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Strategy key to success
Another community for which
Ayres helped develop a Main Street
strategic plan was Meeker, Colorado.
A largely agricultural community of
2,300 residents nestled in the White
River Valley in northwestern Colorado,
Meeker is largely isolated from
other communities, sitting near the
intersection of two state highways.
Much like Buena Vista, Meeker’s
downtown also fell victim to having a
major highway running through town
– but not quite through its center.
“People would drive through, but
didn’t realize we had a Main Street
just one block over,” said Stephanie
Kobald, executive director of the
Meeker Chamber of Commerce. “We
wanted people to know there’s more
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to explore in our town.”
To that end, Meeker joined the
Colorado Main Street program,
ultimately working with Ayres to
develop a strategic plan for its
downtown. This process brought
together many different groups that
previously had ideas for revitalizing
the Main Street but hadn’t yet pooled
their knowledge and resources.
“When we would talk about ideas
to improve our town, there were a
lot of ideas but not a single source
for someone to take the reins and get
things done,” Kobald said. “The Main
Street program allowed us to come
together and put action to some of
those ideas. The Main Street group is
the hub that serves as the umbrella
over all the groups.” Thanks to the
help from the Main Street program
and Ayres, some projects in Meeker’s
strategic plan are already under way,
including placing signage on the main
highway directing people
to downtown.
Kobald said she was