Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council has contracted with the Western Erie Canal Alliance (WECA) (exit this site) to fulfill the duties of Main Street Program Coordinator for the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor.  This heritage corridor includes Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Monroe and Wayne counties.

The Coordinator staff person will oversee the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program, which is funded through the NYS DOS Quality Communities Grant Program.  This program seeks to revitalize historic business centers along the heritage corridor.  The Coordinator will also provide program services that follow the model of the National Trust Main Street Center™, (exit this site) a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (exit this site).

The Western Erie Canal Main Street Program will provide a wide range of technical assistance services to the sixteen (16) villages and small cities that make up the 136-mile section of the canal in Western New York.  These municipalities have been challenged by the economic and physical decline of their main streets.  Additionally, one local community in each of the rural counties of Niagara, Orleans, and Wayne will be selected to receive financial support for intensive planning work for the revitalization of its main street.  The newly established Main Street Advisory Board, comprised of WECA Board members, local government officials, small business and corporate representatives, and other individuals with revitalization expertise, will assist in promoting, fund raising and advocating for the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program and participate in the selection process for three new Main Street communities.

The National Main Street Center™ (exit this site) has been retained to assist with design of the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor Main Street Program, based on the Main Street Four-Point Approach™ (exit this site):  Design, Promotion, Economic Restructuring, and Organization.  The Main Street Approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets:  distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.  The NTMSC will also provide technical assistance and training to communities that have been designated as Main Street programs by the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program.

The Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (exit this site) and the New York State Heritage Area System (exit this site).  The WECA was formed in March 2006 as a non-profit corporation to implement the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor Management Plan, which was adopted by former NYS OPRHP Commissioner Bernadette Castro in August 2005.  The objectives of the management plan are to promote the development of a vibrant regional economy, enhance the overall quality of life throughout the region, promote natural resource conservation and the re-use of existing buildings and infrastructure, and increase public appreciation of the unique natural and cultural heritage resources found along the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor. 

For more information about the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program, please contact Jayme Breschard, Program Coordinator, at (585) 454-0190 x12 or jbreschard@gflrpc.org