Chamber to Host IEDA for a Downtown Assessment

FORT MADISON - Downtown development will be the focus when Downtown Fort Madison is visited by five downtown revitalization specialists from the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Downtown Resource Center. The Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce, City of Fort Madison and Lee County Economic Development Group have teamed to coordinate this Downtown Assessment scheduled for June 16-18th. The Assessment is an intense, on-site study of the downtown, including a public presentation at the end of the visit and a written report that will help Fort Madison with its planning efforts.
Jim Engle, Director of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, says “the Assessment Visit is a great way for a community to take a step back and get honest feedback from a qualified group of downtown professionals. The five-person team will highlight the downtown’s strengths and challenges and will offer some practical recommendations that the community can implement over time.”
The assessment team members have worked extensively in all sizes of communities in the Midwest with an emphasis on downtown development. Many communities in Iowa have taken advantage of this service and then went on to execute successful plans and projects. Issues such as downtown aesthetics, business mix and development, organizational refinement, promotion calendars, and building rehabilitation are common themes for the downtown assessment visits.
The service will start even before the team comes to town. A short pre-visit, on-line survey is available and we highly encourage residents to take part in it. (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FortMadisonSurvey) While on-site, the team will tour the community and the downtown and interview many individuals and groups. Engle says “the visit is always most successful when we have excellent community input. We encourage Fort Madison residents to get involved with the visit in some way. Fill out a survey. Meet with the assessment team. We encourage you to think about your downtown and come ready to participate.”
The Downtown Assessment will conclude with a public presentation on their findings and suggestions that will take place on Thursday, June 18th at noon at Turnwater Bar & Grill.