New Mexico MainStreet Winter Quarterly Meeting
Last week I
had the pleasure of traveling up to Santa Fe to attend the New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) winter quarterly meeting for three days. The meeting featured MainStreet programs from all over New Mexico with representatives ranging from small villages to larger cities.NMMS is a non-profit organization that serves to create economic development and revitalize downtown areas across New Mexico.
So how does NMMS work?
With help from grants, and tax increment funding (TIF) main streets across New Mexico have the opportunity to create tourist destinations for travelers, as well as locals, to enjoy a truly hands-on New Mexico experience.
The meeting featured information sessions for community leaders and legislators to improve and maximize potential development strategies for their community. Featured sessions included the use of a TIF versus a Tax Increment Development District (TIDD) and how a community can choose the right economic plan to create progress in their downtown.
What projects are featured at the meeting?
Over the course of the meeting I got to learn about some amazing projects in other New Mexico MainStreet communities. My favorite project discussed at the meeting is simple yet brings a whole new atmosphere to downtown. The Gallup alleyway project, inspired from alleys in Austin, TX brings color, life, and community interactions into downtown Gallup.
In my opinion one of the coolest parts, and perhaps least exciting to other people, of this project is the innovation of sustainable trash receptacles. These trash “silos” are built beneath ground allowing more space for community activities as well as having an easy clean up for garbage disposal through a net gathering system. The net system catches all the trash and easily allows collectors to put the trash into trucks and reuse the net.
Other NMMS communities in New Mexico are completing brilliant projects such as gardens, visitor centers, and even a brewery. Thanks to the NMMS network and DLCP, Las Cruces was able to construct the Plaza de Las Cruces.
What projects would you like to see happen in downtown Las Cruces? Leave us a comment down below!
For more information on New Mexico MainStreet and how to get involved check out their website here.
