ROGERS — Main Street Rogers directors set some lofty goals this year, including better communication with merchants and other entities, an improved marketing plan for downtown, increased fundraising activities and a new website for the organization.
“We have a lot of smart, hard-working board members who don’t mind getting their hands dirty to do what needs to be done to make downtown a more viable area,” said Paul Hively, board chairman.
At A Glance
Frisco Festival Finalist For Henry Award
The Frisco Festival has been named a finalist for the Grand Old Classic Special Event Award in the Henry Awards ceremony at the 40th annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism set for March 11 in Rogers. The Henry Awards honor individuals and organizations that have made important contributions to the state’s tourism industry in the preceding year.
Source: Staff Report
“I’m not saying downtown will ever be the the financial draw of Pinnacle Hills Promenade, but we can make downtown a destination for people,” he said.
Hively said he is excited about the prospects to improve the area.
“There are projects in the works that should provide some great opportunities for downtown,” Hively said.
Two major projects under way include the renovation of Lake Atalanta and the downtown economic development plan being conducted by Gateway Planning.
“Those two projects, along with the Monte Ne Road project and the city council’s support of downtown, are going to make a big difference over the next two to five years. Downtown and the east side of town is poised for a big step forward. It’s an exciting time for downtown,” he said.
Some of the highlights from the plan include developing a comprehensive database of property owners and apartments downtown; conduct a survey on who uses Frisco Park; participate in the development of the master plan for downtown; add more Christmas lights to downtown buildings; and research and develop a plan for a permanent canopy over the parking lot in Frisco Park.
“We are working on creating a vision for downtown,” said Dana Mather, interim executive director of Main Street Rogers.
The vision will set the tone for the organization and have a phrase that identifies possibilities of downtown.
Training opportunities for board members and merchants also are part of the overall plan, said Paul Olinger, chairman of the economic restructuring committee.
“We plan to seek speakers from the University of Arkansas, NorthWest Arkansas Community College and other institutions to offer training sessions to merchants as a way to improve business success. We also want to develop a campaign to promote the district as a desirable place to start or expand a business,” Olinger said.
When the plan is completed it will be distributed to the public.
A new website is under construction and will have a variety of photos, a more modern look, links to downtown restaurants and the city website, a list of businesses and more information about events and the activities of Main Street Rogers, Mather said.
“The existing website didn’t allow us to make changes, so there is a lot of outdated material on the site. The new site allows us to make changes. We can add content and take down information as necessary to keep the site fresh and informative,” Mather said.