Saturday, May 16, 2009

Belen named MainStreet community

Designation comes with $100,000 in technical services to revitalize downtown

Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdendinger@news-bulletin.com

Belen The banner on the gazebo at the Heart of Belen said it all — "We did it!"

After years of planning, city and state officials announced Thursday afternoon that the City of Belen would join 20 other MainStreet communities across the state.

"We've wanted to do this for years, and I think it's cooler than heck that we're a MainStreet community," said Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres. "Finally!"

The city has waited anxiously for months as this year's pool of applicant communities was whittled down from 17 to 11 to the final three. As Belen made each cut, it took a step closer to realizing a dream.

Belen, along with Nob Hill in Albuquerque and Truth of Consequences, was designated as a MainStreet Emerging Community this year. That designation begins the process of assisting the communities with capacity building to develop MainStreet organizations dedicated to downtown revitalization.

"They have been working on this for a long time," said New Mexico MainStreet Director Rich Williams. "And we put the applicant communities through the meat grinder to see if they were ready. I think it's important to point out that, of the three, Belen was ranked first."

The program assists cities revitalize older, traditional business districts and encourage economic development within the context of preservation.

The designation also includes free technical services from state experts such as architects and engineers to help with the transition.

"You have done an incredible job so far," Williams said, referring to the Heart of Belen project. "You will be layering on that for months and years."

Fred Mondragon, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Economic Development, called being in Belen for the occasion a "real pleasure."

"MainStreet is the heart of a downtown," he said. "It is the door to your past as well as the window to your future. We don't tell you what to do, but act as a catalyst for your dreams."

Mondragon encouraged the citizens of Belen to become active in the MainStreet organization as they "design Belen's future."

State Rep. Elias Barela (D-Valencia) called the day a great beginning. "Both (State Rep.) Andrew (Barreras) and I grew up in Belen," he sad. "We remember a vibrant downtown, and it has stayed vibrant. I am always very, very proud to say I'm from Belen."

Barela said the MainStreet program would help the city put its best foot forward. "And we have a huge advantage over other communities: the Rail Runner," he said. "There has been the idea of making Belen an arts community; that is a very viable idea. This is a great place for artists to work and sell their work."

State Sen. Michael Sanchez (D-Valencia) said MainStreet was an important project to him in that it would help bring back a vibrant business community to Belen.

"You saw and hopefully will see again people going into business and buying their goods," Sanchez said. "Small businesses are the heart and soul of New Mexico, Valencia County and Belen.

"Hopefully, when businesses see that we are a MainStreet community, that will encourage them to settle here. And hopefully local people will support those businesses and shop locally. Keeping our business here is very important to all of us."

The senator said he was dedicating the next four years to bringing business back to Belen as it was. "This is one of the best days in my life," Sanchez said.

Remembering the vitality of Belen, Claudette Riley, the director of Greater Belen Economic Development, said it is her hope to make Belen an exciting place for the community's children to come back to.

"Belen has so much character; this program is going to help us build that up and show visitors how much we care about our town," she said.

Now that the announcement has been made and Belen is an official MainStreet community, the real work begins. "Now we have to do all the boring stuff," Torres said, chuckling.

The next steps for the city include forming a nonprofit, 501c3, establishing a board of directors for that organization and establishing a fundraising structure, Riley said.

One thing they may revisit is the boundaries of the MainStreet project area. "Originally, it was all of Becker and Dalies and Main Street from Camino del Llano to Chavez," she said. "I think they may want us to scale back the part on Main Street; it may be a bit ambitious."

Utilizing the comprehensive "MainStreet Four Points Approach," local affiliates develop a non-profit board and four committees to address the community economic development needs of downtown. Those four areas are design, economic positioning, organization and promotion, all of which help the downtown area support businesses, create infrastructure and address cultural and artistic preservation.

Each emerging community will receive more than $100,000 in technical services to help them position their organizations for further revitalization efforts.

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