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"A National Main Street Revitalization Program"


Original City of Anniston Fire Station
City Hall, and Police Station

LINKS


City of Anniston


Calhoun County


Calhoun County 
Chamber of Commerce


Downtown Anniston
Business Association


Anniston - Calhoun
County Public Library


Anniston Museum of
Natural History


Berman Museum of
World History


The Anniston Star
Newspaper



Spirit of Anniston Program
1018 Noble Street 
Anniston, AL  36202

Hours of Operation: 
Monday through Friday
from 8 AM until 5 PM
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Phone:   256-236-0996 
FAX:      256-238-1827

E-mail:
soainformation@spiritofanniston.org

 
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 Organization
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 A Message From The President
 Committees

2007 Board of Directors
 Officers:  .  .
Jim Miller
President
 Anniston Water Works & Sewer Board
Ann Welch
V.President  Nunnally's Framing
Paul McKay
Secretary /
Treasurer
 Alagasco
Directors: . .
Ken Bice
Past Pres.
Telephone Communications
Robert Jackson
The Anniston Star
Marc Spaulding
  Cane Creek Golf Course
Sam Phillips
Anniston EMS
Rod James
Primerica
Julie Brothers
Auto Custom Carpet
Bill Jackson
Rogers, Young, Wollstein, Jackson & Whittington
Danny Shears
Moore Printing
Betty Carr
Classic on Noble
Jean Ann Oglesby
Prestige Medical Spa
Patrick Wigley
Wig's Wheels
Sherri Sumners
Chamber of Commerce
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From the President: Jim Miller
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
New Era Begins at The Spirit

 Downtown Anniston first felt the presence of the Spirit in 1993 when visionary community leaders raised several hundred thousand dollars to launch the organization and hired Scott Barksdale as its first director.  Under his able leadership the rebirth of downtown began; it wasn’t easy but Scott always believed it was worth the effort to save the heart of the city.

 Scott sought out and supported the small businesses that stayed downtown and bucked the trend to move further out. Some of them are still thriving today and their owners will quickly tell you that Scott was an integral part of their success. He did everything from introducing them to local bankers to locating the perfect door for the front of their shop.

 As an ardent student of Anniston history, Scott could tell you who occupied almost any building and when.  He was instrumental in the “Streetscape,” tenaciously campaigning for the project that reshaped traffic patterns on Noble Street and accelerated the revitalization and new look of the City center.

 Two years ago Scott suffered a serious stroke and is still working to recover.  The Spirit organization did not languish in his absence however, mainly due to the capable help of John Norton, a local attorney and former two-term city councilman. 
 As an interim director, John kept things going, locating notable developers and matching them to vacant properties that will soon be viable again. The Spirit program will long be in debt to the dedication, expertise and tenacity of these two gentlemen.

 Earlier this year the Spirit Board began a national search for a new permanent director.  With applicants from as far away as California, it was apparent from the start that there was interest in this community and we would have a tough job selecting just the right person…one who had a background in the field of revitalization but who would fit in a mid-size southern city with an interesting past.

 Enter Betsy Bean. It soon became obvious to the search committee through telephone interviews and then personal interviews that standing head and shoulders above the rest was a lady of small stature but big ideas and proven success. You may have already met Betsy but if you haven’t please take the time to do so; she welcomes your input and ideas.

 From the outset, Betsy began educating the Board about the value of the National Main Street program and its four guiding principles. It is a model for success that has worked in over 2,000 communities across the nation. (See the front page)

What You Can Do to Help?

 The Spirit of Anniston Main Street Program is not a club and in spite of what one phone caller thought, it is not a restaurant! In following the tenets of the Main Street model, we will be “enlarging the tent” so to speak. In other words, to be successful, we have to involve more and more people in the work of the Spirit and keep fresh ideas flowing steadily into the organization. Soon we will be organizing volunteer committees to tackle all sorts of re-development issues such as landscaping and other appearance issues, event development and assistance, downtown master planning, a minority business association, creation of a retail incubator, and much more. Skeptics abound and while some will always see the glass as half empty, no one else can save downtown but us, you and me, and our friends and neighbors. I invite and value your help, and if you’ve never done anything like this before, don’t worry, we are all learning together. But we have the advantage of having a director who has been there, done that, and isn’t afraid of the challenges.

 And, she’s putting together a great staff. Melanie Hill has just joined the team as our new events and marketing coordinator. In fact, she’s already convened a committee to plan Christmas events. 
 Finally, nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished without hard work; the Spirit staff and Board have rolled up their sleeves. As you think about your ideas for this City and how we can make them happen, also think about where your work can fit in. If we all pull together, great things can happen in Our Town!

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  • Express your opinion!  Join a committee!
The Spirit of Anniston has four standing committees that correspond to the four points of the National Main Street revitalization process. In time, various subcommittees will be formed to address Anniston’s specific issues and interests. The four committees are:
  • Organization involves getting everyone working toward the same goal and assembling the appropriate human and financial resources to implement a Main Street revitalization program. A governing board and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of the volunteer-driven program. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director as well.
  • Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the Main Street district. By marketing a district's unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the district and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.
  • Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape. Capitalizing on its best assets — such as historic buildings and pedestrian-oriented streets — is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere, created through attractive window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping, conveys a positive visual message about the commercial district and what it has to offer. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long-term planning.
  • Economic Restructuring strengthens a community's existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. The Main Street program helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today's consumers' needs. Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district.

Anniston is our city.  Help to make it a better place to:

LIVE    WORK    PLAY   BUILD  PRESERVE

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Copyright 2002-2007, Spirit of Anniston Main Street Program, Inc., All rights Reserved 
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