Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG – Christiansburg Town Council voted to offer a letter of support to DCI to participate in the next tier of the Virginia Main Street Program; Mobilizing Main Street.
In the absence and on the behalf of Elli Travis, President of Downtown Christiansburg Inc, Christina Bolt presented to the town council general details and information regarding the Virginia Main Street Program. According to the presentation, Mobilizing Main Street is the second tier of the three tier Virginia Main Street program, which helps revitalize and manage smaller to medium sized downtown areas of town in the state of Virginia. If approved to move forward, Bolt explained Mobilizing Main Street is a two-year program that would begin in the new year of 2025. Bolt also explained that if the town were to agree to a letter of support, they’d also be agreeing to open communication between DCI and downtown as well as being able to be a part of the vision and conversation around revitalizing Christiansburg’s downtown area.
The letter of support does not require any financial commitment from the town, it just simply states that they are willing to support this effort and be in conversation with the bodies that are working toward revitalization. The open communication part of that support would come in the form of a town council member and staff member sitting on the Mobilizing Main Street Board to actively participate in those discussions. After the two-year Mobilizing Main Street program, DCI and Christiansburg could apply to participate in the third tier of Virginia Main Street; Advancing Main Street. The Advancing Main Street Program would potentially require funding support from the town, but the current tier DCI is applying for, Mobilizing Main Street, does not require financial support at this time.
Bolt showed, in her presentation, the town council other nearby towns like Lexington, Harrisonburg and Wytheville who have utilized this program and rejuvenated their downtown areas. According to the presentation, Wytheville, since being part of the Mobilizing Main Street program, has created, retained and expanded 85 businesses. They have also created and retained almost 300 jobs.
The Mobilizing Main Street program wouldn’t just expand business in Christiansburg’s downtown, it would implement positive change, improve the look of downtown g through the Facade Grant, and hopefully make downtown Christiansburg “The place to be.”
“I think I see this personally as very low risk,” Council Member Tonya Hockett said. “It doesn’t cost us anything. It hasn’t cost us anything, but it does say that we will commit to having a town staff person and a town council member actively involved in those plannings and procedures, which to my understanding now, that there is a separation. It’s solely DCI by themselves volunteering to assess improvements for downtown and so I think moving to the second tier gives us a voice, gives them guidance and direction. It costs us nothing; this is extremely low risk. If we benefit nothing at all from this, then we have paid nothing at all and we are volunteering some council member time.”