Category of Service: Community Improvement & Economic Development

Mission

The Mission of the Monongahela Main Street Program is: to strengthen the historic West Main Street business district, to achieve "a Thriving Downtown and a Fully Engaged Community," using the National Main Street Program's Four-Point Approach (TM).

Programs and Services

• The Monongahela Main Street Program (MMSP) is all about revitalization of the West Main Street business district. Our Organization follows the trademarked 4-Point Approach (Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Vitality) as formulated by the National Main Street Center® (AKA Main Street America®). We balance Promotion of Downtown with Design improvements to enhance Economic Vitality. In 2024, our membership in the National Main Street Center® has once again been categorized as an "Accredited Program," meaning we are in the upper category of membership in Main Street America based on how we reported on our program’s work. We are also members of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Our program has successfully nominated Monongahela activities three times and won statewide "Townie Awards” those three times, the PDC’s highest annual recognition for projects. As we get the word out about how exciting, active, and attractive our Downtown is, we are also building a revitalized local Economy by leading the way for marketing the community through its heritage and charm, encouraging inter-organizational cooperation, and finding ways to fix things that have been in poor repair in our Downtown area. We emphasize grass-roots involvement from local citizens: We focus on bringing people back Downtown to rebuild it as the center of the community.
• Perhaps more than any other local organization, we promote cooperation between 50 other groups that sponsor events/activities in our downtown area yearly (about 900 scheduled activities in a typical year). Rather than competing with these groups, we seek to encourage cooperation, promoting what they are already doing and working with them on joint projects. We encourage everyone to see a successful downtown as an important aspect of their involvement here. We keep track of things. We gather information on all buildings and businesses downtown so we can help to make it all into a unified effort. We have contact data on available spaces, demographics, photographs, historical material, etc., for when businesses are looking for a place to locate. We report to City Council, the Chamber, and several other organizations monthly. We also represent Monongahela at Main Street networking meetings, Pennsylvania Downtown Center conferences, and similar events.
• Our Monongahela Youth Main Street Program (AKA "M.y. Main St") holds an award-winning annual summer street fair in July. In October, we hang freshly carved jack-o-lanterns from 40-60 utility poles along West Main Street in time for the Halloween parade. While raising some funds, the project involves about 100 people: local sponsors, young families that help us carve them, etc. We buy supplies locally, and use the carved symbols to represent local events. The pumpkins are given to farms to compost or feed to animals afterward. We also hold shopping tour events several times a year.
• We serve as the local member of the statewide non-profit Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC) and of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center® (NMSC), AKA Main Street America®. This gives us access to trademarked ideas of the NMSC. The NMSC’s 4-Point Approach(T) model is at work now in thousands of U.S. towns. Our involvement with PDC & NMSC also connects our town to what’s happening at the state level and in other MSP downtowns.

Primary Revenue Sources

Donations, a fundraising coupon calendar, and occasional grants

Primary Fundraising Event

Avenue of the Hanging Jack-O-Lanterns

2024 Financials

Contact