AREA – Through a combination walking tour and Q&A, a handful of Tama County communities will soon learn more about their Main Streets’ strengths and weaknesses as well as how to go about using such information to further vitalize downtown and attract customers.

“The Downtown Assessments are provided by the Downtown Resource Center at the Iowa Economic Development (and Finance) Authority. I met with James Engle and Jim Thompson (of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center) last spring just to get to know them and network. After a discussion, they thought Tama County was ready for an assessment. They only do a handful of these assessments across the state every year,” Tama County Economic Development Director Jake Buchanan explained in a recent email to the newspaper.

Five Downtown Assessments will be conducted in Tama County later this month, including Tama, Toledo and Gladbrook on Tuesday, Nov. 17, followed by Traer and Dysart on Wednesday, Nov. 18. All five assessments will include a Q&A/community discussion and a downtown walking tour.

According to the Iowa Economic Development Authority website, a Downtown Assessment costs $2,500 and includes “an intense, on-site study performed by four to five downtown development professionals” who spend three days “visiting local businesses and interviewing stakeholders, as well as conducting a public presentation.”

Based on what the professionals learn, a 30- to 40-page written report will be generated detailing “short- and long-range recommendations” as well as “design concepts that support the recommendations.”

The $2,500 fee is being sponsored by the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, Buchanan said.

Per the Iowa Economic Development Authority website, a community survey is administered in advance of the visits in order to determine which communities are “more likely to mobilize volunteers, implement projects and participate in Iowa Economic Development Authority programs.”

Schedule

The public is invited and encouraged to attend both the discussions (Q&A) and walking tours in each of the five Tama County communities.

The schedule is as follows:

-Tama: Tuesday, Nov. 17; Q&A at Tama Civic Center from 9-10 a.m.; downtown walking tour from 10-10:30 a.m.

-Toledo: Tuesday, Nov. 17; Q&A at Wieting Theater from 10:30-11:30 a.m.; downtown walking tour from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

-Gladbrook: Tuesday, Nov. 17; Q&A at City Centre from 2-3 p.m.; downtown walking tour from 3-4 p.m.

-Traer: Wednesday, Nov. 18; Q&A at Traer City Council Chambers from 8:30-9:30 a.m.; downtown walking tour from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

-Dysart: Wednesday, Nov. 18; downtown walking tour from 11 a.m. to noon; Q&A at Dysart Community Building from noon to 1:30 p.m. (soup and sandwich lunch provided)

Community presentation

Following the completion of the Downtown Assessment visits, there will be a countywide presentation on Thursday, Nov. 19, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Wieting Theater in Toledo.

Registration for any of the Downtown Assessments is not required. Note, QR codes printed on flyers for both Traer and Gladbrook are not working and cannot be fixed.

The final report will be shared with each participating community’s city council, as well as the Tama County Board of Supervisors.

For more information, contact Jake Buchanan at buchanan@marshalltown.org.