Main Street Program in rebuilding mode in Mineral Wells, board plans merchant strategy sessions

MINERAL WELLS — The board guiding the Main Street Program took steps on Wednesday to shift the state-affiliated downtown development program into a forward gear.

“I think we’ll create amazing opportunities for Mineral Wells,” board Chairwoman Cody Jordan said immediately after the hour-long meeting. “Because, we’ve got some development happening.”

The Texas Main Street Program and downtown Mineral Wells, where a Renaissance that began about three years ago is in full swing, are a natural match.  And the departure Main Street Manager Myndi Muncy, for reasons shielded by the personnel exception to open records laws, has set the advisory board volunteers on a correction course.

Wednesday’s meeting began with a backdrop of the program being found out of compliance with state policy.

Texas Main Street, which provides grants to revive the historic look and feel of downtowns, is within the Texas Historical Commission, known for its i-dotting and t-crossing protocols.  That includes quarterly progress reports, which the local program has not sent to Austin for nine months. Jordan and other board members said there needs to be some type of notification to the board when it is in jeopardy of falling out of compliance.

“How can we not be in compliance when you didn’t reach out?” Jordan rhetorically asked program overseers in Austin.   All of which led to several focuses for rebuilding, starting with writing a detailed job description for the next manager and filling that lead administrative role.

“I want to get this (job notice) posted and try to get this moving,” City Manager Dean Sullivan said, making a rare appearance at an advisory board meeting.  Sullivan laid out elements to include in a job description, including shifting the position to that of a contracted city employee with annual performance reviews.

“If they are not doing their job, we don’t need to wait till we’re on probation (to find out),” he said. “We wouldn’t have waited as long as we did if there was a noncompliance and if somebody at the state would have told us.”

Sullivan was joined by David Hawes, executive director of the Mineral Wells Economic Development Corp., who will serve as interim Main Street manager.   Hawes, handily headquartered in the Poston’s Building where Main Street is based, offered resources and emphasized the rebuild will be a partnership with actively involved board members.

“I take a completely different approach,” Hawes said. “This is a team effort. It’s not about who’s in charge, it’s about getting the job done.

“This is going to be something we work through together, and I hope whoever we get for Main Street will be all about making Main Street better.”

The panel also set a May 11 date for a strategic planning session to develop specific plans.  In preparation for that mapping session, Jordan suggested board members visit different categories of downtown shopkeepers — retailers, bar owners, etc. — to gather stakeholder input.  Board member Tai Saylor agreed, saying the approach would result in downtown merchant groups seeing their particular recommendations reflected in the strategic plan that results from the May planning session.  Hawes later offered access to a consultant from his private public management firm. But he added the merchant visits should be conducted by the board members themselves rather than professional consultants.

“That’s one thing, versus people on the board who are volunteers and have a stake in the game,” he said. “It’s very important that there’s that connection.”

The state Main Street program had sent an assessment of the Mineral Wells program which, members said, included recommendations they were on record suggesting.  That included enlarging the board from seven members, to nine or 11. The panel only just reached its seven-member mark, with Wednesday’s meeting serving as a crash course for new members Melody Singleton and Brian Bennett.  Jordan said expanding the panel made sense with all the projects in the hopper.

Those include a Crazy Well Project celebrating the 1885 well credited with curing a woman of dementia and boosting the young town’s early wellness reputation, a student field trip yet to take shape and a new downtown health and wellness festival initially planned for June will need more time to plan and schedule.

“Word on the street, from lots of different merchants and people — they are thinking it’s just too early to do it,” Jordan said of the festival.

Just putting together a field trip for the local fifth graders by May was not a sure thing.

“Before we commit to it, we need to make sure we have plenty of volunteers,” Jordan said, with board member Jacy Roach adding it would need to be “very, very organized.”  Jordan concluded the meeting by indicating it had been a good step toward stability, even success.

“I’m excited about what’s going to happen in the future,” she told the others.