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Colorado Community
Revitalization Partnership Program
The
Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)
and the Colorado Community
Revitalization Association (CCRA) have teamed up to
coordinate the Community Revitalization Partnership
(CRP) Program providing assistance relating to
Colorado’s downtowns. Since 2005 DOLA and CCRA have
teamed up to offer one and two-day technical assistance
visits to communities involved in downtown
revitalization. A team of three to five professionals
with expertise in the areas identified by the community
is assembled by CCRA. CCRA will use the structure
provided by the Main Street Four Point Approach as the
basis for identifying and delivering services.
Visits will vary in length from one to two days
depending upon the subject matter and needs of the
community. Additional time will be added for travel,
preparation and report writing. Teams will consist of
three to five people.
Download the CRP Application.
The CRP Program includes.
Assessment
services
Focusing on current
conditions in the downtown, these visits provide valuable
information about the strengths and opportunities of
the downtown and create the foundation from which a
work plan can be developed. Look below to view a typical
assessment visit schedule. To view some examples of
Community Revitalization Partnership Reports, please
look in our Member Services
Resource Library.
Targeted
Technical Assistance
A community may request help with a specific
issue affecting downtown revitalization. Please look
below to view the CRP Menu of Technical Assistance.
Six Month
Follow Up
All Community Revitalization
Partnership Assessment Team recipient communities must
complete a
6-Month Lessons Learned Report to assist DOLA and
CCRA in tracking program impacts and how to continue to
provide meaningful services to Colorado's Downtowns.
Menu
of Technical Assistance
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Organization
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Design
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- Getting Started:
Getting people organized, focused and enthused
- Fundraising for
downtown organizations
- Board development
and facilitation of board of board retreat
- Main Street program
feasibility – Are we ready? Will we benefit?
What do we need to do?
- Volunteer recruitment,
training, retention and reward
- Work plan development
- Visioning and
creating a mission statement
- Building effective
public and private partnerships
- Public relations
& publicity for local programs
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- Design and Historic
preservation assessment
- Providing local
design assistance
- State and National
historic designation process
- Certified Local
Government
- Streetscape plan
review
- Do we need a
plan? What type (i.e. design, market-based,
etc.)?
- Infill construction
- Parking and traffic
strategies
- Creating a façade
improvement program
- Creating design
guidelines
- Merchandising
and window displays
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Economic
Restructuring
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Promotion
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- Understanding
the market analysis process and its applications
- Understanding
how to develop a marketing plan for downtown
- Business development
strategies
- Creating market
niche strategies
- Business mix
and clusters analysis
- Funding mechanisms
for downtown revitalization – alphabet
soup
- Project feasibility
– right project at the right site?
- Creating economic
incentives
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- Marketing and
Branding Review
- Developing marketing
and branding strategies
- Review and critique
of current event promotions
- Special event
development
- Development of
appropriate promotions strategies
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Visits will vary in length
from four hours to two days depending upon the subject
matter and needs of the community. Additional time will
be added for travel, preparation and report writing.
Teams will consist of one to four people. Actual expenses
will be added to the quoted cost. Average daily rate
per person generally will be in the range of $600 unless
the service desired requires hiring a consulting firm.
Most of the subjects shown above will require a full-day
visit.
Two-Day
Visit (Typical Schedule)
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Day
One
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Day
Two
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-
Orientation Meeting
(1 hour)
-
Tour of Community
(1 hour)
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Focus Groups –
groups, individuals (no more than 4 one-hour
meetings with 15-minute breaks between each).
There may be up to 20 people in each group. (4-6
hours)
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Team work time 1 &
2: brainstorm all observations, impressions.
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- Conduct any
necessary follow-up meetings
- Team work time:
analyze observations and develop
recommendations.
- Dry run
presentation with key contact. (1 hour-generally
at end of afternoon)
- Formal
presentation with questions and answers. (2
hours-generally an evening meeting
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Notes:
One
of the interview groups could be conducted at lunch
or dinner. All interview groups need to be
conducted
on day one.
Eligibility
This program is for Colorado communities involved in
Downtown Revitalization. The local community is responsible
for the entire cost of the assessment visit and DOLA
reimburses the community for half the cost of the assessment
visit after all work has been completed and paid in
full. The local community is also responsible for 100%
for the costs associated with team members travel, room
and board. The following is a chart of the full cost
of assessment visits.
1 day visit = $3,000
1_ day visit = $4,500
2 day visit = $6,000
Application
Communities interested in applying for funds should
complete and submit a Community Revitalization Partnership Application
with a formal letter of interest requesting funds from
DOLA to the below address. Please keep your CCRA contact
informed of your progress to ensure timeliness in
scheduling your team.
Mail, E-mail or Fax to
Christy Culp, Department of Local Affairs, 1313 Sherman
Street, Room 521, Denver, CO 80203, Phone:
303.866.2369, Fax: 303.866.4819, E-mail: Christy.Culp@state.co.us
To learn more about this program contact your DoLA regional
manager. Don’t know who that is? Go to www.dola.state.co.us/fs/index.htm
to find out.
Interested in Volunteering?
Make an
Impact in a Community That Needs Your Expertise
CCRA is currently seeking downtown and community
development professionals to participate in assessment
teams, speaking engagements, and training for
communities throughout Colorado. This is a great
opportunity to give back to your industry while
networking with peers and colleagues around the state.
We hope to find professionals with experience in
Economic Restructuring and Development, Business Mixes,
Market Analysis, Historic Preservation, Design,
Management, and Promotions (and a variety of other
topics). You and/or your employer must be members of
CCRA. If you are interested please review the
CRP Team Orientation Materials, then send a resume
to
info@ccraonline.org with "VOLUNTEER" in the subject
line.
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