The Alberta Main Street Program
"The most successful Main Street programs I know marry heritage planning to the four point approach."
- Todd Barman, US National Trust Main Street, Program Advisor
AMSP is a grassroots, community-driven initiative with emphasis on conserving historic places. Built upon the tenets of
the US National Trust Main Street Program's "Four-Point Approach", an overarching lintel of conservation acknowledges the
success of the four point methodology while strengthening the mandate to conserve and rehabilitate the sense of time and
place within a Main Street area.
The Four Point Approach
The "Four-Point Approach" is a proven strategy in which each component contributes to successful long-term heritage conservation and downtown revitalization. Pioneered by the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation and adopted by the Heritage Canada Foundation, the approach is based on the principle that sustainable heritage conservation and economic revitalization go hand-in-hand.
Process
The "Four-Point Approach" involves organization, design, marketing and economic development:
Strong local organization engages community participation and builds collaborative relationships that are the foundation
for downtown revitalization. A Main Street coordinator and an advisory board of local volunteers work together with
other local groups to coordinate efforts toward achieving community goals.
Professional design assistance ensures that local heritage places are treated appropriately and cost-effectively. An experienced design professional in heritage conservation guides building rehabilitation, faςade enhancements, lighting, signs and awnings. Main Street communities also develop local design guidelines that adopt the "Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada" to encourage heritage conservation and appropriate maintenance practices, and to promote new development that enhances and respects the character of the historic main street area.
Marketing initiatives use the character of the authentic, rehabilitated historic downtown to build a strong and consistent, positive image of the main street area. Special events, joint marketing ventures, and coordinated seasonal retail promotions promote the downtown's unique appeal as a pedestrian shopping environment, and as a focal point of community life and an opportunity for business investment. Economic Development occurs as previously vacant old buildings are transformed into attractive, useable commercial space and send a positive message of downtown renewal to investors and the public. The Main Street process provides strategies to retain and strengthen existing businesses, attract new businesses, diversify the local economy, and to integrate downtown revitalization through the conservation of heritage places into community-wide economic development activities.
Funding for Approved Conservation Work
Funding through the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation is available for work which safeguards the character-defining elements of a designated historic place in order to retain its heritage value and extend its physical life. This may involve the preservation, restoration or rehabilitation or a combination of these actions. Funding through the Foundation is also provided for architectural engineering services, studies, historic structure reports, or concept plans associated with the conservation of the historic resource. Work completed in the year prior to an application deadline is considered for funding if carried out in consultation with a Heritage Conservation Adviser from the Historic Resources Management Branch, and is in keeping with the "Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada".
The level of funding Provincial and Municipal Historic Resources receive is determined on the basis of size/scale of the historic resource and scope of the proposed project. Provincial Historic Resources are given priority. The adjudication process takes into consideration the state of the grant program's budget and the project's conservation priorities. Applications for Municipal Historic Resources are accepted to a maximum $50,000 twice per year. Consultation with a Heritage Conservation Adviser is essential at the outset of a project to ensure proposed work is in keeping with the "Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada". This also assists in determining eligible project costs and the funding request when submitting an application for a particular building on your main street. Up to 25% of the total eligible project cost may be matched with volunteer labour, donated materials, equipment or professional services.
