Wabasha Main Street 2020

1) Using Rethos project funds $4000.00 (which we receive annually) to give Support Funding to 6 Wabasha Main Street businesses to help reopen during Covid.

2) Continuing and expanding Adopt a Planter seasonally – we are at 28 planters now with individual businesses investing $225.00 annually to keep downtown looking good. We added 2 new ones this year so those investors spend $750 the first year= total downtown investment is annually is $6300.00 for maintenance. This is a City and Wabasha Main Street Partnership.

3) WMS gave $1400.00 to new drinking fountain at Heritage Park from our operating funds. We feel we should always try to do a partnership with city as we receive e operating support dollars from you. Rest of city support went to state and national dues – $2850.00. We get that back tenfold in resources, trainings and Project support funds, Artist on Main funds, and into 2021 Building support funds. We did Bike Share Partnership year 1 and 2.

4) WMS is in our 2nd year of Artist on Main and have $10,000 for this year’s program. We have awarded $7000.00 to 7 artists whose programs are midway through our season. Our theme is Sounds and Movements of the Mississippi River. Our website highlights each Artist.

5) WMS continues to partner with City, Port, HPC, WK Chamber, RJAC, NEC, Bike advocates and library with our programs and have representation from all of these on our committees or Artist partners. I feel Wabasha Main Street has been the convener of all organizations and we all are partners in making our downtown healthy and thriving.

6) Rethos trainings – webinars, workshops, Zoom meetings. I have attended weekly meetings since Covid and even more during trainings. We are still moving forward as advocates, directors of our communities Main Street Programs and continue to offer up support programs for our downtowns. We attend Preservation Conference Webinars also, free of charge for HPC also.

7) Volunteer hours / Reinvestment statistics – I continue to report reinvestment statistics quarterly and volunteer up over 600 hours annually as the only unpaid staff in MN. Our committees and board of directors add an additional 600 hours plus. Our small nonprofit 501 c 3 organization gives 1200 volunteer hours locally each year.

8). Shop Small Saturday Promotions– this will be our 5th year with WK Chamber on last Saturday of November to promote shopping locally first for the holidays.

9) Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony– First Friday of December – this will be our 3rd year if we are able to meet.

10) Continue to find additional support funding through RETHOS for Buildings Cohort, Transformational Strategy trainings and discussions with SEMCHRA programs for COVID funds for Small Businesses and in our Wabasha Main Street District.

For more information on how you can impact your downtown- www.wabashamainstreet.org