Community Main Street outlines 2030 vision, new grants and event data to Cedar Falls committee

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…