Main Street leaves Princeton
By Donna Barker
-
dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Come mid-July, the city of Princeton will no longer be designated as an Illinois Main Street community.
Erika Robbins, executive director of the Princeton Chamber of Commerce and Main Street, confirmed the change Friday morning. The change will not affect any current programs offered through the Chamber of Commerce/Main Street office. The only noticeable difference will be the removal of the Illinois Main Street Community signs on the edge of town, Robbins said.
Princeton became an Illinois Main Street Community in 1993. The program is administered through the Lt. Governor's office and is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In a letter written this week to Chamber members, Robbins said frustration with the Illinois Main Street program has been increasing during the past three years. There is a lack of support from the Springfield office and costly demands on community members.
For instance, the number of required conferences has put a strain on the Chamber’s budget, Robbins said. Five trainings were recently required in one year, at an average of $450 per training. Requiring board members and committee members, who are all volunteers and have jobs, to attend trainings outside of Princeton was unrealistic, she said.
Also, many of the training sessions were redundant and not relevant to Princeton’s current conditions. The Princeton office also did not receive requested support, newsletters and annual reviews from the state program as promised, she added.
In a letter sent to the Princeton Chamber/Main Street Board in December 2007, Illinois Main Street Program Director Wendy Bell said Princeton did not meet attendance requirements in 2007, which would mean a reduction of services and possible grants or award options in 2008.
These continuing frustrations with the Illinois Main Street program has led the Princeton Chamber Board to make its decision to discontinue Princeton's Main Street designation.
"A year ago, the Chamber and Main Street Board of Directors wrote letters to the national and state Main Street offices outlining our concerns and recommendations for improvements," Robbins said. "We have received no response. This lack of response during the past year has given us reason to focus our resources in areas we feel are more cost effective."
