Main Street coordinator Heidi Kelsall outlines downtown revival plan and says CDRA will press Utah Main Street on a boundary cut

Heidi Kelsall, the newly appointed Main Street coordinator, told the Community Development and Redevelopment Agency (CDRA) that she will focus on downtown revitalization under Main Street’s four‑point strategy of organization, design, preservation and economic vitality.

Kelsall said the local Main Street program and committee have secured more than $200,000 in recent grant funding for downtown projects, naming work on buildings such as Ron Richmond’s property, the Kimbells’ work in the Erickson Building and repairs at the Triangle (Seeley) apartments. She described eligible grant uses including building maintenance, plumbing repairs and mold remediation for residential units above storefronts.

“Kelsall said the Main Street Committee functions under a four‑point strategy: organization, design, preservation of our historic Main Street and promoting economic vitality,” Kelsall said, summarizing the program’s priorities.

Kelsall told the board she coordinates with Utah Main Street and that the local program follows the same fiscal year used by the city and state. She said the Main Street Committee maintains a building inventory and meets regularly with property owners inside the program boundary to identify rehabilitation priorities and grant opportunities.

A key point for the CDRA was a recent adjustment by Utah Main Street that removed southern blocks from the program’s recognized historic district. A committee member told the CDRA the town has seen revenue shift southward and said the agency will pursue clarifying or reversing the boundary decision with Utah Main Street so redevelopment and preservation efforts can operate on a consistent area.

The board and Kelsall discussed the approximate boundary scope—Kelsall said it reaches as far west as roughly 500 West and includes Wasatch Academy on Main Street—but said an official map was not available at the meeting and that details must be corrected and confirmed.

Kelsall also announced training and outreach plans: she and board chair Janelle Sego will attend a Utah Main Street workshop next week, and both plan to attend the National Main Street conference in Tulsa in April to study arts‑integration and placemaking strategies. She urged more volunteer recruitment and greater business‑owner attendance at committee meetings to expand local capacity.

On preservation standards, members described the historic ordinance as facade‑focused with documentation requirements and the possibility of obtaining waivers. The CDRA discussed state tax incentives for properties placed on the National Register and cited one local example where an owner received about $90,000 in state tax credits for rehabilitation work on the Canada House.

Kelsall replaces Chris Clark as the local Main Street coordinator. The CDRA offered thanks and no new formal actions resulted from the presentation; board members indicated follow‑up will include confirming mapped boundaries, continuing outreach to affected property owners and pursuing clarifications with Utah Main Street.