The Main (Street) Event: Five New Players

Last Thursday, Nora Feuquay from the Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) and Paul Ellis from the City of Columbia Community & Economic Development Department began retention visits with Main Street merchants.  The purpose of these visits is to build a database of local businesses and get to know them better so as to provide assistance when it's needed--even better, before help is needed.

Columbia's Main Street has developed a new vitality that is reflected in the diversity of these first five merchants visited by the local economic development team:

Evalina's Antique Cafe - After years of success with Winghorse Farms on Triple Lakes Road, Barbara Ratz decided to follow a new dream and open an antique shop at 124 S. Main; she also sells desserts and serves soup and sandwiches amid the antiques, consignment items and locally-made crafts.

Fashion Attic - Lori Prior has transferred her skills as a successful Realtor into a run as owner of a consignment shop at 128 S. Main, where she offers stylish clothing, jewelry, hats, purses, and bags for discriminating customers.

Above & Beyond Design by Marla - After years of working for a corporation, Marla Vogt struck out on her own to design custom kitchens for customers from Waterloo to Chesterfield; she opened her showroom at 128 S. Main after working out of her home and winning customer acclaim.

Chateau La Vin - Another refugee from the corporate world, Bob Freyman opened Chateau La Vin Wine Shop & Tasting Bar at 119 S. Main just a few months ago; his shop offers a respite from shopping where customers can sip wine and watch the traffic go by.

Who Dat's Southern Food - Bourbon St. meets the Midwest at 123 S. Main in Who Dat's, where Creole is king and owner Chris Salvage offers Southern hospitality with the cuisine.

Even though each of these five relatively new firms is unique, they share at least two common characteristics--optimism for the future, and the sense that Columbia's Main Street is where their future fortunes (literal and figurative) will be found.

Columbia's Past May Have a Future

Last week's forum regarding location of Piggot's Fort drew a robust crowd of people and sparked community interest in pursuing what is arguably one of the most significant historic locations in early Illinois.

With strong support from the Illinois War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, the event surfaced new resources and new people that will help local groups move forward on four proposed projects that will help Piggot's Fort achieve the widespread and lasting recognition it deserves:

1. Completing transfer of a proposed park site along Bluff Rd. from the Columbia Historical Society to the City of Columbia, a process begun in 2007 but not yet completed;
2. Convening an expert panel to identify the true site of Piggot's Fort, if such identification is still possible;
3. Developing the above mentioned park site as a location commemorating Piggot's Fort and interpreting its contribution to the European settlement of Illinois;
4. Working with the appropriate groups and agencies to identify and commemorate genealogies and other historic records, gravesites and building sites for the Piggots, Whitesides and other pioneer settlers.

Each of these efforts received a boost from the turnout at last week's event, but more help will be needed.  Interested individuals should contact the Heritage & Preservation Commission about opportunities to get involved. 

Where Was Piggott's Fort?

In 1783, James Piggot erected a fort at the foot of the bluff, a mile and a half west of Columbia where a small creek, called by the French the Grand Ruisseau, emerged from the bluff. This fort was home to 14 families--the largest settlement at that time along the entire Cahokia-Kaskaskia Trail--creating the nucleus for the earliest American settlement of the Illinois territory.  It was a celebrated place in those early times, known as Piggot's Fort.

While many believe the stone foundation across from Sackman Field at 11832 Bluff Rd. to be a remnant of Piggot’s Fort, the exact location is open for discussion. Members of the Illinois War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, Columbia Historical Society, Columbia Heritage & Preservation Commission, and the Sand Bank School Historical Society have joined forces to try and settle the question during this coming year. As a first step, a forum will be held from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on November 30th at Sand Bank School, located just north of the currently designated Piggot's Fort site.

Anyone interested in the history of the area should plan to stop by and share information with early Illinois settlement historian Bill Wilson, Monroe County historian and author Gene Haller, and other experts.

Columbia’s Improved Website is Now Live!

The City of Columbia’s official website has been upgraded to better serve the community.  This past Friday, the re-designed site went live, offering many improvements.

First, City staff worked with CivicPlus, the vendor, to completely update the design of the site. In conjunction with that process, the team reorganized the website’s navigation, making it easier to find content. As a result, the whole look and feel of the website has been updated and improved.

