2020 was a year of renewal and re-imagination for Main Street Fairmont (MSF), both internally and externally. After the exit of two Executive Directors in less than one year, the organization’s Board of Directors set out to evaluate the internal operation of the organization, its goals, and objectives.
This year, the board has:
Revamped the Executive Director’s position and hired a new Director with a passion for community development
Reviewed internal operation of the organization to reduce ineffective practices and costs
Developed an operational manual and of Main Street Fairmont to ensure the preservation of institutional knowledge and aid in succession planning
Updated the MSF Bylaws
Focused on improving relationships with community partners and the perception of MSF by the public
Conducted a day-long strategic planning session to focus our efforts and increase the positive impact of our actions on the community
Approved an incubator concept which allows MSF to share office space with a start-up business, with the long term goal of producing another stand-alone business that wants to be located in downtown Fairmont
Revised the criteria for selecting new, effective members of the Board
While the majority of the changes above are internal, their positive impact is visible in the services provided to the community in a year where a global pandemic halted many activities. In partnership with numerous community volunteers, partners, business owners, city and county governments, and numerous others came together to accomplish the following in 2020:
Created a HGTV video featuring Fairmont
Initiated a “Drive for25” campaign aimed at increasing traffic downtown. This program brought both state and national attention to Fairmont
Organized one Hometown Saturday event with more than 250 people in attendance
Partnered with the Fairmont Farmers Market to create two COVID-safe Hometown Markets, which brought over 500 people to downtown Fairmont
Organized three downtown beautification days, where more than 20 volunteers turned out to help spruce up the city
With the assistance of other partners, painted the facade of one vacant building on Adams Street
Instituted a social media campaign that has reached more than 500,000 people on social media
Created a new website for Main Street Fairmont
Created a televised cooking school that was later streamed online with more than 11,000 people online
Partnered with other non-profits and small businesses to create a drive-thru Feast of the Seven Fishes that provided in excess of $2,500 to small businesses and allowed us to keep the tradition alive
Increased our volunteer database by 80% and provided more than 1,500 hours of community volunteer service to the community. Using the average hourly rate in WV, we estimate the volunteer time alone is valued at $22,715.00
Partnered with a number of local organizations to launch the Discover the Friendly City campaign
Coordinated 3 webcasts featuring state and national officials who disseminated information to business leaders necessary for applying for CARE funds
Assisted several downtown businesses in the preparation of grant proposals which, if successful, will provide up to $45,000 to struggling downtown businesses
We at Main Street Fairmont would like to thank all of the dedicated community-minded individuals and businesses who worked so hard to make all of these activities possible. As one Marion County resident put it:
“The Community has really come together and have shown what teamwork can really
accomplish.”