The Albert Lea City Council on Monday approved allocating $20,000 toward an effort to increase economic development and vitality in a portion of the business district in the city.

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the city and volunteers, are seeking to designate Albert Lea as part of the Main Street program.

Known at the state level as Main Street Minnesota and at the national level as Main Street America — the program has been implemented in more than 2,000 cities and towns across the nation with the help of statewide revitalization programs and the National Main Street Center at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It focuses on economic vitality, design, promotion and organization as its four pillars and aims to harness the assets of a community to lead to tangible outcomes that benefit the entire community.

Chamber Executive Director Rhonda Jordal said during the work session prior to the council meeting that being a part of the program opens the city up for opportunities for growth and to obtain various grants otherwise not available.

Other designated Main Street communities in Minnesota — Faribault, Mankato, New Ulm, Northfield, Owatonna, Red Wing, Shakopee, Wabasha, Willmar and Winona — have seen positive growth, revitalization and improvement in their Main Street district, including an increase in foot traffic, activities in the downtown and in businesses and revenue.

The area that would be included in Albert Lea’s Main Street district includes the downtown, including North and South Broadway, portions of Fountain Street, Bridge Avenue and Main Street. South Broadway all the way to Hardee’s is also included.

Jordal said 2017 statistics show that for every $1 spent to run a Main Street program, $23.77 was invested back into the community.

Background information provided to the council by Jordal during the council’s work session Monday shows the program will be staffed with chamber staff, city staff, as well as committee volunteers. Jordal will serve as the program director. Only .2 FTE will be paid staff, and the rest of the chamber staff, city staff and volunteers will be in-kind.

In the first year, the program is expected to complete several tasks:

Develop committees, branding and marketing strategies related to the four pillars of the program.

Create a database of businesses in the Main Street district.

Create retail campaigns for the district to help drive foot traffic.

Partner with Wind Down Wednesday volunteers to learn the event, help with the event and eventually take charge of the event.

Be the liaison with business owners and managers in the district about what the Main Street program is and grant opportunities available.

Identify grants that could be used for buildings in the Main Street district.

Create two to five events in the first year.

Develop and maintain a system to track the progress of the program.

After that, Jordal said leaders of the program would look to partner to create parklets at several locations, organize a retail or restaurant challenge, install benches around the downtown area, clean up alleyways, host art and diversity events and identify grants for second-level housing in the downtown.

“Everything that the Main Street program does focuses on having an active community in the downtown, increasing value of buildings in the downtown, having pleasing aesthetics in the Main Street District, making Albert Lea a place that our community wants to be involve in and that visitors want to come to and enjoy,” Jordal said in the background information.

She said the local people running the program would be accountable not only to the chamber’s board of directors but also the Main Street program at the state and higher levels.

Second Ward Councilor Larry Baker asked during the work session if the $20,000 from the city would be a one-time allocation or if it would be asked to contribute each year.

City Manager Chad Adams said if results are shown, the city could contribute more, but it is not intended to be a long-term funder of the program.

Chamber Board member Tricia Dahl said the program incorporates many of the efforts already underway in the city and would align with the direction the city is moving.

“It’s about revitalizing what’s already there and making it grow,” Chamber Board member Beau Hartman added, noting it would have a ripple effect throughout the entire community.

Jordal stated at a previous meeting she was sending in the application to be designated a Main Street community at the end of April.