six national standards, and this list of nationally accredited communities was announced in may 2023. The 2023 annual awards luncheon was held in jackson with a record 319 attendees, and 45 awards were presented to downtown revitalization leaders across the state. Mmsa board members, investors, sponsors, local directors and members, local board members, state and local elected officials and partners attended the celebratory luncheon. In october, mmsa staff presented at the mml small town conference in flowood. In november 2022, mmsa hosted state legislators on downtown tours in Mississippi's four congressional districts to help educate them on how mmsa assists communities on the local level and to see and hear about successful projects and new development. There were stops in three different Main Street communities on each district tour. Mississippi's shop small saturday retail initiative the saturday after thanksgiving was promoted in partnership with Main Street america and american express. Mmsa developed marketing videos in six Main Street communities that were aired in the first half of 2023. Mmsa updated its website with a media page in the spring of 2023 that includes digital publications as well as training and marketing videos for Main Street members and those interested in learning more about Main Street as a community and economic development program.