Main Street program reviewed

Official impressed by size of downtown FD

Submitted photos

1. Mary Green-Warnstadt, executive director of Main Street Fort Dodge, center, points out some features of the downtown on a map to Marcela Uribe, a program officer for revitalization services for Man Street America. They are joined by Addrea Groff, left, the leader of the Main Street Fort Dodge Vitality Team, and Tom Groff, a member of the local Main Street board.

2. Tom Groff, left, and Addrea Groff, center, talk to Brandy Maier, manager of the Snell Building, 805 Central Ave., Thursday during a tour that was part of an accreditation visit for Main Street Fort Dodge. The Groffs are volunteer leaders in the Main Street Fort Dodge program.

For someone seeing it for the first time, downtown Fort Dodge can make a big impression.

Marcela Uribe came to the city from Texas Thursday to check out the Main Street Fort Dodge program and used the word big to describe her first impression.

"For the size of the community, the downtown is large," she added.

Uribe, who is a program officer for revitalization services for Main Street America, said the downtown is big both in terms of land area and big buildings.

"I was not expecting to see so many high rises in the community," Uribe said.

She said a big downtown offers an advantage because it provides "a lot of cool places where you can do things."

The challenge of a big downtown, she said, is that there are so many things that have to be maintained.

Uribe was in Fort Dodge Thursday as part of an accreditation process for Main Street Fort Dodge, a program dedicated to improving downtown. Main Street Fort Dodge is part of the Main Street America program.

The purpose of her visit, she said, was to see if the local organization “accomplished or has done all the things that are considered best practices for a Main Street program."

As part of her visit, Uribe took a tour of downtown led by Tom and Addrea Groff. Tom Groff is a member of the Main Street Fort Dodge Board of Directors and owner of Groff Properties. Addrea Groff leads the Main Street Fort Dodge Vitality Team and is the owner of Yummy Crumb Bakery.

Main Street Fort Dodge offers financial assistance for facade and fence improvements. Uribe said she saw evidence of the success of those programs. The properties that took advantage of them "look so much better," she said.

She offered this advice for downtown: "Work collaboratively. Bring everyone to the table for conversations, whether they be building owners, financial institutions, the city government. Share the vision of the downtown."

Uribe said Main Street programs work very hard for their communities, and most of that work is done by volunteers. She invited anyone who is interested to volunteer with Main Street Fort Dodge.

Thursday was the only day Uribe was in town. She will write a report on her findings and submit it to Main Street Iowa and Main Street Fort Dodge.