Community Main Street Improvement Team
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Sheridan Main Street Improvement Team is always up to something. That’s how the new park on Sheridan’s Main Street sprang from the disparaging litter filled, vacant lot. And that’s how a beautiful new sign was erected at the edge of city limits, and how flower pots and banners continue to brighten the streetscape. And the newest project, Period Street Lights for the Main Street Corridor, is by far the largest project the team has taken on. But it is a project that has been brewing, and festering for over ten years, and while the many other projects have come to fruition, the Main Street Period Lighting Project has bided it’s time, waiting for the ideas to ripen and be perfected and finally to come to the top of the team’s Goals List. So how will a small non-profit group pay for a whole Main Street Corridor of Period Light Poles? Same as always. FUND RAISE!!! If you would like to know anything about MSIT, their purpose, goals, aims, plans, etc., please just ask any one of the officers:Macel Anderson, President, Kim Beal, Vice President; Kay Carter-Colwell, Secretary; and Julie Ward, Treasurer.We meet the first Friday of every month at 7:30 a.m. at Booze & Buns and would love to have you join us!
Dan Kentworthy and his son, Colter, have just finished laying washed rock and installing the metal border around the Sheridan Entrance sign. It looks awesome, and Main Street Improvement Team wants everyone to know how much we appreciate your donation of so much time and energy to the project. You Rock! Ruby Valley Barn Quilt Introduced by Sheridan Main Street Improvement Team
Main Street Park is finally a reality! Before and After
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED! Brad Schwend, Janet Marsh, Chet Allinson and Larry McParland for moving and leveling the dirt; Paul Marsh for rotatiling the top soil; and Jim Kaatz for doing the concrete work for our new Interpretative Sign.
A few notes from the Annual Meeting MSIT Mingling for Main Street (wine tasting ) is at a different time this year. It will be held on Friday July 30th at 6:30 p.m. It will be held in the new Main Street Park and will run in conjunction with the All Class Reunion July 31 Aug 1. If you haven't gotten any information about the reunion, contact Shelly Burke or Chris Mumme to get you what they have planned so far.
MSIT has a few lofty goals this year, so we'll be busy getting the Landscaping done at the new south entrance sign. We will also be getting the landscaping at the new Main St. Park (at least to a more visually pleasing state), and a new historical informational sign will be put up in the new park. We'll have our gratitude BBQ for all of those that helped to get the first entry sign completed. We are having our wine tasting and silent auction, and we will be getting the north entry sign up but probably no landscaping and lighting til next year. Lots to do.
New sign is the work of a year long effort The scroll work is of a heart (for The Heart of the Ruby Valley) the tendrils on either side of the heart, depict the Ruby River and Mill Creek. The arrows are pointing to the word 'Sheridan' above on the sign
MAIN STREET IMPROVEMENT TEAM would like to extend their special thanks to the following for helping with the new Town Signs: · JDL Construction who donated a lot to their time and manpower to get the site ready, pour concrete pillars, erect the posts and hang the sign. · Of course, to Glen and Ann Goldthwait have been involved from the very beginning and have fretted over the out come as much as the rest of us. He is the artist that did all of the iron work on the sign. · To The Twin Bridges/Sheridan Rotary took out the old fence and put up the new one. · And to Neil Todd allowed us the use of his property. And to the community members at large who have stood behind us!
photos by Kay Colwell
VISION STATEMENT: “To ensure an attractive and functional Main Street which will generate pride of ownership and community patriotism.” Main Street Improvement has received official word from the IRS that they have been approved as a tax exempt organization! Our current status is a 509(a)2 [Advance Ruling 501(C)3].
Next Meeting - See community calendar for details
Goal: 4-6 flower barrels on Main Street - Sherry Huff and Kim Beal Goal: All banners hung by June 1st - Dan Kenworthy Goal: Entrance Signs up early spring - Julie Ward, Frank and Bev Ford Goal: Quarterly communications with all business owners in Sheridan, The Madisonianm The Montana Standard and updates on our progress and activities.
Get the Meeting Notes 2010 2009
* To ensure an attractive and functional Main Street which will generate pride of ownership and community patriotism.
* To attract tourist and resident interest in Main Street and Sheridan businesses.
* To improve economic development and opportunity for Main Street and side street businesses by enhancing the appeal of Main Street.
* To secure and invest funds and manpower to restore and enhance Main Street.
* To form local committees and special interest groups (I.e., students as well as business persons) to realize the vision for Main Street beautification.
* To "get ourselves on the map". MSIT sponsors the annual "Mingling on main street Wine Festival"
Macel Anderson - President 842-5790 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Scott Payne – Vice President 842-7224 Mary Oliver - Secretary 842-5650 Julie Ward - Treasurer 842-5485 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Members:
Kim Beal, Frank Ford, Beverly Ford, Matt and Suzanne Hill (Mill Creek Inn), Sherry Huff, Stephanie Kruer, Larry Moulson, Mary Oliver, John Pohl
November 5th, 2009
Macel Anderson reported on the recent collaboration between the Main Street Improvement Team (MSIT) and a Montana Tech conference which brought some of the conference attendees to visit the Ruby Garnet Mine. At the conference, Macel made a presentation about the mining history of Sheridan and the MSIT. February 3, 2009 Montana Department of Transportation has been working on our Sheridan / Main Street Hwy project file more actively with all this talk of federal recovery funds.
