The Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) wants to know what transformation locals want to see downtown in coming years.
The organization circulated a survey last month seeking input on how to improve and revitalize Laramie’s downtown.
The survey, which was available on the LMSA website from Jan. 7 to Jan. 17, asked participants questions like “What are the top issues facing downtown?” and “What business types would you like to see downtown?”
It received 1192 responses from Albany County residents, a high response rate for this type of survey, LMSA Communications Coordinator Jessica Brauer wrote in an email to the Branding Iron.
“In the next few weeks our board, committees and staff will comb through the information gathered as we wait for a report from National Main Street,” Brauer wrote.
The LMSA is a business council, working in tandem with Main Street America, which aims to preserve Laramie’s downtown area while still keeping it economically viable. It partners with local businesses to balance the needs of the local economy with efforts to maintain local character.
LMSA staff met with the community and representatives from the state and national Main Street Alliance on Jan. 22 to discuss the results of the survey and to put that information into action. LMSA will seek to improve downtown and plans to announce their “transformation strategies” sometime in the early spring.
These “transformation strategies” are quantifiable strategies based on community input that will aim to bring about positive changes to the downtown area, according to a Jan. 14 press release.
“The Transformation Strategy is the strategic process our organization is going through with Main Street America,” Brauer also wrote in the email. “With the help of their staff, we are identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the district and then strategically identifying how to best move forward, focus our support for businesses and organizations and bring impactful change to the economy of our community.”
Main Street America works on the local, city, state and national level to preserve historic value and character of locations across the U.S. A subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Main Street America program has helped over 2,000 communities maintain historic and economic value in downtown areas. The organization uses grassroots networks and focuses on revitalizing and strengthening strategies for communities.
While the survey has already ended, Albany County residents are still encouraged to give input and feedback on LMSA’s projects. Their next board meeting, which is open to the public, is on the Feb. 4 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the LMSA office located at 115 East Ivinson.
For more information, call LMSA at 307-760-3355 or send an email to laramiemainstreet@gmail.com.