Three new features merit special notice:

 The calendar now shows dates in a graphic manner, not just as a list, making it easier to find events via the website;

 Navigation has been revamped to make it easier to find content and functions on the site;

 The website has a new, revolving slide show highlighting content and services of special interest--including some new, high interest content that has recently been added.

Other changes are being made to improve the website’s functionality for new businesses seeking to locate in this area. National studies suggest that more than 98% of site selections are with primary contact via a community’s website.

Further improvements will continue to be made to make Columbia’s website more useful to citizens as well as for visitors and potential investors. If you have a suggestion for improving the website, please send it to Paul Ellis, pellis@columbiaillinois.com or (618) 281-7144.

Columbia Wins 'Active Living' Recognition

Trailnet, the premier non-profit organization developing bike and pedestrian trails, saving green spaces and advocating alternative transportation across the St. Louis metropolitan area, has chosen the City of Columbia as recipient of the 2011 Active Living Award recognizing achievement by a municipality.  The annual awards celebrate the individuals, nonprofits, municipalities, and businesses who are engaged in unique and sustainable efforts to incorporate physical activity into everyday living.

On September 20, Columbia will be recognized at the awards ceremony held at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. Registrations can be made online through the Trailnet website.

Nominated by Scott Rodemich of Marketicity--formerly a member of the Play Commission--Trailnet recognizes Columbia's commitment to encouraging walking and biking.  Despite the economic downturn and severely restricted revenues, Columbia's leaders continue to make investments in projects and planning that continues to build community momentum, such as:

• Construction of a new sidewalk along Temple, connecting Main St. with Parkview School and the city's largest park;
• Installation of fixed speed feedback signs at two key crosswalks on Main St.;
• Development and annual expansion of a School Travel Plan through the Safe Routes to School program;
• Updating the City's Open Space, Bike & Greenway Alignment Plan;
• Creating a Play Commission and winning recognition for two years in a row as the St. Louis region's solitary Playful City USA;
• Initiating a new master planning process for a 33.8 acre park in the Admiral Trost Development Subdivision

Monroe County Led Southwestern IL Tourism Growth in 2010

Monroe County once again led the pack of Southwestern Illinois counties in growth of revenues from tourism last year.  The economic impact of tourism in Monroe County totalled $14.2 million, up 10.8 percent from the previous year--the second year in a row in which Monroe led the pack in percentage expansion of revenues. 

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has released numbers for the Southwestern Illinois tourism industry showing that visitors to the nine Southwestern Illinois counties generated nearly $907.3 million in local economic impact in 2010. Totals from each of the other counties, compiled by the U.S. Travel Association, included: Bond - $13.8 million, up 3.7 percent; Calhoun- $22.2 million, up 2.5 percent; Clinton - $37 million, up 2.4 percent; Jersey - $51.2 million, up 1.3 percent; Madison - $316.4 million, up 3.4 percent; Randolph - $29.4 million, up 9.4 percent; St. Clair - $408.6 million, up 6.9 percent; and Washington - $14.5 million, up 7.5 percent. 

Nora Feuquay, staff for the Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC), attributes the increase to the activities of tourism related groups in the county such as CLIFFTOP, the Monroe County History Museum, and the Peterstown House as well as the efforts of local municipalities in supporting their businesses and tourism activities.  "Many of these groups are doing a great job promoting themselves via websites and social media," Feuquay observes. 

The MCEDC Tourism Subcommittee also continues to work on getting tourism information on the county website while building a tourism theme for the county and, eventually, the region.  What's next?  Cooperation between the county and municipalities to support the new Monroe County Welcome Center will further enhance growth of tourism in the area.

In Columbia, Volunteers Are Tops!

Dozens of community volunteers turned out last evening to celebrate Columbia's designation by the State of Illinois as the inaugural winner of the "Outstanding Community Volunteerism" award.

As pictured at right, volunteers gathered at Tiny's Pub & Grill to raise a glass and cheer one another while highway signs announcing Columbia's designation were unveiled on Highway 3 entering town from both directions.  "Volunteers are the heartbeat of a community," said Community & Economic Development Director Paul Ellis at the event, "and in Columbia, that heartbeat is particularly strong."

The "Outstanding Community Volunteerism" award is part of the Governor’s Hometown Awards program, presented continuously since 1983, which gives formal recognition to those who have answered contributed to their community’s quality of life.