09/07/2013 Chehalis Renaissance Team Explores State Main Street Program

September 17, 2013
By Kyle Spurr, The Chronicle

Members of the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team gathered Monday afternoon to explore the possibility of joining the Washington State Main Street Program, which offers cities assistance with projects and tax breaks for businesses. 

Sarah Hansen, the Washington State Main Street coordinator, met with the Chehalis Renaissance members and other city officials in Chehalis City Hall on Monday to explain the state program.

The Main Street Program uses a four-point approach for cities, which includes organization, promotion, design and economic reconstruction. 

“It’s incredibly comprehensive and allows you to focus where you want to focus,” Hansen said. 

Often, cities that join the Main Street Program have to create a nonprofit committee, Hansen said. However, since Chehalis already has the Renaissance Team, it can be used as the committee if it encompasses the four points laid out by the state. 

“It’s time for us to grow up as an organization,” Renaissance Chair David Hartz said. 

Hartz, along with the others at the meeting Monday, broke down each of the Renaissance Team projects and placed them into the four categories of organization, promotion, design and economic reconstruction.

All of the projects — including Discover! Children’s Museum, wayfinding signs and downtown flower baskets — fit into each of the four categories. 

Hartz said that it is a good sign for the Renaissance Team to already be prepared for the program’s assistance.

“Pretty much we now have to decide if we want to join the program,” Hartz said. “I’ll take that back to the board.”  

The Centralia Downtown Association already uses the services from the Main Street Program, including tax breaks for business owners. 

The program offers a tax credit incentive program where businesses can opt to redirect business and occupation or public utility tax credits to the local nonprofit committee rather than to the state. 

The Department of Revenue has to approve the donation requests, and then the businesses can be eligible for a tax credit worth 75 percent of the contribution. 

“One of the things that is most attractive for businesses paying B&O taxes is instead of the taxes going up to Olympia a business can redirect those funds to stay here locally,” Hartz said.