Worland named as 'aspiring city'

WORLAND – Expect an enhanced version of downtown Worland in the upcoming years because the City of Worland has been dubbed the new category of “aspiring city” in the Wyoming Main Street Program.

The news was announced at April 5 City council meeting by Worland Mayor Dave Duffy.

“The idea behind the new aspiring category for Main Street communities is that successful programs need many things in place before they start,” Wyoming Main Street Program Manager Linda Klinck said, in a press release.

As aspiring communities, Lusk and Worland are eligible for training and planning grants through Wyoming Main Street. They will also receive consultations from Klinck, the press release states.

Worland will strengthen its futures by joining the Wyoming Main Street program, the Wyoming Business Council downtown revitalization program, the press release stated.

The press release added the road to get Worland part of the program was longer than originally thought.

Four years ago, Terry Sutherland, executive director of the Worland Chamber of Commerce at the time, attended the National Main Street conference in Des Moines, Iowa, and sowed the seeds for today’s program in Worland, according to the press release.

“We toured six communities, from 250 people to 15,000 people,” Sutherland said. “We knew that was a program we wanted in Worland.”

Since then, Sutherland has opened a pet store, which he runs based on some of the principles he learned through the Main Street program. He helped Worland redesign its master plan with an eye toward starting a program, according to the press release.

Support for Main Street has reached critical mass

“From city officials to residents, and not necessarily just business owners, but people who want to help the economy,” Sutherland said. “We now have a huge pool of people, and the attitude from many of those people was, ‘Tell us what you want us to do, and we’ll be there.’”

Worland leaders want higher occupancy rates downtown, and more residences above those shops.

Virtually every building on Worland’s main street has historic significance, Sutherland added. He wants to learn how to get those structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

What’s next?

“We don’t know all the answers yet, and that’s why we are looking for help,” Sutherland said.

Klinck will help those communities by organizing a board of directors, installing bylaws, receiving proper training and understanding the best practices for revitalizing their downtowns.

In an interview on Monday Sutherland said everyone will have answers after the May 19 National Main Street Program Conference, but in the meantime the city needs to work on having a list of interested board of directors ready for the meeting with the Main Street Program manager.

The manager, Klinck, will then meet with Worland to assist with the bylaws, and the programs implementation will go from there.

What the Main Street Program can do

The process has proven successful throughout Wyoming. The 15 existing Main Street communities in 2015 added 65 downtown businesses and created nearly 300 full- and part-time jobs.

The downtowns in those communities are also looking nicer thanks to 155 rehabilitation and public improvement projects.

Public officials have supported the programs by providing $2.69 million. The money has leveraged $24.36 million in private investment.

The new businesses and improved infrastructure have galvanized an army of volunteers in those communities. Volunteers contributed more than 25,900 hours to Main Street activities last year.

“We look forward to bringing in our three new communities (Worland included), because we see how the program has made a difference for others,” Klinck said.