Community involvement identified as key to uptown Jackson growth

City leaders and community members heard from a team sent to Jackson on Thursday to review progress in uptown and to develop strategies for continued growth.

While in town, the team met with stakeholders in the uptown area, including business owners and property owners, and spoke with them about their vision for uptown, as well as their perspectives on uptown's success to this point.

Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization, or UJRO, founded in 2011, has been working with Missouri Main Street Connection since 2013.

Missouri Main Street Connection community-development coordinator Keith Winge and Norma Ramirez de Miess, senior programming officer and director of leadership development with National Main Street Center, provided instruction and guidance in a presentation Thursday night at the Cape Girardeau County History Center at 102 S. High St. in Jackson.

About 15 people gathered for the presentation.

Centered on Jackson's accomplishments using Main Street Connection's four-point approach, presentation leaders also gave some examples of areas for potential growth.

Main Street Connection's four-point approach focuses on organization, design, economic vitality and promotion, using those points to recognize and address specific needs in the community.

A more detailed report and recommendation guide will be sent to UJRO leadership later this year.

Ramirez de Miess said she has seen growth in uptown Jackson in the few years since her first visit.

"You have worked hard building the quality of life," she said.

The community makes the revitalization happen, Ramirez de Miess said, which is necessary to success because ultimately, the community members need to have ownership of revitalization efforts. Otherwise, she said, organizers are inviting people to be critics rather than participants.

A small-business development component is crucial to any district success, Ramirez de Miess said, and she noted positive change on that front.

Seven storefronts are occupied now that were not last year, she said.

Mayor Dwain Hahs said the uptown area has expanded since its initial conception, which he called a positive development.

Ramirez de Miess identified cooperation between county and state government, as well as citizens and business owners, as a necessary component to continued growth.

Concerns such as adequate parking for the growing businesses and infrastructure support need to be viewed on a larger scale than just at the municipal level, she said.

While praising the growth and effort already in place, Ramirez de Miess stressed the importance of looking ahead.

"Do you have a vision statement?" she asked, adding it is important to be aware of the organization's message and uptown's image.

Ramirez de Miess suggested closely reviewing the results of the recent citizen survey to identify how uptown is perceived and how it can grow.

Another suggestion was to include the youth of the town as much as possible by coordinating with the school district and with churches on projects in uptown.

Building superintendent Janet Sanders said the hanging baskets in uptown were planted by Jackson students this year, which Ramirez de Miess said was a good step, as family members will visit projects the students do and take pride in their involvement.

Identifying specific needs for volunteers is another key step, Ramirez de Miess said. Being able to put out specific calls for assistance is a better strategy than a blanket call for help, she said.

Some communities have a drop-down menu on the city website, she said, with needs including web designer, babysitter, newsletter editor and so on.

Building a sense of leadership among volunteers is also important, she said.

"The most important asset to our efforts is people," Ramirez de Miess said. "Not just as free labor, as helpers, but as leaders."

Overall, Ramirez de Miess said, the idea is to bring people together as a community to support the uptown district.

Creating a sense of ownership, of place, of vitality and of community will bring people to the district, which will help support business growth, and that's what it's really about, she said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

102 S. High St., Jackson, Mo.