Community Main Street outlines 2030 vision, new grants and event data to Cedar Falls committee
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Summary
Kim Bear of Community Main Street told the Committee of the Whole that the nonprofit updated its strategic plan toward a 2030 vision, launched two matching grant programs, contracted snow removal for new streetscape areas, and is using Placer AI to track event attendance for downtown planning.
Kim Bear, a Community Main Street representative, presented an update to the City of Cedar Falls Committee of the Whole on Monday, outlining a new strategic plan aimed at a “thriving and welcoming downtown” by 2030 and rolling out new programs and operational changes to support downtown businesses and events.
Bear said Community Main Street is an accredited Main Street program through Main Street Iowa and Main Street America and that recent accreditation scores were strong. "Cedar Falls Community Main Street is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization established to foster economic vitality and to preserve and promote the historic image and character of the downtown," she said, explaining the group's four-point approach—organization, promotions, economic vitality and design—and noting the program has operated since 1987.
The presentation included cumulative metrics Community Main Street tracked for the district. Bear said volunteers’ donated time is valued at about $4.5 million (reported as 129,854 hours). She also cited long-term program totals of roughly $159 million in private investment, about 1,050 new jobs and roughly 1,001 building projects across the organization’s history, characterizing those as programwide totals tracked by the organization.
Bear highlighted recent streetscape improvements and a decision to contract for snow removal and salt application on updated streetscape areas to ensure consistent clearing and safety. She told the committee the first large snowstorm this season (about 14 inches) exceeded early-year budget estimates and will require budgeting adjustments next year.
On public art and placemaking, Bear pointed to the Gateway River Park activation and a new arch the group plans to nominate for a Main Street Iowa placemaking award. She also described a mural at 412 Main Street by local artist Stephanie Feaver that, she said, "celebrates all things Cedar Falls." Bear described a student-led CAPS project to decorate electrical utility boxes and said CMS staff and a CAPS intern have discussed the project with CFU general manager Susan Abernathy.
Bear described two new matching grant programs to encourage private investment in downtown: the District Enhancement Grant for capital and placemaking projects, and the Magic Grant, a marketing assistance grant aimed at supporting business promotion. Both grants require applicants to provide matching funds, and Bear listed several small business projects that have used similar support.
The presentation also covered marketing and data partnerships with the tourism office. Bear said the tourism office purchased a Placer AI subscription and read the company’s description: "Placer aggregates anonymized location data from millions of mobile devices through partnerships with apps that users have already opted into location sharing. The key points are privacy first. All data is anonymized and aggregated." She emphasized Placer’s stated privacy safeguards while noting the data is not 100% precise but useful for event planning.
Using geofenced data, Bear reported that the Sturgis Falls festival drew about 40,000 people downtown over its weekend and that RAGBRAI-related activity totaled just over 28,000, and she described how the data helps organizers understand visitor origins and movement patterns.
Bear also reviewed program operations that support downtown commerce: the downtown gift certificate (paper certificate) program, which she said has a FY25 budgeted reimbursement/administration line of about $96,000; volunteer-driven floral programs (maintained by a "flower brigade" and planted by volunteer Julie Schimick); and recurring special events including Holiday Hoopla, Artapalooza and the District Street Party, which won a Main Street Iowa award in 2024. She noted the District Street Party will move to Aug. 29 next year to avoid conflicts with homecoming and a football game.
Council members offered brief praise and thanks for Community Main Street’s work; no formal vote or motion was taken on the presentation. The presiding officer adjourned the Committee of the Whole and noted the City Council will reconvene at 7:00 p.m. for the regular meeting.
Next steps: Bear said CMS will return later in the year for a renewal process tied to the organization’s Main Street designation and will continue stakeholder conversations on parking and streetscape operations.
