Chamber, MCBD and city ready to support impacted businesses during Main Street reconstruction

T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM
Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Hall tells business owners how they will be supported during the upcoming Main Street reconstruction project. He met with them during a special Main Street Reconstruction meeting on Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second article in a two-part series on the planned Main Street reconstruction project.)

Trying to make the upcoming Main Street construction project as painless as possible is the goal for city officials and the leaders of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce and the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD).

During the Main Street Reconstruction meeting at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, Chamber President/CEO John Hall and MCBD Executive Director Deb Millizer laid out the plan to help people through the process and try to lessen the impact.

Hall said the two-year project, slated to begin in 2025, will be tough, but ensuring customer access to impacted businesses is an important component.

“We know full well that Main Street reconstruction is a challenging process,” he said. “It will be a tough two years, but you think about the investment being asked to be made. This is a generational investment into our downtown.”

Maintaining access has been a big source of anxiety for business owners, and the Chamber has received a lot of feedback on that, he said.

“Front door access is going to be maintained and available, other than brief periods of time,” Hall said. “We will need to coordinate closures in order to allow the project to move forward.”

He said they want to make clear that supporting the impacted businesses is a collaborative effort between the Chamber, the MCBD and the City of Marshalltown.

“Hopefully we can navigate through this because on the other side we know, not even anecdotally, we know with metrics the return on investment to you as business owners is tremendous,” Hall said.

There are three areas that will be focused on when it comes to helping businesses:

• First is communication with the owners and the public. An email with updates will be sent every week with progress from the previous week and expectations for the next. There will be a dedicated construction website and social media page. Hall said the social media will be lighthearted to engage the community to make people feel like downtown is accessible. In addition, a monthly progress segment will be included in the Chamber Digest. There will also be signs at the intersections to direct people to businesses and help them know where to park. A branding package from the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Main Street Iowa program is expected to be finished at the end of January;

• The second is engagement, which will give owners opportunities to step out of their businesses and take deliberate actions to engage. Hall said business owners from other communities who have endured similar projects will be brought in for a panel discussion and to answer questions. There will be dedicated office hours at the Chamber during which city, Chamber and MCBD officials will be on hand to address challenges and concerns. Posters for each business will be made containing information about how people can reach the business and how to learn more about the project;

The third is direct marketing support for businesses. The Chamber and the MCBD will have dedicated social media blasts. Hall said all businesses, whether they are Chamber members or not, will be supported and highlighted. There will not be a paywall to access resources. The Chamber will send out promotional emails every month containing promotions and specials of businesses in the affected area. A series of events have been discussed but are not yet set. At the end of the two-year project, there will be a big celebration and ribbon cutting.

“It’s worthy of noting, a lot of this is going to require action on you as business owners, to take some steps in order to engage on this,” Hall said. “If your sole effort is going to rely on those of us at the front of the room to support your business, we’re not going to be able to deploy necessary resources.”

Millizer told attendees about grants which business owners could receive, such as for facade incentives and city code upgrades. The code upgrade grant was developed to bring vibrancy to under-utilized spaces, she said.

“The city and the MCBD met, and we talked about how we can utilize that city code upgrade grant to help in this process,” Millizer said. “Through that conversation, we talked about adding ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility as part of this grant.”

There may be some businesses who would benefit from having ADA accessibility at the rear of the building. That is something which was proposed to the city, and she said the council is still going through the steps.

“This is a great opportunity, once we get this through the city council, which, by the way, they were very supportive of this,” Millizer said. “They want to see everybody successful and have access to buildings, to your businesses.”

The MCBD is also working on a safety and security grant. She said some of the areas behind businesses are dark. People might not feel safe, but the alleyways will have to be used more often.

“The grant will help with adding alleyway lighting,” Millizer said. “We’re also offering, as part of that, a security camera grant process. A little proactiveness goes a long way. We’re also adding the ability to enclose your refuse containers.”

The cameras will not be connected to the Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) but will be owned by the businesses. She said the owners will be asked to provide footage to the police if something happens downtown.

“We all care about our neighbors, so we want to take care of that,” Millizer said. “We have not ironed out the full details yet. Each of the subcategories, at the conversation right now we have it set up, the city would reimburse 50 percent, up to $5,000 on each of those three subcategories with a max of $7,500 and the max would be available in a five-year period. You can reapply again for it in those five years. Those details are not final, but it’s an example of some of the things the city and the MCBD are working on.”

CUSTOMER LOYALTY TIPS:

Millizer provided meeting attendees with tips on ways to increase customer loyalty before the construction begins:

Enhance customer service. Staff should be well informed about the construction. Train them on customer service practices when answering questions and concerns. Respond to feedback. Curbside pickup and extended business hours can make it easier for customers.

Create promotions before the project begins. Business owners can create discounts or kick-off deals. Get the word out about the promotions via in-store signage, social media and email. After the construction begins, launch a shop local campaign highlighting business partnerships.

Develop a loyalty program with tiered rewards to bring customers back to the business. Reward updates should be provided to the customers to help keep interest.

Host events to share information about the project, and to encourage customers to return and to promote the business. The events, which should be shared on social media, can include customer appreciation days or themed nights. Entertainment and refreshments should be provided. Businesses can also collaborate on the events.

Communication with customers is important. Improve online presence by providing regular construction updates and business promotions. Owners can create an online chat to address concerns quickly. Keep customers updated on the project through newsletters and social media. The business website could provide a page dedicated to that effort.

Collaborate with complementing businesses. A joint marketing campaign can be developed to benefit all businesses involved.

Maintain a positive outlook on the project. Share the long-term benefits of the reconstruction, and customer testimonials who appreciate the improvements.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.