As a non-traditional student returning to college after nearly twenty years in the private sector, I chose to pursue an internship that related directly to my hometown of Smithville, Texas. As a Main Street business owner, I have worked closely with my community toward developing strategies that will attract investment and tourism to our town, attending community meetings, participating in forums and town hall style discussions, meeting with community leaders and discussing growth opportunities with other business owners in Smithville. My goal in this internship was to complete a project that could prove useful to Smithville in the long term. The opportunity to apply for a Cultural District Designation for the City of Smithville (the City) through the Texas Commission of the Arts was discussed at several informal meetings held with different arts groups in Smithville, including the Lost Pines Artisan’s Alliance (LPAA), where I serve on the Executive Board. In discussing the designation, the opportunity to apply for a designation through a joint partnership with the City and LPAA arose.
Having a Cultural District certification will help draw attention to the cultural, historical and artistic attractions that already exist in Smithville as well as build on those attractions by encouraging further preservation of historic structures, promoting its artistic and cultural diversity, and promoting downtown Smithville as an important regional cultural venue. It will lead to developing organizational, financial and business support systems to enhance the expanding creative economy in Smithville.
Working toward a Cultural District Designation required a variety of steps, not the least of which was informing the public of our plan to apply for the designation and respond positively to the proposal. Dr. Jill Strube, City Grants Administrator, advised the following steps at the outset: Public Meeting, Notice of Intent to Texas Commission on the Arts (TCOA), Community Opinion and Support Interviews, Community Group Presentations Research, Footprint, and Financial Incentives.
This internship has brought with it the realization that there is much more work to be done and many more possible projects to pursue, including the application for the Main Street Program (through the Texas Historical Commission), the possible organization of a City/Lower Colorado River Authority partnership to open up river access in the Main Street corridor and the continued pursuit of the arduous task of overhauling a crumbling Main Street with very few funding sources immediately apparent.
As a business owner on Main Street Smithville I will continue to work toward a revitalized downtown district. I would strongly suggest strong community involvement to anyone interested in pursuing this type of very personally relevant internship. Meeting with fellow business owners, community leaders and service providers would have been virtually impossible had I not had some experience with City Council meetings, Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Association dynamics and issues near and dear to the hearts of small business owners. The biggest lesson I learned was that it really is essential to participate in your community at an activist level, attending City Council meetings, community forums, town hall groups and Lion’s Club lunches. Join in the events that shape your world or your voice will be left out of the conversation.