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See Lancaster director visits
Virginia program for ideas
By Nancy B. Howell
When See Lancaster staff members learned that Lancaster was one of perhaps
only two countywide Main Street programs in the United States, they
sought information on their counterpart. When See Lancaster learned that
Loudoun County, Va., was interested in comparing notes with See Lancaster,
a trip was planned for October.
Beppie LeGrand, director of the South Carolina Main Street program, made
the arrangements. She and Frank Keel, executive director of See
Lancaster, visited the Virginia county last week.
They spent their first day with national Main Street representatives.
It was explained how both of the counties came to the decision that
being a countywide program was beneficial for their communities. At
the end of the meeting, national Main Street officials said they
wanted to visit Lancaster County in the near future. Working through
our state agency, a countywide strategic plan will be developed from
information that has been collected over the three years of the
program's existence.
Keel also visited the award-winning Main Street program in the
downtown Washington, D.C., community Barracks Row. The program
offered many insightful economic projects that could be implemented
here. Keel saw the program was doing things Lancaster County is
already doing, but he also discussed new ideas with leaders there.
Keel and LeGrand spent Thursday and Friday meeting officials and
community leaders involved in the Main Street Loudoun County
program. The Virginia group's challenge is to coordinate seven
incorporated municipalities and a number of planned urban
developments - a mammoth undertaking. The Virginia program works
with communities the size of Heath Springs as well as cities
larger than the city of Lancaster. Keel and LeGrand saw there were
many similarities as well as extreme differences in the Virginia
program and See Lancaster, but many opportunities to work together
to the benefit of both counties. At the end of the two days,
LeGrand and Keel agreed that keeping in touch with representatives
from the Virginia program is a must. Representatives from the
program there will be visiting Lancaster in the future to better
understand our program.
The trip opened many doors of opportunities for See Lancaster.
Meeting with the national Main Street group was an opportunity
to let them know who and where See Lancaster is. Meeting with
Loudoun County community members gave staff someone new sources
to network with to discuss issues unique to a countywide Main
Street program.
We will have more on this trip in our e-newsletter that we
will be introducing soon.
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