Western Erie Canal Main Street Program
With initial funding provided under the 2006-2007 New York State Department of State Quality Communities Grant, the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program (WECMSP) seeks to revitalize canal communities and their traditional commercial districts within the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor. This heritage corridor includes Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, and Wayne counties. The Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor is part of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Heritage Area System.
The WECMSP is an implementation strategy of the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor Management Plan, adopted by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in August, 2005. In March 2006, the Western Erie Canal Alliance (WECA) was formed as a non-profit corporation to implement the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor Management Plan.
National Trust Main Street Center™ (NTMSC), a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was retained by WECA to assist with the design of the regional coordinating program based on the National Trust Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach™: Design, Promotion, Economic Restructuring, and Organization. The Four-Point 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.
WECA also retained Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council (G/FLRPC) to fulfill the Regional Program Coordinator role for 2008 and 2009. The Regional Coordinator oversaw the day-to-day operation of the WECMSP and provided technical assistance and training in the Four-Point Approach™.
In its start-up year, eleven communities were eligible for local Main Street program assistance: the cities of Lockport and North Tonawanda and the villages of Albion, Clyde, Holley, Lyons, Macedon, Medina, Middleport, Newark, and Palmyra. All eligible communities (cities and villages located on the Erie Canal in the counties of Niagara, Orleans, and Wayne) were invited to an Application Workshop held on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The deadline for applications was Friday, July 25, 2008.
On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, the communities of the Village of Albion in Orleans County, Village of Lyons in Wayne County, and City of Lockport in Niagara County were announced by WECA as the three inaugural designated Main Street communities of the WECMSP. Those communities began to receive technical assistance and training from the NTMSC and the WECMSP. Services provided to the newly-formed local Main Street programs (Albion Main Street Alliance, Lockport Main Street, Inc., and Lyons Main Street) include: Main Street Basic Training and New Manager Orientation, Resource Team Visits, and Work Plan Workshops.
The Western Erie Canal Main Street Program is a partner with the National Trust Main Street Center, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2007, the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program became the first regional Main Street Program in the country and the only recognized Main Street Program by the National Trust Main Street Center in New York State.
Western Erie Canal Main Street Program Brochure
Western Erie Canal Main Street Program Newsletter
National Trust Main Street Center Basic Training Workshop
2008 Community Application
2008 Community Application (Microsoft Word format)
Part II Application & Guidelines, 2008 Selection Rounds (Microsoft Word format)
Part II Application & Guidelines, 2008 Selection Rounds (Adobe Acrobat format)
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Last Modified: March 04, 2010