Main Street Resource Team visits Linden

The Texas Main Street Resource Team on March 2 held a community meeting at the historical Cass County Courthouse in order to provide an overview of their initial impressions of Main Street efforts in Linden, and to cover other topics.
The group is providing support to Linden’s Main Street program as it works toward revitalization of the historic downtown.
Linden Main Street Manager Allie Anderson began the meeting by thanking the team.
“This team has been working hard for two days and have provided services that other cities pay lots of money for and we are getting for free, and we are very appreciative of their hard work and enthusiasm,” said Anderson.
 Texas Main Street Coordinator Debra Drescher gave a general overview of the Main Street program. 
“We are part of the Texas Historical Commission, which is the agency you partnered with to restore the courthouse -- we are part of the Community Heritage Development Division,” said Drescher. “We have a staff of nine and most of us are here today -- and all work in different disciplines. Our job, 100 percent, is to provide services toward the revitalization of historic downtowns.”
“We are defined as an economic development in the context of historic preservation,” Drescher continued. “Our job as state employees … is to provide services to your city, your Main Street program, property owners and business owners for public and private spaces -- anything we need to do to achieve your goals, that’s our job.”
The Texas Main Street Resource Team presented a PowerPoint presentation of their findings and ideas, and also showcased different tools of the Main Street program. 
The team will be submitting back to Linden a comprehensive report with more details within the next few months.
Emily Koller, planner for the Texas Main Street Resource Team, announced that she has completed a building inventory and a partial business inventory. 
“This information is the essential building blocks for you to do anything else with your Main Street Program,” said Koller. 
Sarah Marshall, assistant Main Street coordinator and small business development specialist, spoke of the importance of a sense of place -- giving the city a meaning, and essentially creating a destination that visitors would return to for the experience. 
“Sense of place is the strong identity and character that is felt by your city, not only by the residents but by the visitors as well, and why special places hold special meaning,” said Marshall. “I like to derive from local history because that’s what I love, but it needs to be a unique set of characteristics that makes your city a special place.
“I have heard this is music city and we have spoken about Don Henley, T-Bone Walker and Scott Joplin and that’s great, but we also want to embody what makes it Music City Texas, beyond famous people.”
She mentioned placing plaques around the town that have local history on them. 
“I think that buildings only tell half the story, and so if there is not a building there anymore there is still so much you can do to still tell that story,” said Marshall. Since 1981, the first lady of Texas has welcomed new cities inducted into the Texas Main Street program with a ceremony. The ceremony for Linden with be April 18, early afternoon, and will include unveiling of an artist’s rendering of a section of the Linden Main Street focus area. 
The ceremony will be around -- or in -- the Cass County Courthouse.