TTAWA – The state’s sudden elimination of the Kansas Main Street program with the firing of the state’s Main Street coordinator at noon Thursday has had Main Street directors across the state scrambling.. Ottawa Main Street Becci Shisler said she’s been meeting with Ottawa Main Street members to figure out what to do next. However, Ottawa Main Street will continue, and the process of reacting to the the state’s action will make the local group stronger. Ottawa Main Street is an member of the national Main Street program and the local group will be able to get much of the same advice and guidance from the national organization, she said. The Kansas Main Street organization, which was in the Department of Commerce, provided guidance, advice and some grants and funding through the Innovation Without Walls program, she said. The state has said the IWW will be continued elsewhere in the commerce department, she said. Several upcoming Main Street state meetings have been canceled but Shisler said she and the other local Main Street directors will be meeting on their own. In a letter to Main Street groups in the state, commerce secretary Pat George said the elimination of the program was part of a continuing state restructuring to cut spending and “will allow us to be more cost efficient while still working effectively with Kansas businesses and communities.” Main Street is a program designed to band together downtown businesses in a community to plan and do those things that will improve the economic and cultural health of downtowns. The cities of Overland Park and Dodge City were added to the Kansas Main Street program a couple of weeks ago.
