Our Story
How it all started
When a well-established global computer company suddenly pulled up stakes and left downtown Francesville, it looked like our small, rural community was well on its way in becoming another “small town statistic!” With a declining school enrollment, coupled with a lack of employment opportunities, and a downtown area that was plagued with vacant store fronts, Francesville was in economic crisis.
Then in February 2016, a small group of residents from Francesville met at the public library to brainstorm ideas on how to save this small community from meeting its demise. During this meeting, Indiana’s Main Street Organization was mentioned as one possible solution that merited further investigation. (This organization under the umbrella of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, encourages community-driven revitalization of downtown areas in Indiana cities and towns. The people who make up the Main Street network are passionate advocates, dedicated volunteers, influential stakeholders, and community organizers who work every day to turn the tide in their communities—catalyzing reinvestment, creating jobs, fostering pride of place and creating a better quality of life for all.)
Due to the excellent support and guidance received from Indiana’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Francesville became an “official” member of Indiana’s Main Street Organization in November 2016. But even before the UPTOWN PROJECT was officially recognized as a Main Street Organization, its members were hard at work. The dedication, devotion and hard work of approximately 40 residents in this community of 850, has made all the difference!
In addition, because several members of the Uptown Project have also served or are currently serving on the Community Foundation of Pulaski County’s Board of Directors, it was decided in June 2017 that one of UPTOWN’s long-term goals would be to create an “UPTOWN PROJECT Endowment Fund.” This Endowment Fund would not only help sustain the UPTOWN PROJECT and strengthen its mission of enhancing “quality of life” for those living, working and playing in this community; but all contributions, given at any time, would make a significant impact on our community’s future. Once this long-term goal was publicized, it didn’t take long before this goal was brought to fruition! By the end of the November 2017“#Giving Tuesday” campaign, through the generosity of many loyal residents and businesses, $10,000 had been ear-marked for the “UPTOWN PROJECT Endowment Fund. Yes, great things are happening in Francesville! And even though our community continues to face many obstacles, that “dark cloud of doom” once leering over our small community seems to have been displaced with hope, optimism, joy and laughter!
What we do
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Beautification and Design Committee
The purpose of this subcommittee is to positively shape the physical appearance and image of downtown to attract and to impress shoppers, investors, business owners and employees, residents, and other visitors. It shall do so through partnering with property and business owners, municipal government, and other key stakeholders to develop programs, projects, and plans that lead toward structural and aesthetic improvements to buildings in the program area, streetscape improvements, installation of public art, accessibility improvements, and friendliness toward non-motorized transportation; and carrying out other efforts toward this end as assigned by the Board/Executive Committee.
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Events/Promotion Committee
The purpose of this subcommittee is to promote the Corporation’s program area as a destination for commerce, culture, employment, recreation, and residency. It shall do so through the planning and organizing, promoting, and hosting festivals, street fairs, and other events and programs intended to draw persons into Francesville and to create positive impressions of downtown; undertaking other projects that accomplish this; partnering with other organizations and individuals to conduct efforts to create a public image of and to attract persons to Francesville; and carrying out other efforts toward this end as assigned by the Board /Executive Committee.
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Economic Development/Restructuring Committee
The purpose of this subcommittee is to work with business and property owners, investors, the Pulaski County Community Development Commission, the Pulaski West Developers, Inc., municipal government, and other key stakeholders to identify new market opportunities for the downtown commercial district, to explore new uses for historic commercial buildings (in tandem with the Design Committee as necessary), to stimulate and to encourage new investment, to aid in the retention and expansion of existing downtown businesses, and to carry out other efforts toward downtown economic revitalization as assigned by the Board /Executive Committee.
