New Main Street coordinator outlines downtown revitalization plans and questions narrower historic boundary

Heidi Kelsall, the newly appointed Main Street coordinator, told the Community Development and Renewal Agency on Feb. 10 that she will focus on organization, design, historic-preservation and economic vitality to strengthen downtown.

Kelsall said the Main Street Committee has secured more than $200,000 in grant awards in recent years to support building repairs, plumbing updates and mold remediation at mixed-use properties, and will push for broader business and volunteer participation. "So we've been the recipient of over $200,000 in grant money in just the recent few years," Kelsall said.

Why it matters: The Main Street Committee serves a dual role as the city's historic-preservation commission under the city's Title 4 framework and as the RDA's executive committee. That positioning gives the committee influence on which downtown buildings are prioritized for rehabilitation and which properties qualify for tax credits tied to National Register listings.

Kelsall described a recent change by Utah Main Street that narrowed the program boundary, removing areas south of what the local committee considers downtown. "They chopped off everything that went south," Kelsall said, adding that she and others plan to contest the narrower boundary so the RDA can continue supporting a wider corridor that includes Wasatch Academy and adjacent commercial and industrial areas. An Agency official present said the RDA remains committed to supporting the broader downtown and related projects including the railroad and the industrial park. "We're not gonna give that up," the Agency official said.

Kelsall said she and Janelle Sego (the Main Street board chair) will attend a Utah Main Street workshop next week and the National Main Street conference in Tulsa in April to learn placemaking and arts-integration strategies for revitalization.

On grants and uses: Kelsall highlighted the "rural revive and reside" grants as examples intended to support buildings with residential units above commercial space. She said grant-funded work has included plumbing, fixture replacement and mold remediation at apartment units above storefronts. Kelsall also said grant programs sometimes require before-and-after photo documentation and that the state provides an architect to answer technical questions.

Historic rules and flexibility: Discussion addressed constraints from the city's historic ordinance on signage and exterior work, and the availability of waivers. The Agency official said there is flexibility for facades and that owners can usually modernize interiors while preserving a building's recognizability from the street. The official cited the Canada House restoration as an example, saying owners there received more than $90,000 in state tax credits after listing and rehabilitation work.

Volunteer and business engagement: Kelsall said the committee keeps an organizational chart and needs more business-owner participation at meetings to spread grant opportunities and support sustained downtown activity. She encouraged residents and property owners to volunteer, and noted collaboration with the city's event planner on programming that draws visitors through downtown galleries and retail.

Procedural note: Earlier in the meeting the CDRA approved the regular meeting minutes for Feb. 10, 2026, and took up approval of an invoice register covering Feb. 1–28, 2026. The transcript records inconsistent amounts for the invoice register (both $4,663.38 and $44,663.38 are spoken); the record indicates the claims item was proposed for approval but the precise approved dollar figure is not clearly resolved in the transcript.

What happens next: Kelsall and board leaders will attend the Utah Main Street workshop and the National Main Street conference; the local committee intends to pursue discussion with Utah Main Street about the program boundary and continue to move forward on grant-supported rehabilitation and volunteer recruitment.