By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur City Council has given a major boost to the Decatur Main Street volunteer group as the latter seeks to jump to a higher level of of achievement within the state organization.
Council, at its latest meeting, unanimously approved a $25,000 donation to the local group, which has been quite active in providing local downtown events in recent years.
Max Miller, president of Decatur Main Street, told council at the meeting that his organization was recently designated as an Aspiring Indiana Accredited Main Street (A-IAMS) program.
The A-AIMS designates are within one year of meeting all Accreditation Standards set forth by Main Street America, according to Miller, who attended the meeting along with Kim Brandt and Jamie Gephart, two other local Main Streeters.
The Accreditation Standards level allows groups with that designation to achieve grants to further and expand their work.
The designation, however, requires the Decatur organization to hire a full-time, paid director. That brings an overall need of $75,000 (salary, office space, etc.), according to Miller.
Council approved the Decatur group’s request for $25,000, which puts its a third of the way to the monetary goal.
Another $25,000 is being sought from the Decatur Redevelopment Commission, Miller said.
A state Patronicity grant, which requires a 50/50 match, also may be sought.
Paperwork to apply for the higher level must be submitted by the end of the year.
Only 21 Main Street programs in the state are accredited at this time, according to Miller, a local businessman.
Since the city had not budgeted a $25,000 donation to the local Main Streeters, Councilman Tyler Fullenkamp moved to take the funds from the 2026 facade program.
The city puts $50,000 into the facade improvement program each year.
Fullenkamp pointed out that all facade requests were approved this year and $12,000 was still left over. So he moved to take the $25,000 from next year’s budgeted $50,000.
“I like that idea,” Councilwoman Abby Wilder said in seconding the motion.
With the higher designation, “I think you could do a lot for the downtown,” Mayor Dan Rickord said.
NOTE: The $12,000 left over in this year’s facade program was earlier turned over by council to the Main Street organization to be used in its plan to spruce up a downtown alley and make it pedestrian friendly.
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