Main Street El Dorado is reaching out to businesses to gather information about properties within its district and enter the information into a software program that is designed develop an inventory, keep the program organized and meet requirements that are set by Main Street Arkansas.
Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, said MSA has purchased the Maestro Community Manager software as a tool that local Main Street programs can compile data about properties within MSE's 30-block footprint, which stretches from Peach Street to Hillsboro/U.S. 82 B between West and Madison avenues.
"It can track volunteers, any improvements to downtown properties. It can be used for our re-investment reports and it also helps to keep a record going forward," Brumley explained.
"Most of that information has been passed on on paper from (MSE) director to (MSE) director -- some good, some not so good," continued. "When I got here, there was an Excel spreadsheet somebody had done in the 90s."
She said MSE is looking for such information as the year a building was built; the square footage; property owners and contact information; businesses that are housed within a building/tenant list; how long a business has been open and how long it has been located in downtown El Dorado; the number of employees for each business; whether a building serves residential and/or commercial purposes, property/business re-investments and improvements; and more.
There are an estimated 230 - 240 businesses within the MSE district, Brumley said, noting that some multi-floor buildings house several businesses and offices that offer retail and professional services.
She said MSE has recorded 110 business listings within its footprint.
The business inventory that is entered into the Maestro program helps MSE track data that is required by Main Street Arkansas, who maintains the information to help improve Main Street and downtown revitalization programs across the state.
"It helps with our reports. Say, there was a $30,000 investment within our footprint, they like to look at investments in cities that have Main Street programs and in cities that don't," said Brumley.
In turn, MSE can use the data to assist businesses and make them aware of services that MSE offers.
Brumley said MSE has been trying to gather the applicable information since 2017, shortly after she was appointed to the executive director's position, but has not garnered much luck, particularly with businesses and properties outside of the area that immediately surrounds the downtown square.
She said the group has a good rapport and working relationship with property and business owners within two blocks of the Union County Courthouse but in the farther reaches in the 30-block radius, MSE has been met with resistance and skepticism from some businesses.
Some buildings are owned by corporations and contact information for the owner(s) is not always readily available, said Brumley.
She said MSE has researched downtown buildings but has still been unable to pin down contact information for some property owners.
"We know the property owners in the core of downtown but outside the core, we don't have those relationships. They think it's a scam. It's not a scam. They think we just do events but we're also about economic development and historic preservation," Brumley said.
Last week, Brumley, MSE Executive Assistant Holly McDonald and MSE Administrative Assistant Emilia Meinert hit the streets and walked door to door to visit downtown businesses and speak to them about the Maestro program.
Now, MSE is looking to schedule a meeting with property owners so they can learn more about MSE, its mission and the assistance it offers.
"We can help them with things like our mini-grant program and if they're power-washing a business, we can look at it and make sure that it fits within the (El Dorado Historic District Commission's design) guidelines," she said.
The guidelines apply to the city's commercial historic district, which largely overlaps the MSE district.
A Certificate of Appropriateness is required from the EHDC for most exterior projects within the commercial historic district.
"Some buildings look horrible. We have a couple of vacant businesses that are used for storage and they don't take care of the outside," Brumley said. "If they're looking to fill the space by moving a businesses in there, we can help with that. We get calls from people all the time who are looking to move downtown."
Brumley said MSE can also inform property owners about details that can help or hinder the economic vitality of the Main Street district.
She referred to buildings that are not maintained and those that may have first-floor residential space.
"If people, visitors, are walking around downtown and they see things like that, they may think there's nothing going on in that building and they're not going to walk in certain areas downtown," she said.
The paperwork for the Maestro program comes with a form for business owners and a separate form for property owners/managers.
"They're not always the same. We're just trying to get the information into people's hands," said Brumley.
For more information, call the MSE office at 870-862-4747 or send an email to [email protected]. Also visit the MSE Facebook page or website at www.mainstreeteldorado.org.