Mound City and Stanberry: Two Communities in Motion!
April 4, 2025 | Ben White
It’s been a busy 1st quarter for Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) as our staff worked with several communities across Missouri through the Community Empowerment Grant (CEG) program, completed annual assessment reviews in over 20 communities and assessed 25 additional communities, conducted a workshop in Fayette, and more! The CEG program is designed to assist in the establishment of a strong nonprofit organization focused on downtown economic development as well as guide the organization through effective planning using community feedback. From strong applications to strong community-led Main Street programs, each community in the CEG program impress our staff with how they quickly adopted the Main Street Approach™ and put into motion initiatives that advance their community towards a brighter, more thriving future.
Mound City and Stanberry are two CEG communities that MMSC has delivered technical assistance and services to through our partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This partnership allows MMSC to deliver additional Promotion, Design, and Economic Vitality services to these communities allowing each community to come together through input sessions to determine what is important for the future of their downtown with a unified vision. Since then, these two small but growing communities in northwest Missouri, who are passionate about revitalizing their downtown, have continued to accelerate as Main Street programs.
Mound City
Main Street Mound City has nearly completed the CEG program’s services and training. The branding, design, and economic vitality services facilitated by MMSC’s consultants assisted the organization and community in gaining more momentum with partners to implement the community’s vision as developed through community input sessions. Each service focused on providing education, tools, and renderings specific to what the community needed including a name change from Mound City Downtown Restoration and Revitalization to Main Street Mound City, solidifying the organization’s affiliation with a nation-wide movement of downtown revitalization. Other recommendations included activating a downtown green space with micro-retail pop-up shops and working to become a regional economic hub.
Mound City draws many interested in wildlife, hunting, and natural resources to the region offering a huge opportunity for growth for Mound City. The recommendations Mound City received, along with their identified economic-based Transformation Strategy of Visitor-Focused, will do well in setting a path forward in providing amenities not only for visitors, but for the community as well.
This small, passionate community has already taken off with the recommendations they received. They are working on two projects that will complement their economic-based Transformation Strategy including revitalizing a historic downtown bank building and creating a scenic byway. The scenic byway will attract visitors to the region and help to bring cohesion and awareness to everyone of what the Mound City area has to offer. Mound City has a bright future ahead of them.
Stanberry
Stanberry Main Street is in its second year of the CEG program. They recently received their Transformation Strategy of Multi-Generational, as a result of the diverse age group in the community. The organization will use this Transformation Strategy to focus on creating programming and amenities to engage the entire community.
The branding, design, and economic vitality services facilitated by MMSC’s consultants assisted the organization and community with education, tools, branding, and renderings specific to what the community needed. This included branding focused on the well-attended fireworks show for the 4th of July and a streetscape rendering for the downtown to add trees, banners, and other beautification efforts to the current landscape, which helps fulfill the organization’s goal to create a welcoming environment for the entire community. Additionally, two façade renderings were provided to property owners, including a building where multiple businesses could be located. These renderings illustrated the results of market data and community input gathered by surveys to potential businesses. Lastly, a recommendation was provided for the organization is to work with partners in the creation of a business recruitment guide to assist entrepreneurs with the answers to their questions when starting a business.
Missouri Main Street Connection is excited to see how Mound City and Stanberry work to implement not only the recommendations from this visit but also how each community continues to grow as the Main Street Approach™ continues to be implemented. These communities have proven that it is not the size of the community that matters; but that real change is possible when energized leaders involve the community in the planning and implementation process. It’s all about the people in the community that make all the difference.
1 thought on “April 4, 2025 – Mound City and Stanberry: Two Communities in Motion!”
Great work by each community and the MMSC team. Look forward to seeing your success.