Brief summary:
A designer and division manager both told me our concept design includes angled parking. This is great news. We will lose some parking because of the angle but we have angled parking in our Main Street design for now. GREAT NEWS. They even stated the fact that once a town has parallel parking it will never be allowed to have angled again so they took our comments seriously back in 2006. Montanat Department of Transportation MDT plans on coordinating a town meeting to present and solicit comments on the Conceptual design in March or April 2009.
Although stimulus monies are trickling into Montana this year, the division manager told me they are looking to shovel ready projects (90 days or less out). But this may mean that the stimulus money project use will free up other project $ and we may be scheduled a little sooner for our build but they are estimating 2010 or 2011 build date.
After the Concept public meeting, the MDT works on the Line and Grade design and have one more public meeting. They have a 1 to 2 year timeline on design completion.
We will all have to make sure the public meetings are well attended. Also MSIT may want to coordinate with the designers from the Concept Phase meeting to ensure their dreams are factored in: accent sidewalks and crosswalks and old fashion light posts, etc.
The Sheridan Main Street improvement team was formed in 2004 as a committee appointed by the mayor of Sheridan and the Town Council. The formation of the Main Street team (or MSIT) was a result of several residents expressing a concern over the crumbling sidewalks, the town needing a facelift and new life added to our existing buildings and businesses, and the fact that the Montana Department of Transportation was looking at redoing our Main Street, which is also State Highway 287. There were major concerns about sidewalks, crosswalks, parking issues, etc. The mayor of Sheridan and the town council appointed two Town Council members and several other interested residents to work with the Montana Department of Transportation (MT DOT) to ensure that the wishes of the community were respected in regards to sidewalk, lighting, parking issues, green areas, etc.. Our first formal meeting was held in November of 2004. At that meeting, officers were elected, committees named and vision and mission statements written. Dress up short and long-term goals were assembled in discussed. In May of 2005, the MSIT members ‘cleaned up the town' by offering to paint every business, wash every window on Main Street, and patch sidewalks. Several businesses joined in and within weeks, five businesses are either treated to new paint or other face lifting projects. Within six months, other businesses stepped up to the plate and did face lifts, painting projects, and all the empty stores on Main Street have been sold and were in the process of being restored, repaired, and opened for business. The following year, one corner of a very busy intersection was cleaned up and landscape. In 2006 MSIT members learned of the new Montana State Main Street program being implemented by the Montana State Department of Commerce. A member was sent to the information meeting. MSIT began the process to become a pilot program at our application was submitted. Because of the funding requirements, we had to withdraw our application but continued to follow the guidelines. A design plan was drafted, more committee members solicited, and fund raising discussed. In a joint venture with the town of Sheridan an empty lot was purchased for town parking lot. Lott was cleaned up, signs were erected in the public has been encouraged to use a lot. In February of 2007, MSIT was contacted about the new Main Street affiliate program for small rural communities who are exploring downtown revitalization. Our application was submitted and the town of Sheridan was named one of the first four "Main Street program affiliates". MSIT is currently working on obtaining our nonprofit status, 501(C) 3, and separating ourselves as a committee of the town council. A business plan and bylaws have been drafted and are in review by the administrative committee. It is our goal to obtain or 501 (C) 3 status and our own identity by the end of 2007. Following the guidelines of the Montana Main Street program, committees have been designed and guidelines established. We, as members of MSIT, are committed to the improvement, revitalization, community design, and economic growth of the town of Sheridan. Although the Montana DOT has now pushed their Main Street project back to 2011-2012 MSIT will continue to work with them and to improve our Main Street by achieving our short and long-term goals. Some of our goals include:
to fund our first efforts, several small fund raising events were held. Although they were successful, a concentrated effort for one big event is being made. In order to fund future projects, MSIT is hosting an annual wine fest, to be called "Mingling for Main Street". It is our goal to build on this every year and make it a destination event gone from not only the community of Sheridan, the Ruby Valley, a purse from outside your immediate area. For more information on the National Historic Trust and Main Street Programs click here
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As is its tradition, the MSIT group will be hosting the MINGLING FOR MAIN STREET Wine Tasting event on September 10th at the Main Street Park; the same park that they created through other their Fund Raising events. This year a special fund raising project is in the works. The first Ruby Valley Barn Quilt will be auctioned off at the wine tasting. Now this is not the traditional quilt that you throw over your bed or display on your banister. This is an 8 foot square painting of a traditional quilt design that will grace the front of one of the wonderful barns in Madison County. MSIT plans to produce at least one quilt per year to be auctioned off at their annual fund raising event. The quilts will be hung for display on barns in the Ruby Valley and Madison County. This year, the quilt pattern is ‘Black Tie’, and it can be viewed by logging on to the Main Street Improvement Teams facebook page. There are so many fabulous barns in the area, that beg to be shared with tourists and history buffs as a part of our heritage. A little ‘barn quilt glam’ will surely brighten up the countryside, and at the same time, help to brighten up a little Montana town’s Main Street
