By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

CALERA – The city of Calera discussed a proposed request made by Calera Main Street regarding new initiatives such as downtown façade improvements at a recent city council meeting on Monday, July 15.

Calera Main Street’s improvement plans were presented at the previous city council meeting on Monday, July 1. There, Calera Main Street discussed its origins and gave an update on current projects before making a request of the city.

Calera Main Street is a nonprofit organization that seeks to stimulate revitalization in downtown Calera with public/private partnerships and is a Main Street Alabama Designated Community and an accredited member of the Main Street America Network.

Alabama Main Street President Mary Wirth discussed the beginnings of Calera Main Street five years ago.

“I remember coming to Calera when you were first kicking off your application process and how excited everybody was about the process of becoming a Main Street City,” Wirth said. “But for me, the most impressive thing was the tour we took of the entire city. All the things we saw throughout the city clearly show a love of your community and a commitment to your community.”

Wirth claimed that the Alabama Main Street association has donated $150,000. In terms of future support, the state-wide program plans to add Calera to the Sweet Hometown Tours and provide special signage. In addition, there will be an upcoming special announcement on Aug. 14 regarding entrepreneurial support.

The other speaker representing Calera Main Street was Markus Snowden, the vice president of Calera Main Street.

Since the inception of Calera Main Street, Snowden shared that the organization has opened 12 new businesses, reduced downtown vacancy from 84 to 24 percent and created downtown events such as Married on Main and the Calera First Friday festival series.

In addition, Calera Main Street and the city of Calera has completed several projects to improve the downtown district through the establishment of the Calera Courtyard. As a part of this project, the organization constructed a pavilion, public restrooms and are currently wrapping up work on a new playground.

Now, Calera Main Street has asked for assistance from the city of Calera for the next phase of the Main Street project.

The primary initiative discussed at the city council meeting was façade improvements for the businesses on Main Street, primarily on the rear of the buildings. Because of the construction of the Calera Courtyard behind Main Street, the rear entrances of these buildings face the public during city events. In addition, future construction plans on Main Street would prevent access through the front.

Due to these circumstances, Snowden believes that the rear façade improvements will greatly benefit Main Street businesses.

“It’s a win-win situation where improvements made will help increase the value on the property, increase the property taxes and hopefully draw new businesses that will help increase the sales tax revenue,” Snowden said. “It’s going to be really important to try to get the rear part of these buildings completed and out of the way because activity is going to have to move from the front to the rear while this (construction) work is going on.”

Another aspect of the improvements on Main Street is the above-ground powerlines that supply the businesses. Calera Main Street wishes to move these powerlines underground to improve the streetscape.

Calera Main Street proposed that the organization would cover the complete cost of the façade improvements if the city of Calera would cover the cost of the utility work.  Calera Main Street has fundraised $150,000 to contribute to the façade work, and while there are competing estimates for the infrastructure work, the city would also have to contribute tens of thousands of dollars.

“We know this is a big ask, but if the city can help us out (with the infrastructure), in exchange, our focus will be on the changes in the façade in the rear,” Snowden said.

Some members of the Calera City Council expressed trepidation over supplying such a large sum of money to benefit these business properties, asking how the business owners would reimburse the city.

“If this is going to going to involve tax payer dollars, in return, it’s going to involve a financial commitment from the property owners,” Mayor Jon Graham said. “Every one of them. That’s what needs to take place.”

In addition, Graham shared that he was concerned that the changes would be only aesthetic and expressed his desire to gather all the property owners to discuss financial commitment to the project.

“Every property that we just named currently has power,” Graham said. “The power lines are aerial. There’s a wooden pole and a line that drops to each meter. It’s aesthetics. Bottom line, does the city want to spend the money to do it and get a promissory note from the property owners to repay us or is it a freebie?”

In response, Calera Main Street Director Jackie Batson argued that ultimately the city and the organization could accomplish more for Main Street if the two groups worked together.

“No one is trying to get around the private side from being invested in this,” Batson said. “The suggestion is how can we make the dollars that the private side is responsible for go a little further. We could pay for the power, but then we wouldn’t have the funds to work on the facades.”

According to Batson, the façade work is just the beginning of the advancements Calera Main Street wants to make, but the organization wants to partner with the city to make every dollar go as far as it possibly can.

If the city would help with the power, then Calera Main Street is prepared—today—to spend a minimum of $150,000 to assist and get the façade work done. And that’s a minimum,” Batson said. “There’s going to be much more beyond that each subsequent year as we add to it. We care about what we are building down there. It looks too good to stop now.”

At the end of the city council meeting, no agreement was reached regarding Calera Main Street’s proposed plan and Calera City Attorney Grace Graham requested more time to review the situation. Discussion will likely resume at the next city council meeting on Monday, July 29.